Walking into Whitstable

For those of you who asked, we booked the lovely beach house through here. Whilst our place only slept 2, there were others that slept up to 6 and all of them looked lovely and were in the same peaceful vicinity.  The booking process was really easy and everything went smoothly.

We did lots of walking whilst we were in Seasalter.  We walked into Whitstable a few times.  It said in our info booklet that it took less than 30 mins to walk in, but the houses are so gorgeous along the way, and I am so nosey, that it took over an hour each time!  Some of the houses are sea side shack type of residences, whilst others are huge houses with £1million + price tags.

The town itself has a delightful selection of individual shops and places to eat.  It has a nice vibe.

After a particularly long beach walk, we called back for a drink on the beach at the Old Neptune.  I felt sozzled as soon as I walked into the pub as the bar and floor is very sloping!  Hubby and I are still on the "alcohol free"  - 6 months and counting!

We had some celeb neighbours.  Apparently Janet Street Porter and Harry Hill  both have a des res on this beach, and I remember this pad being on a Nigella programme once as one of her pals owned it.

The Oysters and mussels are grown and farmed in abundance in the bay - this bed was revealed outside of our house when the tide went out.

We had a lovely relaxing time.  Friends thought we might run out of things to talk about as it was our first holiday without the kids, but I've never run out of things to talk about in 53 years,  and hubby only half listens and forgets most of what I say, so it doesn't matter if I repeat myself anyway!

Seasalter

Hubby and I have had a week on the beach - literally.

 For our first holiday away together - on our own - without the kids (in 21years!!) we chose a stunning beach house on the Kent coast in the little village of Seasalter, next to Whitstable.

 The house was amazing.  Beautifully decorated, warm, airy and full of light.  It is the most peaceful place we have ever stayed and we have loved every minute.

 My photographs do not do the interior justice.  We have been so comfortable here.

 But one of the best things about the house was it's location - when the tide came in it was literally just a few feet from the edge of our decking.

 We struggled to drag ourselves away during the day time and on a few afternoons enjoyed a siesta on the decking.  But we were always home every evening to catch some of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen (and I do consider myself an expert on the subject).

We have had a great week with nice weather.  It's been rather like a honeymoon!

Showing off

My Aunty and Uncle came to stay with me last week.  They now live in Holland, and when they visit "back home" they like to see the hills and rolling English countryside.  They had been staying down south, and had not had very good weather so far for their stay, but they came north and we switched on the sun, and showed off.

 Monsal Dale had never looked lovelier.

 Its a little piece of heaven on earth.

The gardens at Chatsworth House......

.... were a very nice place to be yesterday in the lovely sunshine.

Eighteen

So my baby has turned Eighteen - where do the years go! He has turned from a teeny tiny little munchkin....

 ...  into a lovely 6 foot 5 inch (and still growing)  lovely, kind, handsome (if not a bit lazy!)young man.

 The girl who made his cake did herself proud.  She said it was the hardest cake she has ever made!!  The story is that when we were in the Nike shop on the Champs Elysee, he saw this fabulous pair of "Air Jordans" (basketball shoes) and he desperately wanted them.  He pestered and pestered, but they were well above £100 and I don't usually cave in, but we were in Paris and I caved.  But he was crushed when the shop assistant told him they were not for sale - they could be ordered, but not bought.  Earlier this year, he went to New York with his girlfriend and found the much desired shoes but at a much reduced price - he was over the moon.  So I decided that they would make a fab subject for a cake.  He loves it.

We are having a very small family gathering later on, and a party at a venue next week for his pals. Times feel like they are a changing around here. xxx

A nice bit of culture

I was very excited when I heard that Baz Luhrmann was re making The Great Gatsby.  I love the book and the previous films, and I had seen some of the trailers for it and was just giddy! I have loved all Baz's previous films - I like the way he seems to not have to stick to a  budget, but just produces a fabulous extravaganza.  So with the Great Gatsby, I was surprised he stuck very much to the book - I didn't expect him to do this, the costumes were fantastic, the actors were great too.  The settings were lush, but I wasn't too keen on the "computer generated images" so much.  The only thing I felt let it down was the soundtrack.  Now, the soundtrack is really really great and a really brave choice, but the music didn't feature as much in the film as I thought it would - which was a shame.   My daughter said she wanted to feel as if she was at the party - and I know what she meant.  And I didn't see the point in it being 3D either.  I want to watch it again in 2D.  My son thought it was hilarious when I tried to sum up my slight disappointment by saying it wasn't "Baz Luhrmanny enough".

 My other cultural outing was to the Lyceum in Sheffield to see Matthew Bournes Sleeping Beauty.   Again, Matthew Bourne can do no wrong in my eyes.  The production is simply stunning.  The costumes, the dancing, the sets - all totally spot on, and with Matthew Bourne twist in it.  Fabulous.

* All photos from Google images

Changing perceptions

I decided to treat hubby to brunch as he had been on a night shift - and he had to go back to work at 5pm so we couldn't do much with the day.  "I know, we'll pop up to Manor Lodge" says I.  "Great" he said with more than a hint of sarcasm.  "You'll love it" I said - he rolled his eyes at me (as he does).

It was a really lovely day, and they also had a history fair on too.

It was really interesting to look around.

He loved reading the old newspapers, and noted that in 1966 his football team were struggling! We often comment that in history, nothing really changes!

The views over the industrial part of the city on this fine day were very clear - the hill below is Wincobank Hill fort and again to my shame, even though I pass this millions of times, I have never stopped for a look.  I shall endeavour to remedy this.

We ate at the Rhubarb Shed Cafe which I have to say is becoming a favourite.  They grow a lot of the produce themselves here, and everything is cooked fresh.  It is all at Sheffield prices too !   Hubby had to admit that I had been totally right about this place (when am I ever wrong!) and he cannot wait to go back and see what else is on offer here.

Even though you are slap bang in the middle of a very busy city, the place is so peaceful and you feel as if you are on a farm in the middle of no where.  The cafe is open every day from 8am-3pm, the history bits are open on Fridays and Saturdays.

I loved the bug hotel made out of recycled bits.  It was good to change hubby's mind about somewhere that he has negative experiences of.  He also commented how really lovely everybody was that was either working there or visiting.

It is my newest favourite place to visit.