Quiet Sunday

We had a quiet Sunday. I thought I had got up at the usual time, but realised that I was an hour later than expected. That was an unexpected bonus. It had been a wet night, and the rain was forecast to continue throughout the morning.  Once I was suitably caffeinated and had consumed my morning porridge, I donned my waterproofs and set off for a walk. The wind was blustery, and it was difficult to avoid the rain being blown into my face. I persevered and, despite the rain, thoroughly enjoyed my walk.

When I arrived home, I wrote the blog entry for yesterday, then did some admin until lunchtime. The afternoon saw the usual Kindle time (another book finished and the next one started). Then, before I knew it, it was time to start on dinner. Tonight we had BBQ ribs with roast potatoes, beans, and carrots. Simple, but delicious.

It was hardly an exciting day, but it was quiet and restful.

Up North

It was a relaxed start to the day. The overnight rain had ceased, and it was brightening up. We would be going out later, but to start the day, there was a Zoom call with the cousins. This followed the usual structure... Helen was having trouble with her PC and the Internet; Sarah was looking after her grandchildren; Chris was talking about his recent travels to the UK; Maggie was talking about quiz night; Tim was talking about another quiz night; and Sam was doing her ironing!

Di and I set off soon after 10:00. The first stop was Chichester to collect Kim, and then we hit the King's Highways. We were heading to "The Craven Arms" at Enborne, where, in what is becoming a Christmas tradition, we were meeting up with Denise and the family. We had a surprisingly clear run despite various roadworks, and soon settled into the pub for a review of their plumbing facilities and a refreshing tincture. We took our place in the large tipi (wigwam). The weather was beginning to deteriorate, and it was very blustery. Inside the tipi, it was cosy and warm, and we sat and chatted while waiting for Denise and the family to arrive.

We didn't wait long. They wandered in, and we all exchanged hugs and kisses before sitting down for a general catch-up over a lovely lunch. We traded news about all our various comings and goings, work, school, holidays, health, and Christmas plans. All the while, we were served lunch. Some of us had pre-selected a "Christmas Lunch," which was turkey with all the trimmings. The others chose directly from the menu. Looking around the table as we finished, I noticed several hadn't managed to finish the huge portions that we had been given. It really was an excellent few hours.

It was gone 4 o'clock before we exchanged gifts and said our goodbyes. We slotted back onto the highway. By now, it was raining fairly steadily and was quite unpleasant for the first 20 miles. Again, it was a good run; we were home in about 90 minutes, having dropped Kim off on the way.

It had been a lovely day.

Ticking along

 There's not much to report. I was up before 7:00 and once caffeinated, wandered around to Zoe's for the school run. It was chaos there. Zoe and Ellie had only woken up at 8:00, and we had to leave by 8:30. At least it was bright and dry for the walk to school, even if it was frosty.

Having dropped Ellie, I set off on my usual walk. It was bright enough that I had to change to my sunglasses, and cold enough that I appreciated my woollen hat. Once home, I prepared breakfast and tea, and Di and I had a quiet morning getting on with our respective admin. For me, the focus was the 2026 spreadsheet (discussed yesterday). I have now rationalised and tidied up the section that had been causing me frustration. I'm sure I will play with it further, but I am fairly sure that I could use it as it stands, and anything else would be icing on the cake. For Di, the focus was Christmas presents.

After lunch, I spent some time reviewing some cruise options for 2027. Not that we have decided on a cruise then, it was just to get an idea of what is available and what the various prices might be. We then retired to the lounge for some Kindle time. This was interrupted, however, by a call from Zoe. Her security cameras all needed to be charged, and she couldn't get them off their mounts. There was a bit of to'ing and fro'ing, but eventually I managed to release them all and left them with Zoe and her charging cables. I returned to my Kindle.

The rain set in late in the afternoon and looks as if it is making itself comfortable for the night.

Wet Start

  It was a very wet start to the day. I had to wear my waterproofs when I walked around to Zoe's to collect them for the walk to school. We made our way through the driving rain and dropped Ellie at the classroom door. Zoe headed off to work, and I started on my morning walk. Despite the rain, which was beginning to ease, I had an enjoyable walk and, thanks to my audiobook, it was quite enthralling.

Once home and my fast broken, we completed the weekly shopping list and headed off to Sainsbury's. The shop didn't seem to take too long and we were back home by midday. The shopping was stowed away and we had a bite of lunch, then Di settled down with her Kindle and I spent some time refining the spreadsheet for next year's accounts. This did highlight an area which could benefit from a rethink and some rationalisation. I will allow this to fester and return to the problem tomorrow.

We collected Ellie from school and brought her back to our home. The plan was that she would have an early dinner with us and then we'd all go out. She was a bit hyper when she left school, but gradually calmed down once we got home. Zoe arrived soon after 17:00 and collected Ellie. We would meet them at the Christmas Ice rink in Bognor Regis.

We arrived at the fair and rink a few minutes after Zoe. Ellie had her friend Oscar with her. They rushed in to get their ice skates on and were soon, gingerly, making their way around on the ice holding some "snowmen" to give them stability.

After a few loops of the rink, Ellie ditched the snowman and set off on her own. She stayed close to the edge so she could grab the rails every few steps. Oscar took a few more laps before he ditched his snowman. Ellie did really well, and her dependence on the rails diminished as she became more confident. 

In retrospect, I wish I had gone on the ice with them; then I could have held her hand as she negotiated the odd traffic jam, and maybe given her some more confidence. Instead, Di, Zoe, and I stood at the edge and drank some mulled wine as we watched.

The session finished at 18:45 and after they had changed out of their skates, they stopped for some fresh doughnuts to eat on the way home. We left them to it and headed home ourselves for a quiet evening.

Up Early

I was up early. Ellie was dropped off at her usual time, and the clock started ticking towards school time.  It had been wet overnight, and though it was not raining, there were scatterings of clouds that could decide to dump on me.

I dropped Ellie at school and set off for my walk. It was quite cold, and a mist was rising across the fields. All it needed was the howl of a wolf to complete the spooky backdrop.

I followed my usual route, and by the third lap I was feeling quite warm. I headed home to grab some breakfast.

I had a list of domestic chores that I wanted to clear before updating the accounts and then heading out for another walk. This time, I headed towards the village to post a letter and then collect Di's prescriptions from the Chemist.

It was time for lunch when I arrived back home. We then both settled with our Kindles for a quiet hour or two. Diane went to meet Zoe and collect Ellie from football. I returned to the development of the 2026 accounting spreadsheet. I plan to tidy up the account layouts for each month, but I don't want to break anything as I make the changes.

Kim spent the day on the wards at St Richard's today. She was eager to tell Di all about it and phoned for a nice long chat. When that was over, Di called Denise for another nice, long chat.

More books

Zoe had a 9 a.m. start today, so there was no need to get up early. After some rejuvenating coffees, I wandered around to join the girls on their walk to school. It was threatening rain, but the threat didn't materialise until much later in the morning.

After dropping Ellie at the classroom door, I set off for my morning walk. My audiobook was chatting away in my ears, and I was totally engrossed in the story. This was yet another story that takes place in Venice. I have read so many that I feel as if I know the place and could find my way around. The phone rang. It was Zoe. The school had rung and asked if Ellie, in her role as School Councillor, could join a small party to plant daffodils in the nearby park. If so, she would need some boots. So it was that I had to stop off at home to grab Zoe's door key and ferret out Ellie's boots and take them to school.

Finally back home, I grabbed some breakfast. Di had a dental appointment in Chichester and pottered off to the big city. I stayed behind and continued working on my book inventory. It took several more hours, but I think it is now pretty complete. It records over 650 books that I have read over the last couple of decades. The vast bulk of these were in the last 3 or 4 years (139 so far this year). As I went through the list, I had flashbacks for most of the books, but there were a few that rang no bells whatsoever.

Books

 I was up early to greet Ellie. By 6:50, she still hadn't arrived. I checked for messages. Zoe had been given an extra day off, and I didn't need to worry. Oh well, I was up anyway! At the appropriate time, I wandered around the corner to join them for the walk to school. It had been very wet, but the rain had stopped for the school run. We dropped Ellie, and I set off for my traditional walk. I was wearing my full waterproof gear just in case the rain restarted, but I got away with a dry hour.

I have been wondering about the books that I have read. I keep a spreadsheet detailing each book, but this only started in 2022... what about the books that I read before that? You can ask Amazon to send you all of the data it holds on you, so I did this yesterday evening. This morning, the data had been collated and was ready for me to download. Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to easily filter the data to select just books (be they paperback, Kindle, audio, or Kindle Unlimited). This meant that I had all of my Amazon transactions stretching back to 1998 to look through. It took a few hours, but I think I now have a comprehensive list of titles going back over the years. I now must find a way to incorporate these into my existing spreadsheet... and see if I can determine the authors of each book (that data isn't in the data dump).

We had a quiet hour or so in the lounge with our Kindles this afternoon.

Crisp

  It was a crisp and clear day. When I got up, soon after seven, the temperature was a mere 3° C.. I settled down with my coffee and waited for the Di and Ellie to wander down. It was soon after 10:00 that Zoe arrived to collect Ellie. Zoe was feeling a lot better (though still had a headache). Ellie, however, seems to be coming down with a cold. We gave her some Calpol before she left, as she had a friend's birthday party to attend.

I set off for a walk. I thought I had waited sufficient time for my coffee to have percolated through. I was wrong, and had to divert home after my first loop of the estate. Bladder drained, I returned to my walk and managed another couple of loops... finishing my audiobook and starting a new one as I went.

The afternoon started in the Orangery. The sunshine had warmed things up nicely. As soon as the sun dropped below the nearby houses, however, the temperature dropped with it, and we retired to the lounge where it remained pleasantly warm as we cuddled our Kindles.

The infernal "Elf on a Shelf" starts tomorrow, and I notice that he has already made himself comfortable in the family room. The stress of finding new hiding places daily could drive one to drink!

Funny old day

 It has been a funny old day. It was nothing like our normal Saturday. With Ellie staying overnight, there was the normal burst of electronic noise as she wandered down for breakfast. There was no opportunity to hand around, however. Nor was I blessed to join the call with my cousins. We had to get Ellie to LA for her swimming lesson.

We arrived with about 10 minutes to spare, and I settled down in the viewing area while Di went to help Ellie get ready. We watched as she was put through her paces... crawl, backstroke, "mermaid" (like butterfly without the arms) and several water-based exercises where she retrieved items from the bottom. She did really well and, at the end, was given a chitty that entitles her to a certificate and badge. (They had, however, run out of both, so she'll have to wait for next week). When the lesson was over, we let her stay in the pool for another 30-45 minutes before she went to shower, and we all headed home.

The early afternoon was quiet, with Ellie making some Lego items for Christmas. Then there was a flurry of activity as we tried to find tickets for the latest "Wicked" film at the cinema. In the end, we had to use the local Bognor Regis Picturedrome. The original idea had been to take Aryana along, but she was shopping in Portsmouth. In the end, we bought just two tickets, one for Di and one for Ellie. I took them along to the cinema and then returned home for some Kindle time before preparing dinner.

I went along to collect the girls just before seven. Tonight was the big switch-on for Bognor's Christmas lights. Di stopped to take this photo of Ellie at the Christmas Arch by the railway station.

We headed home and the girls had dinner (I had mine earlier). Ellie enjoyed her "Grandpa's Curry" to which I had surreptitiously added some "Bhuna" sauce from my curry.  She loved it. That was a good result.

Though Zoe is a lot better, Ellie decided to stay with us again overnight. 

Unexpected

As much as we enjoy a short break, there is nothing quite like sleeping in your own bed. With Zoe on holiday this week, there was no need to get up early, so I lazed in bed until seven-fifteen. Our side was grey and damp, though there was no rain. At the appointed time, I went around to Zoe's to join the walk to school. 

There was no walk this morning. We had a  busy morning planned. The first item on the agenda was to collect Jasper from the cattery. Mark had clearly looked after him well and he seemed reluctant to get into his carrier for the trip home (Jasper, that is, not Mark). With Jasper back in the bosom of the family, we grabbed the shopping list and raided both Sainsbury's and the petrol station. By the time everything was packed away, it was lunchtime.

We had a quiet hour or two with our Kindles until Di went around to see Zoe, and the pair of them collected Ellie from school.

We settled down for a quiet dinner and evening. The phone rang. It was Ellie. Zoe was being sick, and could Ellie come and stay with us? She is a little paranoid about getting sick at this time of year, and seemed quite upset. I told her to pack her bag for the night and bring her swimming things for the morning, then call when she was ready. Di went to collect her while I started on dinner. Let's just hope Zoe is feeling better in the morning.

Back Home

It was check-out day. I had a lie-in until seven and then leapt into action. The last of my packing was completed, and the first trip to the car saw my case squirrelled away in the boot. Over the next hour, several further trips were completed, and the car was ready for the drive home.

We met up with Jane and Trevor over breakfast and had our usual morning feast, but today we didn't linger. We said our farewells to the staff, collected the last items from our room, and bid adieu to Jane and Trevor. We were on the road by 10:00.

The journey home wasn't too bad. Several sets of roadworks on the A35, an abnormal load, and some farm vehicles tried their best to delay us, but we managed to get home in under three and a half hours. (Obviously slower than Sunday's trip, but that was to be expected mid-week.) 

Once the car was unloaded and our cases unpacked, we sat down for a quiet hour before heading to school. Ellie has been doing a theatre after-school club on Thursdays, and today was an opportunity to go and see their rehearsal. They sang a song from a musical about being revolting kids. It was very good, and they put their collective heart and soul into the performance. When it was over, we walked back with Ellie and Zoe to their house so that we could examine the decorations they have put up. For once, they recognised the value of the "less is more" way of decorating. It looks very nice and doesn't overwhelm you as you enter.

Back home, we managed a bit of Kindle time before dinner. The washing machine, meanwhile, was working overtime on the laundry we brought back from our break. I suspect it will churn away throughout the evening.

Staying Close

 

We had another wonderful sunrise. A sight like this makes the heart soar and provides an uplifting start to the day's adventures.

After meeting up for breakfast and lingering over the toast, we headed down into town. Di had an item that she wished to exchange in one of the shops she raided on Monday. We then weaved our way up towards the top of town. There were more cards needed from the card shop, and we needed to drop in to The Art Den to settle up for the print we have ordered, but won't be available in time for us to take it home. The Art Den wasn't open, so we looked in some other shops and eventually bumped into Jane and Trevor. We grabbed a coffee in "Becketts" and then went back to The Art Den. It was open. We went in for a nice chat and to settle up. As we headed back towards the Esplanade, we stopped off in the toy shop to see if there was anything that would be suitable for Ellie.

Leaving the shops, we walked along the Esplanade and around the Millennium Walkway before walking up the slope to the Connaught Gardens. By now, the sky had clouded over and it was feeling decidedly cool and damp. The weather app warned of rain. 

We had a standby plan to visit Bicton Gardens after the shopping trip, but the weather suggested that would be a sub-optimal trip!

We returned to the hotel and spent a quiet afternoon in our room with our Kindles and a pile of magazines.

Once we had dressed for dinner, I started to pack, ready for our return home tomorrow. I managed the first load of ancillary bags down to the car. The rest can wait for tomorrow.

We met up with Jane and Trevor in the bar before going into dinner. Di's selection tonight was one of their huge prawn cocktails, followed by soya-glazed salmon. I started with spiced monkfish, followed by the soya-glazed salmon. It was another wonderful meal. We retired to the bar for post-dinner tea and coffees before heading up to bed soon after 22:00... but not before we had been to reception and booked our rooms for this time next year. (This was our ninth stay at the Victoria, so we had to get the tenth booked!)

Topsham

I was up early enough to see the stunning sunrise. The clouds from yesterday had melted away, and the few left provided some interesting punctuation near the horizon. It promised to be a lovely day.

We met up for breakfast, as usual, and, as usual, we lingered until we were almost the last guests in the restaurant. Our plan for the day was to visit Topsham and have a wander around. We hadn't been there before but had seen comments that it was worth a visit.

I set the SatNav, and we headed across country. Thirty minutes or so later, we were crawling through the streets looking for somewhere suitable to park. Topsham didn't disappoint, but I would expect that it could be a nightmare in high summer. 

Topsham is a small, historic town, sitting on the east side of the River Exe estuary, just south of Exeter. It’s known for its maritime past, unique architecture, independent shops, and beautiful riverside setting.  It's a former port town with strong Dutch influences, narrow streets, and a mix of elegant Georgian, Edwardian, and quirky riverside properties. It was once the main port for Exeter, and was especially important for shipbuilding and trade from medieval times through the 18th century.

We walked south through the quaint streets towards the Quay, where we were afforded an excellent view across the River Exe, looking down towards Exmouth and Starcross.

We carried on down The Strand and onto the Goat Walk, which is a riverside promenade and one of the town’s iconic walkways, which offered lovely views across the estuary. We sat down in the sun and soaked up the views (and the rays).

Stirring ourselves into action, we retraced our steps towards the Quay, where we settled down in The Lighter for a coffee before making our way back towards the car. 

Diane was keen to buy a particular cheese, so we stopped in a cheese shop. Despite its huge array of cheeses, the target brand was not available. We decided to stop at Dart's Farm and try there on the way back to the hotel. Again, despite a huge array of cheese, this brand was not available. The lady behind the cheese counter, however, looked it up and directed us to their competitor, who did stock it. Our next stop was Greendale Garden Centre. We found the right cheese. Diane was happy!

Back at the hotel, we went our own ways for the afternoon. Di and I went down to the lounge and had Kindle time over pots of tea and a scone. It was very peaceful, and I managed to finish another book.

The sky was still cloudless, and the view across the town was inviting. We resisted our urge to walk into town, and returned to our room to get ready for dinner.

The intrepid foursome met up in the bar, as usual, and then went through to the restaurant. Di's choice of main course was Traditional Fish and Chips, while I selected Pork Tenderloin on Pulled Pork. I even indulged in some ice cream to finish.

It had been an excellent day.

Around and about

There had been a lot of rain overnight, but while it was still overcast, it had dried up by the time we rose from bed. We rarely sleep well on our first night away, probably because we eat later, and, of course, there is a new bed to which we must become accustomed. It was no surprise, therefore, that I was up and about at 6:30.

We met up for breakfast at 9:00 and lingered over the tea, the toast, and breakfast itself. We then headed down into town where Jane and Trevor split off for their shopping and Di and I got on with ours. Though they are not meant to be open on Mondays, we saw that The Art Den was occupied. We took the opportunity to pop in. It turns out that our frame may arrive Tuesday or Wednesday, in which case we could take the picture home with us. I left my phone number so that they can call to let us know. We also lingered in a card shop (Cards@83) which had a fairly eclectic selection of cards for all occasions. We left clutching a pile of cards. Our next stop was Gliddons, the cook shop. They sell all sorts of cooking utensils and paraphernalia and is a “must-visit" shop for every trip to Sidmouth. My objective for this trip was to get some new sieves. Finally, we raided Fields, the department store.

We made our way back to the hotel where we grabbed a drink in the lounge before our next adventure. Diane and Jane headed back into town for an afternoon shopping. Trevor and I put on our walking boots, and headed out for a walk. We headed west from the hotel, passing the Connaught Gardens and continuing up Peak Hill.

Though it wasn't far, horizontally, it was a challenging climb. As we walked, we had to stop a couple of times to catch our breath, but we could always use the view as an excuse. Looking east, of course, revealed Sidmouth nestling in the valley.

Looking west, we could see the cliffs below us and across Ladram Bay. The views were wonderful, and when we reached the top (184 metres), we took a couple of minutes to rest before turning back.

There was a light shower as we walked back down the hill. It wasn't enough to warrant a diversion for shelter, or even to don a hat.

We walked through the Connaught Gardens, along the Millennium Walkway, and then continued along the Esplanade, all the way to the red cliffs at the eastern limit of town.

As we walked, the light showers and afternoon sun put on a display. The rainbow was really quite vivid.

Eventually, we turned back to the hotel and settled in the lounge with a beer while we discussed the migration of data and photos from Trevor's old phone to a new device.

The girls eventually joined us for a pot of tea before we returned to our rooms to get ready for dinner. Last night's choice for both of us was the Braised Feather Blade of Beef, which was sensational.

After dinner, we sat and chatted in the lounge for a while, before headed back to our rooms. It had been another lovely day