Mixed Bag

We both had a good night's sleep and woke refreshed. It looked a bit grey at first but the sun came out just before I took this photo. By the time I had grabbed the camera and opened the balcony door, it had hidden itself behind the morning clouds. The forecast suggests we will have some light rain for the next hour or so and then it will brighten up.

The plan (always subject to change) is to spend the day here in Sidmouth.
 

We had a leisurely breakfast and then went our own ways. Diane and I walked down into town intending to look for a Birthday card and wander around some shops. We spent quite a while in a gallery/shop called Azure. This had some lovely artworks and ceramics but nothing that tempted us. We carried on window shopping and then decided to grab a coffee in "!4 Miles East". No trip to Sidmouth is complete without a stop in the toy shop. We ended up with several jigsaw puzzles. Two for Ellie, and one for Diane.

We decided to drop our purchase back at the hotel. This proved to be a wise move. As we entered the foyer, it started to rain. The rain didn't last long,  and we set out for a walk along Jacob's Ladder and through Connaught Gardens. 

We were somewhat surprised as we left the hotel to find three Harris Hawks perched on the lawn, preparing to scare the gulls from around the hotel. They were drying themselves in the sun before being allowed to fly and wreak havoc.

The walk along Jacob's Ladder was lovely in the warm sunshine. There was a large number of people on the beach, and on the walkway, making the most of the weather. I dropped down onto the sand to take some photos before rejoining Di on the path.

We walked on as far as the West beach then walked up the slope to the gardens. We picked a bench and sat down to enjoy the warm sun. That didn't last for too long as we were mercilessly attacked by an errant shower of rain. We headed for one of the shelters and sat watching the sea as the shower passed over.

We completed our walk around the gardens and then headed back down to the esplanade where we walked up as far as we could to the mouth of the River Sid. Strolling back, we stopped for an ice cream - again just missing a shower of rain. By the time we emerged, there was a vivid rainbow painting the cliffs to the east of us.

When we got back to the hotel, my new Kindle had arrived so we sat in the lounge with a cup of tea while I set it up.

We met up with Jane and Trevor in the bar before sitting down for our final dinner of this trip.