Tuesday 15 October 2013

Didn't we have a loverly time

the day we went to Bangor Southwold.

Yesterday morning, the weather was cloudy. Not to fret, we were staying in, awaiting a delivery from M&S from The Daughter, for MWNN's birthday. Delivery man knocked on the door at 9.30am and the sky began to lift.





We headed beachwards via the Two Magpies Bakery in town. Across the road from the bakery, we spotted this piper and his horse-drawn caravan.












Two Magpies had no small wholemeal loaves so, in the style of a French bakery, a large wholemeal was cut in half for us.

We added a small sourdough loaf to see us through Tuesday (closing-day for the bakery)





We also indulged in some cakes and tarts for afteroon tea - a fruit tart for me in the most delicious short-crust pastry ever, and filled with vanilla creme Anglais underneath a layer of fresh berries. MWNN chose a Tiffin slice and a lavender shortbread slice.


We drove to the far end of the Promenade to begin our walk. It was a much milder day than Sunday had been, with large blue-sky breaks in the clouds and hardly any wind. We walked to the other end of the Promenade and decided not to stop for tea at the pier but to walk a few yards more to the Boating Lake Cafe.



Once inside the gates, we were surprised and pleased by the changes to the site that the new  owners had made since they took over management in April this year.

Raised beds containing kitchen herbs are interspersed with solid wood picnic 'niches' overlooking the main boating lake.








As we had Ron with us, we took our pot of tea on the terrace, looking towards a row of beach huts that are part of the 15 acre site. The huts are hand-painted with pictorial representation of decades from the beginning of 20thC to the 1980s.









Behind the cafe is the larger part of the 15acres, planted with willow and fast becoming a sanctuary for wildlife.

There is a 'wild walking' path through the field and plans for benches and hides.








MWNN and I enjoyed a pot of tea, managing with great willpower to avoid the Victoria Sponge and other home-made goodies on offer.

MWNN made good use of his new Nikon'monocular' to watch a flock of mixed gulls on the field beside the small pond.







The new owners are local and are creating a lovely new facility for the town.