Trip Day 7 - Christchurch & the sea

Wednesday

Oh no. The news were full of it last night. It got really cold and there was even talk of snow.

But here is the heavy frost we saw looking out of our bedroom window  .

We had a very leisurely morning and at 11:30 am David and Kate took us to the sea. Kate said we could not come and not get some fresh sea air. 

It was very nice. Sunshine makes such a big difference. 

Can you see the open HAPPY HOUR HAT?

That should be ours. But no kidding … those "sheds" are the price of a small house in the US.

We walked to where the ferry takes you across the bay to a lovely beach. Too cold to do that today but Kate’s favorite out of the wind table was available and we enjoyed a coffee/tea. 

Some quick pictures before we left to go back. 

These two swimmers were not the only ones going into the sea. We saw several. Some went afterwards into newly established saunas across the path. 

Back at their house we had a look at their garden. Ha-ha, the birdbath was covered with solid ice. 

After 4 pm we all went to Wimborne, another town, where their oldest daughter and family lives. The drive takes 20 or 30 minutes or more depending on the traffic. We were a bit in a queue for a while but not too bad. 

Jo, Simon, Olivia, Edward and Tuffy (the dog) were waiting for us and we had a lively chat. Catherine is already living and working on her own. The three children are all young adults now and it is interesting to hear what their plans for the future are. Tuffy, their dog, cuddled with me on the sofa. 

We had to leave short past 6 pm and as soon as we were in the car driving off I remembered that I had not taking any photos. The conversation had been so interesting. I texted. 

Kate had made dinner reservations at “The Curlew”. The restaurant was conveniently located on the way back to the house. 

The pub/restaurant was very inviting, lovely cozy with a real fire going. We had a table in a corner where it was quiet enough to have a conversation. 

The food was nice. James had fish and ships. I had crab cakes. 

And yes, there was a “pudding menu”. The men ordered something. James had the “Eton mess”.

Time to leave!

And then it was time to pack … and to set the alarm clock to be woken in the morning … at 4:20 or 4:30 am. 

Packing actually was not so bad especially since we have to wear our new purchases tomorrow: hats, gloves and James’ thermal winter jacket. News is saying that there could be snow or ice on the ground which makes us slightly nervous. We have to catch a bus tomorrow morning for a (about) 3 hour drive. 

Still, have a good night. It will all be ok.