Moved at last

Finally did found her new home and moved in last week. I stayed for a while to help her get settled and find her way about. It's called a chalet bungalow and is on a lovely residential park.

There is a country park nearby for dog walking.

It's on the edge of town so peaceful but near a new retail park. It took over a year to find it but it was worth the wait.

Seems a bit strange without her and two huge dogs at home now but glad she's happy.

A walk to Treasure Holt

My last post from the Clacton holiday is a walk I did one evening. Earlier that day my SIL and I had a bit of time together. She wanted to go to a garden center called Treasure Holt. It wasn't far from our park home along the main road then quite a way through a housing estate until we were at the edge of town. It had a nice little tea room so I thought I would take DB there one day.

That evening I had a look at the map and realized there was a country route to the garden center so I set off to walk it along a lane through fields.  I was going to walk across the field but it meant jumping a ditch into a muddy area and I thought I might slip so just did the lane. I found Treasure Holt and checked their opening times. Then I walked across the field to the Pickers Ditch and intended to follow it back through the field as according to the little map I had there was a footpath alongside.  I went so far walking through a little hideout some kids had made with a rope swing but it became too overgrown so I went back and walked through the housing estate.  There were such lovely gardens though that it was enjoyable. Since I looked on the OS map I see it doesn't show a footpath on that bit of the ditch.

We did go back for our lunch the next day and it was delicious.

Coastal walk

During our Clacton holiday one day when DB was having a rest, I went by bus to Frinton on sea and walked back along the coast to Holland on sea.

Frinton is a real old fashioned place and if you live inside the "gates" you are posher than outside. The gates are the level crossing next to the railway station. Until recently there was no pub or fish and chip shop although I still don't think there is a proper chippy, just a restaurant. Frinton was known as a dry town but now has the Lock and Barrel pub with local real ales.

I walked along the sea defence  so quite easy with views one side across the sea and the other side down below me was a cycle route. I passed the golf course and a country park. Quite a few cyclists but hardly a soul walking.

This is the clock tower shelter on the greensward overlooking the beach.

This garden originally belonged to the keepers of the crossing gates. There is a museum here as well but it seems it and the garden are only open during their weekly coffee mornings on Tuesdays. So I must try to remember and visit on that day next time. I do like these old fashioned little towns as they seem so peaceful.

Brightlingsea

While we were at Clacton we had a drive into Brightlingsea, a lovely old fashioned little town on the mouth of the river Colne. It is a limb of Sandwich which is one of the cinq ports and the only one of the ports and limbs in Essex. I would have liked more time to explore and perhaps take a ferry trip across to Mersea Island.

We enjoyed what we did though. We sat in the Victoria tea rooms for coffee watching a large group of older ladies watering the flower beds and baskets.  We did wonder if they had entered the Britain in Bloom competition. We had a wander around the shops and I bought a lovely knitted hat in a charity shop. It looked new and I wondered if it was an unwanted gift.

We had a wander along the beach and enjoyed the peace.  There is a lido here but it was closed that day. I have wanted to swim in it for quite a while. It was opened in 1932 along with many others around the country. It became run down and then the Brightlingsea Lido Trust took over and with lots of volunteers got it back up and running.

Clacton revisited

We had a week at Clacton this time in what is called an accessible caravan. It has a ramp upto the door, a wet room and larger beds in bigger rooms suitable for a wheelchair. Although DB doesn't use a wheelchair, he has a mobility scooter, finds steps difficult is used to a wet room and needs space to move about.  It was the site we stayed on 2 years ago when we rented a normal caravan privately. This year was more comfortable.

I used the out door pool a couple of times and it was freezing. Then the only day we had rain I swum in the indoor pool which was empty except for me most of the time and lovely and warm.  The sea was mainly too choppy except for the rainy day when I walked to the beach with a raincoat on about 5pm and when I got there the sun came out, it was hot and the sea was like a millpond. I did have a paddle though.

Smelling the roses on the way.

A beautiful evening and hardly a soul about. The pier in the distance.

It's strange how we have a connection with Clacton because I tend to go for more rural locations. It started in 1949  before I was born when the little girl who eventually married BIL went to Clacton for her summer holiday with her family and stayed at the same site we were on. They went every year after that until the dad retired and he and the mum moved to Clacton where he got a part time job at the same holiday park. By then SIL had married BIL who was in the navy. When the third baby was on the way and BIL was off on his ship for a long tour, SIL moved to Clacton to be near her mum and dad. BIL left the navy and they settled there. We would visit so began our association with the place. Then DB's parents bought a guest house which they ran for some years and we had small children then so more visiting. DB's parents have been dead for years but we still visit the rest of the family which includes nieces and great nephews.

This association will get even greater soon as DD is moving there in a few weeks into a residential park home. So I will go back with her when she moves to help her settle. Then even more reason for visiting.

I will share more pictures of our week there in another post.

Afternoon tea

Yesterday DD and I thought we would like to go to the local community farm for afternoon tea but as both of us have fluctuating health, we didn't want to book in advance. As we decided to go DD saw on the internet that the tickets had all sold out.

Never mind we thought, on Sunday we will go to the 40's event at the Epping and Ongar heritage steam railway. But Sunday dawned with both of us feeling under the weather so we stayed home both feeling disappointed.

Still later on there was an event in a nearby village in aid of the Essex Air Ambulance. It was Vintage tea parties and we didn't need to book so off we went.

I had the delicious cream tea of two home made scones with cream and jam. DD had coffee and walnut cake which was washed down with plenty of tea with the pot being replenished freely. The tables were beautifully and simply decorated and very pretty bunting around the walls. It was so lovely to have a tea pot and delicate bone china cups. Apart from the cream tea and various cakes there was also afternoon tea with a selection of savory and sweet items. Perhaps we will have that next time as they seem to do this from time to time. It was quiet when we got there with just a few tables taken but got busy as we were leaving so that suited us too.

Greyhound walk

Sunday was the one good day weather wise here. Which was good as it was the Great Global Greyhound Walk.

It is the first time we have done this one but as DD has poor health, we just did the short walk around the field. We took the one dog Poppy as Paddy is too old now for this so I borrowed a dog from the kennels. We went back for tea and cake in aid of the Retired Greyhound charity. I was nearly tempted to buy some greyhound earrings but decided I wouldn't wear them so let them be. DD met another greyhound owner she has spoken to on FB but never met so that was nice. 

Not very good photos as there was a lot of excited movement in the yard pre walk.

The name the dog raffle and items for sale.

DD with the dogs.

The start of the woodland walk where the majority went.

It was amazing we had such good weather when the day before and every day since has been mostly wet and miserable. The global walk is just that and has venues all over the place. This was nice and near for us at Waltham Abbey 20 minutes driving through beautiful countryside.