Day 17 of Lockdown. 09/04/2020. (Maundy Thursday)

Started the day off today with a beautiful sunny 5 mile walk – across farm fields, open landscape, pretty bloom laden paths, through villages – stunning. And SO good to be out.

Had a great zoom session with Caroline, Pete, Barbara and Geraldine – all getting to grips with technology!! Feels incredibly valuable to see family at the moment, albeit virtually.

At 8.00pm joined our neighbours in clapping the NHS and keyworkers. Sensibly distanced we had a beer and a chat for an hour or so – then went our separate ways.

Day 18 of Lockdown. 10/04/2020. (Good Friday)

Good Friday

The passion of Christ

King of the Jews

Jesus was mocked

Jesus died

For us

The stations of the cross

The crucifix

Kissing His feet

We repented

All of us

Toasted hot cross buns

Oozing with butter

Fish for dinner

No fuss, no frills

Just us

Day 19 of Lockdown. 11/04/2020. (Easter Saturday)

Extended the zoom net wider this morning – our family chat brought in Maureen and Shane this time too. It definitely keeps our spirits up being able to see and talk to each other. Hope we can continue to virtually meet up even after this isolation nightmare has passed. Once you learn to not talk all at once it’s great! How Mum and Dad put up with 8 of us rabbiting on, God only knows!

Another blue sky warm day so enjoyed relaxing in the garden, preparing blog, exploring some poetry writing … oh and made a small Easter cake for Steve and me. SO weird not having a houseful this weekend. ☹️

Ended the day with an amazing Zoom Quiz – set up by Alice’s housemate Mel – such a fun thing to do. We’re not discussing results however!!! 😗

Day 20 of Lockdown. 12/04/2020 (Easter Sunday)

Tuned into Easter Sunday mass – St. Barnabus cluster. Also received an amazing Easter choral piece from our church choir.

Then it’s a day as normal, no guests to entertain, no gifts to share, no Easter hugs. But we’re safe and well and for that we are blessed.

Why Eggs at Easter?

For Symbolism?

Fertility, Rebirth, New life

Christ has risen, Empty tomb

For tradition?

Post-Lent treats, Fasting is over

Hard boiled eggs to use, not waste

Biblical?

Staining eggs red – the Blood of Christ

Mary Magdalene at the tomb

Religious?

A shared tradition – Christians and Jews

Passover food and Easter fayre

For children?

Easter egg hunt, Easter Bunny

Rolling, tapping, hop-egg

For giving and receiving?

Cadbury’s cream eggs, cute Lindt bunnies

Baskets and straw lined birds nests

Easter eggs

Having a relaxing time in the garden, yet another sun-filled day. Looking forward to catching up with Tom, Jess, Alice, Emma and John later (via Zoom) with a glass of bubbles.

Thought I’d start this blog off with another poem I’ve written, related to our current style of life. Getting the creative juices flowing!

Time to reflect

Time to pause, Time to think

The missing hurts SO bad, We know now what we had

Our family can’t be near, We realise what’s most dear

Time for hugging, laughing, kissing

Without a doubt that’s what we’re missing

So, make a pact to always be, In close contact with family

It’s time to reflect

Time to pause, Time to think

A life of compulsive shopping, Should we think of stopping?

We’re managing with less, And still can eat and dress

And play, walk, read, enjoy the sun

So many things that amount to fun

It’s memories not things, That gives our lives their wings

It’s time to reflect

Time to pause, Time to think

And thoughts of our dear Earth, Could this be a rebirth?

People are becoming more caring, The ozone layer’s repairing

Pollution, carbon emissions all reduced

Will it return? Will we be seduced?

Will we go back to those old days?

Or can we hope for more considerate ways?

It’s time to reflect

Day 10 of Lockdown. 02/04/2020

Started off as a fairly ordinary day in our new routine – breakfast, 5 mile walk, piano practice and messaging friends.

At 8.00pm we joined our neighbours at the edge of our gardens to clap for the NHS and other keyworkers. Ended up chatting with our neighbours for a good hour – Don and Jeni. Felt so good to have a chat and laugh for a while, albeit at a distance.

Ended on a very sad note as we got news of our very dear friend, Ebram, losing his beautiful wife, Aneesha, to Covid-19. They have only been married for one year. To lose your life to this devastating virus at the age of 27 is cruel beyond measure.

❤️

Day 11 of Lockdown. 03/04/2020

Not a great night’s sleep – tried to wake myself up with a High Intensity workout. Steve went on a 9 mile run. So, exercise ticked off for the day.

A bit of a down day for me. I know everyone’s going to have some of these along the way. My heart feels so heavy in thinking of Ebram in his grieving. Haven’t managed to make contact with him but praying he’s not having to go through this alone – another cruel factor of Covid-19 requirements.

The first Nightingale Hospital opened today in London. Capacity for 4,000 ICU beds – an amazing feat to set up in less than 2 weeks. As always, listened to the 5.00pm Downing Street update on the Coronavirus. We have absolute respect for these MPs who are handling this crisis and reporting so extensively. Boris Johnson remains in self-isolation with persistent virus symptoms. As of today, there have been 38,168 cases to date in the UK and 3,605 deaths. Sadly, there is an increase in the number of NHS workers contracting the virus, including deaths. Still concerns about the lack of testing and insufficient supplies of PPE for keyworkers.

Steve did get his steak night tonight while I had some fish (good Catholic girl). Dinner turned into a continued talking (whilst drinking) session. Feeling bruised by yesterday’s news of Aneesha we took the time to talk about all that is special to us and our thoughts on ‘what if’ it happened to us. It may seem maudlin but there’s no harm in opening up about your feelings right now. And so the wine flowed!

Day 12 of Lockdown. 04/04/2020

A pyjama day for me – the first one in Lockdown … in fact, I think I’ve only had a handful of these in my life.

(1) Feeling the affect of too much wine consumption last night.

(2) Still feeling a bit low

(3) My calves were killing me from my HIIT session yesterday

So lots of TV and reading … and that’s about it. Early night.

Day 13 of Lockdown. 05/04/2020

A beautifully sunny day and warm. Threw myself into a huge sorting task in the morning – study cupboards, drawers and paperwork now all neat and organised.

Feeling more jolly today – kept myself busy. Garden time, lots of reading, online piano lesson followed by a home spa session – thank the Lord for the invention of ‘Flawless.’

Steve cooked a roast beef dinner – incredibly delicious. Enjoyed some of our favourite red wine – Amarone – and shared a couple of hours with Tom and Jess over FaceTime. Many laughs. 🤣

Boris Johnson was taken into hospital today.

Day 14 of Lockdown. 06/04/2020

Ventured out to the supermarket today – Sainsbury’s. Surprisingly there was no queue – all very civilised. New lines on the floor to help with the 2 metre distancing. Also good to see that the checkout staff now have screens up to protect them. I had such a lovely chat with the lady who served me at the till – I think we’re all clinging on to any new people we can get to talk to! And everyone’s being SO friendly.

The rest of the day drifted by with all the usual activities. Some garden time, some housework and a bit of Netflix indulgence – have got hooked on a series called ‘Safe.’

Boris moved into Intensive Care Unit today.

Day 15 of Lockdown. 07/04/2020

Filled another day of lockdown. YouTube exercise, housework, piano practice (making progress on my 4 chords), relaxing in the garden doing crosswords (keep that brain ticking) – never a dull moment … and we are incredibly lucky with the weather. 😎

Dominic Raab is now deputising for Boris Johnson – on the 5pm Parliamentary Update, some reporters really pushing him on his level of decision making. Although they’re talking of ‘green shoots’ the daily UK death toll is still rising. Donald Trump reported as saying ‘there’s light at the end of the tunnel,’ even though the USA death toll today was over 1,800.

Day 16 of Lockdown. 08/04/2020

A bit of a sneaky lay in today – how am I ever going to get back to normal hours!? Then the usual – exercise, late breakfast, housework, piano practice, loads of phone calls and messaging. Love receiving all these funny messages and videos – creates a lot of mobile pinging! Started on my blog – even wrote a poem about reflection.

Two great zoom chats today – (1) Geraldine and (2) Alice and Mel. Zoom is the best thing ever in these difficult times. 💕

Onwards and upwards … this was part of our school motto back in the day!! 🤣

Day 5 of Lockdown. 28/03/2020

Today I ventured out to do a Sainsbury’s shop – my first supermarket trip since the lockdown. It’s quite a spectacle when you arrive – a long queue stretching right round to the back of the building because everyone is firmly positioned 2 meters apart. A member of staff stands at the front only allowing entry as a customer leaves – one in one out! So it took a little while to get in but once inside you can whizz round – (1) there’s hardly anyone else in there and (2) there’s not a great choice on the shelves.

Sad as it is, it was quite a treat to see a few different faces and make the odd exchange. Scrubbed up well when I got home.

Read today that over the next few days we are entering the absolute height of the crisis – the days when high numbers of people will get infected … so will definitely be lying low for a while.

Hit a pile of ironing in the afternoon and indulged in some old ‘Watercolour Challenge’ episodes on the TV …. am banking some tips to help me in my soon to start watercolour painting hobby. Have dabbled a little over the years – now feels a good time to get really stuck in.

Being the weekend, Steve and I enjoyed some nice wine while we battled it out over the Scrabble board. It’s going to seem so weird when we can all go out again or have friends/family round.

Day 6 of Lockdown. 29/03/2020

The clocks changed last night – had a sleepy Sunday lay in and stayed in my pyjamas till the afternoon.

Still managed to fit in some cleaning (sacrilege on a Sunday!), made some carrot and coriander soup, enjoyed a few phone calls and FaceTimes, continued the photo sorting and even had a bit of a TV fest.

News reports today are suggesting that this social-distancing may continue for 6 months – seems hard to face but what can we do … a day at a time!

Day 7 of Lockdown. 30/03/2020

Another day of our new routine – fruit, yoghurt and granola for breakfast followed by exercise. We haven’t walked for a few days – today the weather was a lot cooler so we thought we’d attempt it – probably wouldn’t be so many people around. And we were right – so much more manageable now – enjoyed 5 miles and it was fabulous to be out of the house for a while.

The rest of the day was spent indoors, keeping busy. Trying our best not to snack too much between meals – drinking so much more tea and coffee and, with the extra time for baking, it’s hard to resist a little treat each time.

Thought we’d be sensible (getting one ahead) and do an online shop for 2-3 weeks time – tried every supermarket, none of them have any slots for the foreseeable future – the country’s gone mad!

Day 8 of Lockdown. 31/03/2020

I woke up at 10.00am, having slept for 11 hours! It’s quite ridiculous how long I’m sleeping at the moment. Steve had been up and run 6 miles before waking me with a cup of tea. I still managed to fit in my hour of YouTube exercise once I dragged myself out of bed!

A couple of firsts today. (1) Alice introduced us to ‘Zoom’ and we had a great catch up. (2) I had my first online piano lesson – enjoyed learning some basic chords – now I need to keep up the practice.

This is how I’m mentally getting through this Lockdown – trying new things and filling each day with different activities. I’ve still not heard from the NHS in regard to my volunteering duties – maybe they consider me too old!!

Day 9 of Lockdown. 1/04/2020

April Fool’sDay – the only prank I came across was one my brother Phil posted on our family WhatsApp group – and naturally, me and my sisters fell for it big time!

Our spirits are being lifted and our sense of humour kept alive at the moment by the amount of funny videos flying around on WhatsApp and facebook – some of them are just brilliant. My favourite one so far has been the Peaky Blinders one – but then it does have Cillian Murphy in it after all.

Despite not surfacing till 10.00am (again), I managed to fit a lot into the day – a YouTube yoga session, made another batch of carrot and coriander soup, baked a fruit cake, another online piano lesson and went for a short walk around the neighbourhood.

But the best thing of all was at 5.00pm, myself and three of my friends, Tina, Anne and Gina, had a ‘Zoom’ virtual meet up … and it was fabulous. A little stressful at first until we all got the hang of it … but we didn’t do bad for a bunch of over 60s! We all had a drink together too – it all got quite giggly.

Sadly, more disturbing news today – UK daily Coronavirus death toll has doubled – 581 in the last 24 hours, and this is now expected to keep doubling over the next few days. Also, more than 1 million people have had to apply for Universal Credit to see them through this difficult time.

And news that this year’s Wimbledon has been cancelled – this is the first time in years that I had got tickets to go – so disappointing but fully expected.

Talking to family and friends, I think we’re all in agreement that this crisis is making us appreciate what we do have ….

I appreciate having a garden

I appreciate having lovely walks on our doorstep

I appreciate having each other for company …. but equally appreciate having a big enough house to get some ‘alone’ time 😘

And lots more. Really believe this is going to be a huge time of reflection for many people and hopefully help us all put things into perspective.

27/03/2020 Day 4 of Lockdown

Yesterday evening at 8.00pm, the Nation came out onto their doorsteps, balconies, into their gardens and hung out their windows, to collectively clap for all our Carers. It was amazing to be part of something so historic, demonstrating the population’s appreciation for those on the frontline. It looks like it might become a weekly thing – we’ll be there … so incredibly grateful.

Steve was up early to run 6 miles this morning before too many walkers set out on the local paths. I took to YouTube for an hour of low impact cardio with ‘Team Body Project’ – the instructor is particularly easy on the eye … plus it’s a great workout!

Then the rest of the day whizzed by with some household chores, making the most of the great drying weather – washing everything – a bit of chill time reading in the garden, making phone calls and FaceTime calls to family plus embarking on one of those ‘to do list’ items that is always postponed – sorting through old photos. Will this ‘isolation’ see us reach the bottom of our lists – impossible!!!

Oh and I signed up as an NHS volunteer. Discovered that you can be a volunteer from the safety of your home – making phone calls to vulnerable people. My application is being processed – am awaiting instructions.

Today’s big news – both Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock (the Health Secretary) have contracted the Covid-19 virus and will be going into self-isolation.

Our lovely friend, Tina McGreal, dropped us round some fresh vegetables and some bread – very kind, thanks Tina.

Friday night is Steak Night in the Rose household – but not tonight – pizza, salad and a bottle of red … what’s not to like. It’ll be beans on toast next Friday!

26/3/2020 Day 3 of Lockdown

Another incredibly sunny day – blue cloudless skies to lift the spirits. After breakfast we tackled some gardening chores. A big first for me today – I mowed some lawn. Embarrassed to admit that at 61 years of age it is the first time I have operated a lawnmower. I was, however, only allowed access to the hover mower and the strimmer. I was not allowed within an inch of Steve’s precious petrol mower with which he creates his beloved striped lawn.

This afternoon I immersed myself in some poetry writing – inspired by my Mother-in-Law, Sheila, who passed away in January. And inspiration too from this current situation we find ourselves in – feeling the need to express. This poem is based on thoughts of yesterday’s walk.

Social Distancing

A long winter has passed, Now March blue and warm, Lures us outdoors, For daily walks, fresh air, But, isolation?

It’s okay, We may, Boris did say ….

Look up, Lockdown, Stay at home 😘

We need to exercise, For mental stability, for health, Avoid insanity, Feel the endorphins fly, Stretch our senses

Walk, cycle, run, There’s sun, It’s fun

Look up, Lockdown, Stay at home 😘

Today the Roses rambled, Cross-country, down lanes, Once deserted, but now All out, maintaining distance, Six glorious sunny miles manouevered

Diverting, Pausing, turning, Avoiding

Look up, Lockdown, Stay at home 😘

Spring sunshine, Nature so fresh, Daisies in abundance, unpicked, majestic in petal, Lambs new to life, Sun’s vitamins healing pale skin

Appreciate, Don’t hibernate, Just a virus to navigate

Look up, Lockdown, Stay at home 😘

But then we are old, Limited equipment will keep the young alive, A fair decision, So the garden is now our gym, Sunshine, grass and space to stretch

And us, Together, Whatever the weather

Look up, Lockdown, Stay at home 😘

As Covid-19 sweeps through, New words arise, Social distancing, Self-isolation, Our hearts weigh heavy in missing, Missing loved ones

No hugging, No kissing, No touching

Look up, Lockdown, Stay at home 😘

All hail the internet, Keeping interaction alive, FaceTime, Skype, Virtual learning, And God Bless the keyworkers, We owe you

And so OBEY, Stay, Just stay

Look up, Lockdown, Stay at home 😘

So Day 3 – gardening, reading and writing … and Steve made a delicious turkey pie – the first pie he has ever made.

A day of firsts. Stay positive 😊

25/03/2020 – day 2 of Lockdown

Like half the population I imagine, I’m not sleeping so well right now – too much running through the mind plus probably not being as active as usual. So enjoyed a ‘teenage-style’ lay in this morning!

Today’s top news: Prince Charles has been diagnosed with Coronavirus and Donald Trump predicts it will all be over by Easter (idiot)!

To shake us into reality we set off on a long countryside walk. The weather was amazing, clear blue skies, warm sunshine – yay, the shorts and T shirts came out. It feels so good to get that dose of vitamin D.

Once we had reached the fields it was much easier to ‘social distance’ – the odd groups we did spot, we were able to widen the circle to avoid them. However the bit getting to the fields from home (and back the other end) was a different story. There were so many people out exercising (which is good) and getting fresh air with their children and dogs – we’ve never seen the paths around Medbourne, including the playing fields, so busy.

So it became an exercise in itself, avoidance strategies. Always planning in the distance … diverting, turning around, pausing, teetering on the edge of ditches to maintain the required 2 metre distance. Don’t make eye contact, avoid conversation – the virus can spray, everything is too risky. It’s like we’re living completely opposite to our normal manner of life. Have we mistakenly been abandoned on a leper colony?

Luckily walking across the fields to Whaddon was a pure joy and we relished the freedom of being out and about, without risk. Even walking through the village was quiet.

Once we were back to the country lanes leading to West MK it got more heavily populated again. And, being at the age we are, we felt at risk.

And so, we have made the decision that after today’s fabulous 6 mile walk, we will stick to the safety of our garden for a while. Plenty of exercise to do at home. Steve will probably go out for some early morning runs – unfortunately ‘early’ is not my thing!

Finished the day off we some reading and snoozing in the garden, soaking up the sun. Made a lemon drizzle cake and a Cottage Pie for dinner.

Day 2 complete!!

March 2020

As Coronavirus (Covid-19) sweeps through the world, so naturally Steve and I have had to draw a halt to future plans for rambling, coastal walking or overseas adventures. Desperately hoping this will be temporary.

I thought I would use this wonderful platform to record a bit of history – as grim as this feels right now, keeping a journal of days of ‘social distancing.’

24/03/2020 – Day 1 of Lockdown

Yesterday evening at 8.30pm, Boris Johnson announced an official National Lockdown. The Coronavirus (Covid-19) continues to wreak havoc on our shores and across the globe. There is little else up for discussion right now, despite everyone’s best efforts to keep each other laughing (virtually of course) and making use of free online activities – fitness workouts, learn a language, music lessons etc.

We fortunately snuck in some family time with Tom, Alice and Jess this weekend – Mother’s Day celebrations. And we partied like there’s no tomorrow, literally. Have felt unbelievably emotional saying goodbye to them all as they returned to their homes for isolation – already my heart is heavy, longing to hug them.

So lockdown – one daily walk, run or cycle (and only with people you live with), shopping trips limited to food and medicines only – apart from that we are confined to our house and garden, no visitors allowed. This will be a test for sure.

Today the Government has sent out an urgent appeal for 250,000 NHS volunteers. At the same time we are hearing that once this virus has reached its ugly climax, the over 60s will not be prioritised when it comes to saving lives. Quite rightly, the limited medical equipment will be used firstly to save young lives. And so it makes this chance to ‘make a difference’ such a tricky decision … I feel incredibly torn.

This first day of lockdown has seen the Rambling Roses running, walking, YouTube exercising, reading, catching up on TV, listening to music and blog writing. It’s now 6pm and the wine is being poured, dinner is cooking and all is well in our isolated household.

Good luck everybody … Stay Home and stay safe. ❤️

Thursday 20th February 2020

Getting ready to set out this morning, it was a damp, drizzly grey day … we could so easily have talked ourselves out of walking. But oh no, we Roses are intrepid explorers and there is more Essex coastline for us to conquer!

To be honest, it’s not the easiest part of the UK coastline to master, in terms of planning. Fairly easy walking due to its flatness but a nightmare to get your head around the numerous estuaries that break up any straightforward path. Steve (the main planner) has had his work cut out for him this week. And to be honest, estuary walking isn’t exactly scintillating, it’s a tad sameish! But we can’t pick and choose if we want to complete our project of walking the UK coastline … we have to join up all the dots. Today’s plan therefore was to walk from Beaumont Quay back to Walton-on-the-Naze where we had ended yesterday.

We managed to get a train as far as Thorpe-le-Soken and from there, due to lack of buses, we had to walk 2 miles to our start point. And this included walking on a non-pavement national speed limit road – not my favourite!

Finally got to turn off onto a farm track to take us down to the disused quay of Beaumont Quay.

And this is clearly a disused quay (and has been since the 1930s) and we started off eagerly to find our path along the estuary to Walton-on-the-Naze. The raised path which acts as a flood defence in these wet areas provides a clear vista of the extended area but also sets you up to the elements. And as the path meanders (this word always reminds me of my Geography teacher Mrs Sawyer) the wind changes direction as the path turns each corner, you either find yourself facing the wind head on, sweeping you to the side or pushing you along from behind. I know this sounds exaggerated because I’m not exactly lightweight but I felt I was being picked up by the wind at times!

The path continues along the same vein for the next five miles, winding in and out along the same sort of terrain with similar views. The only thing that varied was the amount of wet ground and mud underfoot – it was SO horrendously muddy in places. And yes we had a few slips and trips – no serious injuries or breaks, just muddy bottoms and temporary loss of pride!

Occasionally we came across a few remote properties that set the country scene and we could envy that tucked away style of life.

But mostly it was just about placing one foot in front of another to get the walk done because it really wasn’t very interesting. It’s on walking days like this that I do loads of thinking … and I love that. I’m always thinking about what I’m going to include in my blog. I also conjure up ideas for books which I will write one day …. and poetry … I get all creative! And when the day hasn’t been wonderfully scenic, varied and interesting, at least it’s been a few hours of fresh air and exercise.

After 5 miles of wending our way through these raised estuary paths we came to a point where it was fenced off and we were therefore forced to take a country lane up to the main road. For once we welcomed the change, despite walking with cars, because we were sick to death of estuary paths. And so we walked our way into Walton-on-the-Naze.

Friday 21st February 2020

No walking today. A leisurely morning and ventured into Colchester in the afternoon. Went to a fabulous Curzon cinema to see ‘Parasite’ – amazing must-see film.

This is our last full day in Wivenhoe. In the morning we will be doing the local Parkrun and then packing up to head home. We’ve enjoyed getting to know this part of the country. Part of our retirement plan is enjoying the experience of living in different parts of the UK and this hasn’t disappointed.

We’ve loved getting to know Charlie too. He was a little wary of us to begin with but the last few days we’ve had a more play and cuddling up time … and now it will be sad to say goodbye.

How different can two days be?

Tuesday 18th February 2020

Today we had to get to Point Clear to start our walk. Having finished in Brightlingsea yesterday, this was the nearest place on the other side of the estuary and, in the absence of a ferry at this time of year, this involved two bus rides and a mile’s walk to just get to our starting point.

Funnily enough, on the bus ride there, we couldn’t help but admire the houses – all detached, sizeable properties, individual designs with large gardens … not a terrace or semi in sight.

Such a different story though once we got to the seafront area of Point Clear … and it’s so hard to describe. We walked down a street which could have been named “Clutterville” – the majority of the houses had serious hoarding issues going on, inside and out. Yet mingled in with these Steptoe’s yards were some attractive well maintained properties too …. it was weird. And it was the same once we reached the actual seafront, beach houses incredibly fortunate to have such a location – but most of them incredibly run down with rubbish filled gardens. A little way along there seemed to be an area of beach front properties undergoing modernisation but it all seems to be a work in progress.

Today was incredibly blustery with a cold wind blowing in all directions it seemed. It was also grey and cloudy and with the area feeling so desolate it was simply a case of getting the job done …. and getting out of here!

We hadn’t walked far before we had to veer off the promenade and head inland for a while. There’s still no official coastal path on this stretch yet so Steve had planned a route using Ordnance Survey and another walker’s suggestions. We seemed to do a very large loop that took us roadside for a while and then through farmland. This included walking through a farm that had some smart glamping pods as well ‘Private Road’ signs …. if you make yourself look inconspicuous no-one can see you!! The road to the sea continued for some time after this … in fact it seemed to go on for miles. Finally we found a track that brought us onto the sea defence wall and led to the beach at Lee-over-sands.

But absolutely nothing to get excited about. Again the houses looked so ramshackle and there was fly tipping everywhere. We said we had honestly never seen anything like it. From here the path took us through St. Osyth and then Jaywick Sands and, apart from a few examples of smarter properties, this whole stretch of coastline seemed so deprived … almost third world in places. I’m sure they were fabulous back in the day but they are now seriously tired – just couldn’t imagine turning up here for a holiday!

At Jaywick however at least the beach started to look more attractive, beautifully sandy … hence the name I guess – Jaywick Sands. Steve’s Mum and Dad holidayed in the area in the early fifties and we have some fabulous photos of them at Jaywick Sands.

From here it was a simple promenade walk into Clacton-on-Sea. We passed a new development of affordable looking housing right at the seafront, literally yards from the shore … you don’t see that very often. And so we found ourselves at Clacton Pier where a mug of tea and a toastie revived our spirits (and appetites) after 10 miles of walking. We had a wander through Clacton on the way to the station …. starting off with the Amusement Arcade strip … but to be honest, we didn’t find Clacton as run down as many of the seaside resorts we’ve visited on our walks, despite the negative press it gets. Big up Clacton-on-Sea!!! 😎

Wednesday 19th February 2020

And today by contrast there was very little wind … the sky was blue and at times you could feel the warmth of the sunshine.

We caught the train to Clacton to start our walk where we had left off yesterday. We even managed to escape the wrath of the ticket inspector – Steve had managed to buy the wrong tickets but she didn’t pick up on it!! Phew!

It was an easy 6 and a half mile stroll today, all promenade, with the sound of sea lapping and miles of golden sand. With the sun shining and the beach huts looking so glorious, what more could you ask for. It was fabulous to see so many children out playing on the beach and cycling on the promenade.

At Frinton-on-Sea, the beach huts became even smarter and there were so many of them, all shapes, sizes, colours and designs. I love looking at the names – ‘Once Upon a Tide’ ‘Go with the Flo’ ‘Sandy Toes and Salty Kisses’… but today’s favourites were ‘Jabah’ and ‘Pizza!’ And the smartness carried on into Walton-on-the-Naze where we ended today’s walk.

Jumped on the train and were back in Wivenhoe by lunchtime …. and treated ourselves to lunch and beers at the local … well, we are on holiday, sort of!! 😘

Saturday 15th February – Monday 17th February 2020

On Saturday afternoon we drove down to Wivenhoe, on the Essex coast to take up our week’s house-sitting assignment, looking after a young Maine Coon cat named Charlie. This is a part of the country we have no previous experience of … and of course we’re taking the opportunity to walk along the nearby coastal paths, to add to our ongoing collection.

So, our previous assignment was looking after a huge Bernese Mountain Dog and now it’s a Maine Coon cat – oversized pet sitting could perhaps become our speciality!

Our drive down on Saturday was pretty eventful with Storm Dennis brewing nicely … wind and rain a’plenty. On Sunday it was even worse with the storm in full flight. And so we made the sensible decision to abandon our walking plans for the day and stay put in the safety of our ‘borrowed’ house. We just nipped out in the morning to stock up on the ingredient essentials for a Sunday roast, some decent teabags and the newspapers. Strangely enough there was an England v South Africa T20 cricket match on from lunchtime (might have aided the decision). I indulged in a few hours of snuggly sofa time wading through the Sunday newspaper, supplements, magazines and all … bliss.

Monday 17th February

No excuses today – the storm has passed! Walking boots on and layered up to keep warm, we set off from the house around 10ish. We wandered down through the pretty town of Wivenhoe to the Quayside. There’s a mixture of old and new houses here but it blends perfectly to make a very attractive and interesting place. The quayside, on the banks of the River Colne, was our starting point to walk to the seaside town of Brightlingsea. This meant one of those annoying estuary walks which involves walking miles along one side of the river, crossing over and walking back miles along the other side … distinct lack of bridges and ferries!

The first part of today’s hike was along a sea defence wall – lovely views and quite pleasant underfoot. “We’ll be alright if we stay up this high” says Steve, “shouldn’t be too muddy.”

Of course that didn’t last. The path led us through some pretty woodland area and at first we relished getting away from the wind … it was a beautiful day but still Dennis’ wind was lingering. It was like walking through trip hazard alley though, with the heavily exposed tree roots consuming the path – had to watch our every step. Then the inevitable puddles kicked in and it got muddier and muddier. It was safer just walking through the murky puddles rather than risk slipping in off the muddy sides. The trouble was you just couldn’t gauge how deep they were … ‘Dr. Foster went to Gloucester’ sprang to mind! All good fun.

In planning the walk, Steve had discovered that you could cross the estuary at low tide (which it was) at a certain part. When we got to that spot it certainly didn’t look very crossable … we took a good look and Steve even attempted one step from the bank … finding himself knee deep in soft mud swiftly indicated that this was not the way forward!

We continued along the path until we found a proper bridge to take us across to the other side, safely. There was a pretty mill house located here as well as a couple of other stylish houses. After that we were diverted inland for a while, which involved walking roadside for a short time until we reached the beautiful church of All Saints on the outskirts of Brightlingsea.

At this point we could see that we could walk into the town of Brightlingsea by continuing along this road. “But it’s not the coastal path.” “But, who would know?” “It’s only yourself you’re cheating!” At times this coastal walking is testing!

We headed down a country lane, passed some quarries and then found a path leading us into more woodland. More boggy woodland!

Eventually found our way back onto the Sea Defence wall, walking back along the river, the other side. And this time, there was a strong oncoming wind to battle against. Have to admit, this stretch seemed eternal at times. And so into the town of Brightlingsea. Our first introduction was it’s promenade … and today it’s prettiness was marred by the devastation of yesterday’s storm. Something we’d never seen before – numerous beach huts had literally been blown off their bases, some had travelled quite far away too (wouldn’t have wanted to have been walking around there yesterday).

So, there it was – just over 8 miles and today’s walk was done. We had lunch in a local cafe and got the bus back to Wivenhoe … all very straightforward and we’d had a fabulous day out.

We haven’t spotted any orange botoxed Essex celebrities yet – guess you wouldn’t come across them on the coastal path. We’re off to the local in a bit … who knows? 🤣