Sandbanks Again

We just can't keep away from this beach. It was gorgeous yesterday. Sun shining and not too many people around. Just a few dogs for ours to say hallo to.

Rafi doesn't like to pose so we were lucky to get this pic. Here we were opposite Studland and the location for my last post. If you look carefully, you can just see the Old Harry Rocks on the left edge of the horizon.

Every so often the sun went behind one of those threatening clouds, but we were safely at home before the rain caught up with us. It was warm enough to sit and bask as long as you were well wrapped up, and it was a blissful morning.

Eating at the Pig

A very generous friend of my daughter invited the two of us to lunch to celebrate her third anniversary yesterday. So off we went to the Pig on the Beach at Studland. It's a very special hotel and restaurant - the sort of place you save for really special occasions, and not somewhere we had been before. But we'll certainly be saving our pennies to go again.

A former old  Manor House, the Pig is really mellow looking.

 The location is beautiful with stunning views over the sea to the Old Harry Rocks.

Although our table was late, we were happy waiting in comfortable seating around a log fire with our bubbly. The service was impeccable and the food delicious.  After the meal we walked around the immaculate kitchen garden where many of the vegetables we had been eating had grown, and we saw a number of quirky outbuildings that had been converted into rooms let to guests, plus a roundhouse that was in use for another celebratory meal. We were very impressed by the  ingenious use of all that was available. 

As you can see, the wine flowed and a great time was had by all. Thanks to the lovely Dawn, who also took the landscape photos, and husband Andy, for their amazing generosity.

Canoes in the Harbour

The temperature seemed mild when we went for our walk with the dogs and a two year old this morning. When Jules took her charge into the swing park at Hamworthy Park, I sat on a seat outside with the dogs, and then the wind got up and I got a bit cold.

Walking back to the car on the promenade, we saw a canoe class out on the water. The canoeists didn't seem to feel the cold.

Rafi found them interesting too.

Our Penthouse View

All last week this was the view we woke up to, although the light was different as the pic was taken towards evening after we checked into our holiday penthouse apartment. I have mixed feelings about it; the view of Torquay was to die for, and the apartment itself could not be faulted, but it wasn't what we ordered. That was a house with the enclosed garden we wanted for the dogs and the Wii and wifi that would suit Eryn and her friend who came with us. Instead we were at the top of a block of flats with steps and a lift to get the dogs up and down on lead each time they needed to go out, and no on tap entertainment for the girls. The holiday company gave us a day to agree to the change because the house was not cleaned following a long let.

Each time I looked out at this view, I was reminded of the last few years of my mother's life. Every three weeks I made the 200 mile round trip to visit and give her an outing from her residential home. We sometimes ended up in the Livermead House Hotel - the nearest building in the pic. We'd have coffee or tea in the bar looking out over the sea.

Oddicombe Beach and the Cliff Railway

I haven't posted for a while as I've been away. I'll be posting some of our adventures, though not in chronological order. My daughter, granddaughter and one of her delightful young friends were with me all week in our rented apartment in Torquay, and my son, his girlfriend and my lovely friend, Momo, joined us for the last weekend.

Saturday was our last full day. We all went to Babbacombe Downs.

There we met up with my nephew and his happy little son before getting on the cliff railway which recently celebrated its 90th birthday.

 It took us down to Oddicombe Beach.

The far end of this beach is unsafe due to landslips in recent years, which polished off a couple of houses built near the edge of the cliff. Sixty years ago, I had a schoolfriend who lived up there, and we spent many a weekend messing about on this beach and on the footpaths and woods above it, some of which no longer exist.

Don't be fooled by the blue skies. It was sunny when the pics were taken although, as you can probably tell, it was pretty cold. By the time we got into the railway carriage to be taken topside again, it was being battered by a hailstorm. Nevertheless we all enjoyed our little adventure.