25 March 2019

Weekend

"The Old Neptune Inn" at Whitstable
Monday morning and the birthday weekend is almost over. It has been great.

Whitstable is a smashing little seaside town with an array of independent shops along with bustling restaurants and pubs. It's all low rise - giving the coastal settlement a human scale.

The town is famous for its oysters and when the tide goes out the oyster beds are revealed. It's big business with tractors operating at the water's edge and the oysters growing happily upon large chain racks. Look to the left of the top picture and you can just make out some of the oyster beds.
In fact our town centre rental is called Oyster Bed Cottage. It has been just perfect. Everything works. It's clean and it has its own parking space on the other side of fob-operated security gates.

London is fifty miles away. Our capital is a multi-cultural melting pot containing residents with roots in every corner of the planet. But Whitstable is not like that. Essentially, it remains a white Anglo Saxon place. On Friday night we were in the "Peter Cushing" Wetherspoons pub. A throng of local people were eating and drinking and there was a hubbub of   Kentish voices. I looked around the throng and there was not one black or Asian face. Perhaps it is little wonder that this region is the country's Brexit supporting epicentre. 
Street art by Whitstable High Street
I bought Shirley a  new watch by Mondaine and Frances and Stew gave her pearl earrings, Ian gave her a card with a cartoon of Freddie Mercury on the front and he's singing "MAMA OO-OO-H..." She also received many other cards that she opened on her birthday morning.

Yesterday, we drove along the coast to Margate in gorgeous sunshine and we promenaded after visiting the Tate gallery on the seafront. Later we had Italian pizzas in a rustic cafe on Whitstable high street before the young ones were driven back to the town's station.
At Margate
Oh, and I forgot to mention my cunning little birthday plan. I had been in touch with a local cake maker called Tessa and when we visited the weekly farmers' market in The Umbrella Centre, there was Tessa with the cake I had ordered. She opened the box to reveal an orange and passion fruit cake with "Happy Birthday Shirley 60" iced neatly on the top. The cunning plan came to fruition and  Shirley was suitably surprised.

Very soon we'll be heading back to the land of UpNorth where the wild things are. Bye bye Whitstable and thank you for a weekend to remember.
Sunset over Essex - seen from Whitstable Harbour

25 comments:

  1. What a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday. Did you plan everything yourself for the birthday girl? I hope you return home unscathed from your exposure to so many southern softies.

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    Replies
    1. Three nights in the soft land of DownSouth is bearable. One wouldn't wish to risk a longer stay.

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    2. Ah yes. I moved up here to safety many years ago :)

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  2. A lovely birthday present. Did you taste the oysters as well?

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    1. I regret that I didn't sample the oysters as I prefer them to be baked.

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  3. When you visited Apalachicola, did you try the oysters there? What was your opinion?
    What a charming little town although I could never live in a place with only white faces. Not my reality.
    You did a good thing with that cake! I hope that your beautiful wife enjoyed every minute and every bite of that birthday.

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    1. Yes she did enjoy her birthday weekend - very much. And yes - we did eat oysters in Apalachicola - at Papa Joe's. They were excellent. We had them baked in butter with a little garlic.

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    2. I've eaten at Papa Joe's many times. Glad you had a good meal there.

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  4. It sounds like you planned a perfect birthday weekend for Shirley!

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    1. And the weather was good too! I didn't arrange that myself Bonnie. It just happened.

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  5. Happy birthday to Mrs pudding.
    Hope you had a nice time.😀

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    1. We did indeed. Whitstable was a delight Christina. Have you ever been there?

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    2. I'm afraid not. When my husband retires I hope we can visit lots of places in this country.

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    3. The best area to visit is Yorkshire tha knows.

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    4. Of course. Land of my fathers. Haworth, Denholme and Thornton.

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  6. Sounds/looks nice. I like that mural; and the sunset view is lovely.

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    1. The mural shows our queen on a hover board with some of her corgis.

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  7. Sounds like a very good birthday.

    At first look, I thought the Queen was standing in water! It's a good likeness.

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    1. She's on a hoverboard Jenny. Have you ridden on one?

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    2. No, but I would if I had the chance!

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    3. You can easily order one from Amazon.

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  8. Belated Happy Birthday wishes to Shirley! My birthday was maybe not quire so elaborate, but equally enjoyable (last Thursday) with champagne afternoon tea at Swinton Park.
    Pizza? Not exactly Anglo-Saxon food...

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    1. The pizza was not my choice Meike. Belated birthday greetings to you too!

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  9. How lovely, sounds like a delightful birthday celebration. Gorgeous photos as always.

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