Suffolk Summer Respite

So after a pretty hectic year I finally got some proper time away from the South West, which I worked out was the first time since September 2012, that I'd been back! And that was only for a weekend. My last real week away from home was when I returned from Zambia in July 2012. Definitely much needed week away from work and cooking!

I spent it with my parents and their lovely dog, Bella, in Chelmondiston.

Knowing I was very tired and in need of lots of sleep, I switched off all my alarms on my phone. But somehow, on my first morning, I still woke up at the time of my first alarm. And I was wide awake - unlike those days when I do actually have to get up! So I decided to join my dad on the morning walk with the dog down to Pinmill.

Bella and Dad. To read more about lovely Bella-Girl click here

A few days later mum and I did a bit of storm watching from the upstairs bedrooms. It was the second time Britain had finally proved me wrong that it didn't know what a real storm was. But these clouds were definitely up there as some of the best I've seen. Sadly, this storm was still a bit too far away from us to really feel the magnitude of it. About an hour later we did get what I like to think as the the tail end of it which was pretty awesome too. Some great loud thunder and huge drops of rain to drown out any sound on the "plastic" roof of the conservatory!

I enjoyed spending some of the sunny days in the garden rather than holed up in a shop or at home working on my book and the summer flowers put on quite a show for me, as did some of the butterflies, of which there were plenty in the wisteria. Sadly every time I brought my camera out, the butterflies seemed to "disappear" from the wisteria.

  

Mum and I spent some time exploring the peninsula and the two rivers, the Orwell and Stour. The creek at Holbrook, although a little barren, was quite photogenic!

When we'd spent enough time watching the boats bob up and down, and taken a walk up river a little, we abandoned the Stour for the more picturesque Orwell and Royal Harwich Yacht Club where we were found a little surprise waiting for us in the water.

and a sea bass too...

View of the Orwell Bridge.

Dad, excited by our announcement that there were fish in the Orwell, decided he would try a bit of fishing down at Shotley Gate... Well I joined him and realised that the mud was very sticky and squelchy and not at all suited to my hiking boots (or even wellies as we found out later when dad had to pull himself out of the mud). Instead I stood at a safe distance and photographed the sun and clouds giving me a lovely show, with a few gulls thrown in!

Can't go anywhere without getting sunset photos, can I?!

It was great to be home, to be able to relax and not worry about what to make for supper, or how much money I had in my wallet and to just enjoy being back with my parents. Pity it couldn't last a bit longer. But my little Snap Dragon plant at home couldn't last long without being watered!