A rotten start to the year

Walking in the shadow of the docks

Sunday, 2nd January. The weather was bright and warm, tempting for a day by the sea, possibly with ice-cream and a meal for our first outing of the year. Felixstowe sounded promising, so off we set. Hitting the Orwell bridge, we were suddenly caught behind a massive traffic queue, with no exit route for several miles. Finally, crawling forward in little jerks, we reached the cause of our holdup: a broken down ancient horse box blocking the lane. 

After the long delay and with the dogs still in the car, we stopped first at Landguard Fort to walk them, ending up at the cafe under the shadow of the great container ships at Felixstowe Docks. We went to the cafe toilets, but decided to go into Felixstowe to walk on the beach before enjoying coffee and ice-cream. No such luck. We had not allowed for the Bank Holiday crowds and could not even park. 

Selfie at Landguard Point.

We decided to cut our losses and head for Aldeburgh, where we did manage to park. But that was all we did. The one pub was full, with people sitting outside with their drinks. The hotel was closed for refurbishing, the one restaurant open had stopped serving. The only available food was if we joined the long queues at the take-away fish and chip shops. We could not spot so much as a decent cafe for a coffee. It was getting late, so we set off for Bury to finally get something to eat. No way - the fates were against us this day. The sky grew dark as night, and it began to rain,  Not a shower of rain, but a total deluge was falling, the roads rapidly flooding, and vision severely limited, so we abandoned the day and finally reached home having had no drink all day, and not so much as a chocolate bar. Welcome to 2022.

Lone Christmas Tree at Aldeburgh

It did not help my mood when Edwin phoned. He and Andre had gone to Dover, which was quiet and where they had a lovely day, ending in Morelli's Italian ice-cream parlour, sending a photo of the two of them with a towering dish of icecream dripping with sauces and sprinkles. They had the sense to leave at 8:00 a.m. so they had a full day there in warm sunshine. I can make no comment.