At this exact moment, I'm curled up on the sofa in the living room of a beachfront house in Whitstable, England, with a cup of coffee and my book to my right, the front door open, and the sounds of seagulls carrying in from the beach out the backyard. Not a half hour ago, I was sitting with said book and coffee in the backyard, watching the waves, and with the salty sea breeze around me. Alas, the breeze was a bit too much for the pages of my book and the bits of hair that wouldn't stay in place and kept tickling my face. So now I'm indoors, but no less content.
I had yesterday day free and no plans for the next couple days. I arrived back home round noon, to which, upon learning of my days off, Tricia (whose home I'm staying at) invited me to this adorable town of Whitstable for a mid-week holiday, where her son Charlie has been visiting his gran for the past few days. Having become a bit of a yes-man (erm.. yes-woman?), I wasn't about to turn down this opportunity, so I promptly packed a weekend bag and hopped in the car for the trip into Whitstable.
Whitstable is located on the southern bit of the eastern coast of England, just outside of Canterbury, in the county of Kent. Having only been to Brighton before as far as seaside towns go, it's been very nice to see a different kind of coast town - Whitstable is smaller, quainter, and absolutely lovely.
We arrived in yesterday, spent the afternoon walking around the town, got some fish and chips from a little fish and chip shop, poked around in some of the little boutiques, and then settled with some tea and our books to read for a couple hours as the weather has been a bit grey and threatening of rain. Fortunately, it cleared up and the sun came out just in time for the neighbors to come over and enjoy a glass (or two, or three...) of champagne on the back deck, chatting and listening to the sounds of waves as people occasionally pass by with their dogs and/or kids on the beach. Eventually, we decided it was time to accompany the champagne settling rather happily in our stomachs with some food, and walked round the corner to the pub, where we feasted on a smörgåsbord of sea bass, chicken, meatballs, steaks, potatoes, and grilled veggies brought all at once to the middle of our table - "family style". Of course we couldn't say no to pudding as well, so there was that to top it all off. After positively stuffing ourselves, we all went back to our houses, and I accompanied Pippa, one of the neighbors, on a nighttime walk with their two dogs along the seafront. I have to say, watching people walk and play with their dogs on the beach, and in general really, makes me really miss my dog. I long to have a dog in England. One day...
