HATS ON THE NEEDLES!

For the past couple of weeks I've been making hats. I made 3 for my friends grandchildren in an aran yarn which I totally forgot to photograph before passing them on and today I finished this one for Alfred. I bought the yarn when I was in Camden Maine and it's worsted Misti Alpaca from Peru. I'm going to make an identical hat for Jack as well. The yarn feels ever so soft and I'm sure the boys will have lovely warm ears throughout the winter when they wear them.

I had a nice treat this week. We've had quite a busy time here recently and my early morning swims have dwindled to one session a week. I really feel that I need more exercise. So on Wednesday morning I took Alfred for a long walk along the seawall.
The tide was high when we set off and the skies overcast but luckily it was fairly mild. Unfortunately  at this time of the year if it's mild, the path is generally muddy in places but we kept going dodging as many of the slimy puddles as we could until we reached the paved path.

We went passed this little house on stilts that recently featured in Homes by the Sea on TV which the owners bought and renovated as it apparently reminded them of a holiday trip to Antigua.  Having been to Antigua myself, I would think you would need a cocktail of high tides, cloudless blue skies, scorching heat, a chilled glass of wine and an over active imagination to recapture that particular scenario. However, I cannot deny that this place has got its own beauty. The new owners have transformed the property into something quite special. Perched on the seawall it is in a very quiet tranquil area. To have this as a little bolt hole must be quite idyllic.

So, a little further on, we saw that this place is up for sale.  It will be interesting to see if someone will snap it up and turn it into another riverside retreat.

There were quite a few people out and about as boats were being pulled from the water ready for their winter storage.

The now empty beach huts were standing out proudly with the water lapping all around their feet. We were getting closer to our destination and as it was approaching lunchtime I began to wonder whether the cafe would still be open and I regretted not checking that before we had left home.

However fortunately for us the Osea View cafe was open and Alfred and I enjoyed our first lunch out together, a slice of cheese on toast for him and a toasted sandwich and a cuppa for me. Ok, not much of a banquet but very special.  A brisk walk home, as there was now a chill in the wind, an afternoon nap for him and an hour of knitting for me.

I had a great time, I hope he did too!