virtual vacation, part two

The rest of our holiday album is similarly devoid of foodie photos: no snaps of our fresh dressed crabs from the Cley Smokehouse, our coffee and buns at the fab new Art Café in Glandford, or our mid-morning croissants at Wiveton Hall Café. 

But we do have one taken outside the Wiveton Hall Farm Shop:

And we have loads of sand and sea and grass, all taken on our walks along the beach and through the salt marshes at Cley-next-the-Sea,

where we stayed in our favorite home-away-from-home, Manor Coach House,

just steps away from the famous windmill:

And there are photos of our other favorite coastal haunts, including Sheringham Park

and Holkham Beach,

where we finally saw the seals we've never seen at Blakeney. But those photos didn't turn out: the plucky pinnipeds are just smudges in the swells. A reminder that sometimes it's better to simply experience and enjoy rather than trying to focus a lens.

Not that I'm planning to put away my camera anytime soon!

virtual vacation

Over the past week, I've been revisiting our annual September holiday...or more accurately, finally attempting to organize our digital photos! We started off in Woodbridge, where the sun was out and the skies were blue,

perfect for a walk along the quayside, dreaming about life aboard a houseboat:

It was even warm enough for lunch in the square outside the Wild Strawberry Cafe, which I'm still convinced makes the best sandwiches anywhere. And I'm very fussy about sandwiches. In fact, my sandwich was so fab, I tucked right in and only managed a picture of the salad garnish!

Next day, it was on to Orford to visit the Pump Street Bakery, which has won numerous awards, including Best Food Producer at the BBC Food and Farming Awards 2012:

And it was every bit as wonderful as I'd hoped. But my only memento of our lunch at the sunny communal table is the picture I took before it arrived:

Clearly food photography standards must improve--but on the plus side that's fewer images to file!

mostly monochrome

We started last week in glorious technicolor, but by midweek things were looking more monochrome:

While I find gray skies difficult to cope with, I love gray in other forms. Nothing makes me happier than a new Persephone book. And my wardrobe is almost entirely gray: I own far more gray sweaters than anyone really should.

Which is why I adore my newest pair of socks, knit in my favorite sock yarn, Plucky Feet from The Plucky Knitter, using the BFF pattern from Cookie A:

The Plucky Knitter is known round Ravelry for her fabulous selection of grays, but she also does an extraordinary range of blues. So I've knit a pair in an (impossible-to-photograph) aqua too:

Because even I can sometimes have too much gray. And who knows, blue skies might just follow!

new beginnings, take two

After so many months away, it's hard to know when and where to begin. But spring seems like an appropriate time. And where better to be in spring than at Kew with Tracy and Nancy.

While I may have been quiet here, we haven't been quiet on our monthly walks, where we inevitably indulge in a bit of blue sky thinking,

as well as some deeper introspection,

and just plain wonder at the beauty of it all:

Here's to new beginnings!

saturday at savill

Last Saturday, G and I followed Jane's advice and headed to Savill Garden. It had been ages since our last visit, and with such brilliant blue skies, we couldn't resist. There were bees and blossom

and magnolias in every stage,

from bud, to bloom, to petals on the paths:

We wandered past familiar favorites,

and found a new favorite (veltheimia) in the Temperate House,

where more bees were buzzing, reminding us we really should be working too:

So we headed back to the Allotments. But on our way out, we spotted new growth on the hydrangeas,

surely the perfect excuse for another visit...

crochet in cley

While Monica, Ali, and I were in Mrs Moon on Monday, we had a look through the new pattern books. Being absolutely hopeless at crochet, Rowan's Holiday Crochet didn't really interest me,

until Monica flipped it open, and I saw the chalkboard advertising Homemade Lavender Bread:

Because this isn't just any chalkboard. This the chalkboard that hangs outside Picnic Fayre Delicatessen, in our very favorite holiday spot, Cley-next-the-Sea.

A closer inspection revealed the entire brochure was indeed photographed in Cley. How did I not recognize the windmill on the cover? But sadly, I've never looked this sexy on my visits to the deli:

Do you think a crochet bag and cardi would help?

crème de la crème

Pitango Gelato is my all-time favorite gelato shop. Blending organic milk, cream, eggs, sugar, and produce from local farms, Pitango makes super flavorful gelato with a lovely clean finish.

© Pitango Gelato

Sadly, the branch near my mum has been discontinuing my favorite flavors one-by-one: Fior di Latte, Crème Fraîche, Yogurt, Black Tea... I hesitate to mention my current favorites for fear they could be next!

© Pitango Gelato

But I need no longer mourn the demise of Crème Fraîche, as I've just made my very own batch, again using a recipe from David Lebovitz' The Perfect Scoop:

Amazingly, it has the same creamy texture, slightly sharp flavor, and smooth finish as the Pitango version. And while I'd always rather go to Pitango, I suppose I better start looking out recipes for some of my other favorites...just in case!