[crazy4oldcars]

Loved the two scooters so neatly parked and so close together - seemed to suggest the nature of the relationship between the absent owners.

(Afterthought: please don't spoil the moment by telling me they were just a pair of scooters for hire!!! )

A pair? I thought it was a double, akin to a tandem bike. I had already deduced, in my mind, how to make the
Front wheels turn together. ;-)
Darn....:-\

[35mmfilmfan]

Wonderful ! Not had Chish and Fips for ages. I must admit that one of the attractions of my days out at Cley NWT reserve is the excellent food in the cafe there - frinstance, yesterday I had a jacket spud filled to overflowing with spicy sausage casserole. I was also offered salad, but declined. The staff there are always helpful, polite and friendly, and also birders themselves (which some of the customers are not - the cafe's reputation is so good that people with no interest at all in wildlife visit and pay £5.50 to park just to eat there !). Unlike Mike, however, I do always travel there with a DSLR, and selection of lenses and filters (and binoculars, Leica spotting scope and Manfrotto C/F tripod of course).

[BigMackCam]

Thanks so much for the very kind feedback, everone - it's much appreciated, as always

The weather was indeed beautiful for this time of year. We do get a few days like that during a typical Winter, but not many - and our weather forecasts aren't too reliable, which makes planning a bit hit-and-miss. We were lucky yesterday, for sure

My Mum enjoyed our afternoon out so much that she suggested we do something similar next week (I was going to mention it, but she beat me to it ). We're very fortunate to have a good choice of nice coastal and country locations within a small radius of home. I think three hours was about my Mum's limit for leaving our cat alone, so I need to pick some destinations that are maybe 30 minutes away by car, have easy terrain for walking and one or two decent take-out food options (I'd happily make a packed lunch, but Mum's keen that I enjoy a day off from food prep ). With an hour's round trip and another hour to procure, eat and recover from lunch, that leaves us an hour to get some exercise and fresh air, and take in the scenery

[K2 to K50]

Thanks so much for the very kind feedback, everone - it's much appreciated, as always

The weather was indeed beautiful for this time of year. We do get a few days like that during a typical Winter, but not many - and our weather forecasts aren't too reliable, which makes planning a bit hit-and-miss. We were lucky yesterday, for sure

My Mum enjoyed our afternoon out so much that she suggested we do something similar next week (I was going to mention it, but she beat me to it ). We're very fortunate to have a good choice of nice coastal and country locations within a small radius of home. I think three hours was about my Mum's limit for leaving our cat alone, so I need to pick some destinations that are maybe 30 minutes away by car, have easy terrain for walking and one or two decent take-out food options (I'd happily make a packed lunch, but Mum's keen that I enjoy a day off from food prep ). With an hour's round trip and another hour to procure, eat and recover from lunch, that leaves us an hour to get some exercise and fresh air, and take in the scenery

From your Mum's reaction, sounds like you found something she needed even though she didn't know she needed it! I'm sure happier people will make for a happier Boo Boo! You have a great plan - but next time, take the camera. Maybe, with a tripod and camera and a remote control (or judicious use of the timer) you could even collect one or two worthwhile family portraits on a day out!

[robgski]

This thread illustrates the importance of many things:
Spending time with family, but doing something out of the ordinary routine.
Going someplace just for the change of scenery. Most of us take for granted that where we live is a place other people save money and devote time to visit for a vacation, so make the most of it.
Always take your camera with you.

[MarkJerling]

Neat story Mike. Sounds like you need to drag them out of the house more often!