Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures in East London, Surrey & Southwold Suffolk (The NEXT Chapter).

Week 175 Saturday 21^stuntil Friday 27^thOctober 2017.

This week has been the annual family trip to Southwold on the Suffolk coast.

 “Wheres the light house, JBomb”.

For the last few years members of the family meet up and share a house for an entire week. I have spent the last 51 weeks looking forward to this one.

  “Its a lovely place, even when the sky is stormy”.

Southwold is a very small seaside town (at least I think it’s a town).  I may not know the names of the small lanes, but I definitely know how to navigate to local pubs, chip shops and the place that certain small members of the family consider the most important part of town, the sweet shop.  When we arrived I thought that the town had come out in force to welcome us back.  This was because that morning was the grand reopening of the small traditional confectionery shop.  The same one which for the last year grandma had been telling the children had closed after our last visit.  Outside the shop as well as a stilt walker handing out balloons, there was Buzz Lightyear and Woody from “Toy Story” directing traffic and having their photos taken with everyone and anyone.

  “Anoodle and Grandma, made friends as soon as we arrived”.

At this moment I’ll pause and quickly look around

  “I thought i pulled for a moment”.

Of course this wasn’t the real Buzz and Woody because they obviously live in America. Instead these were cheap “rent-a-costumes”, the guys inside should be given credit for not breaking character and entertaining the crowds for hours without a break.  Certainly my nephew and niece had a great time meeting two hero’s from a film they like.  Thinking about this, these two could be the first famous characters they have met. Mr Tumble doesn’t counts as he walked past them and then performed on stage.

                                       Phew, must not destroy the magic

   “Really lovely place by the beach”.

I’ll be honest, this week has involved a lot of eating and drinking.  Must mention a really nice new pub (for us) “The Sail Loft” situated very near the beach.  SAZ, Anoodle and I stumbled upon a “Pop Up Wine Shop”, “The Wine Shed” on the shore of the River Blyth.  Two of us enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine while the other ate a few free samples of homemade brownies.  The annual visit to Warbleswick is always a highlight; I particularly enjoy riding the rowing boat ferry a journey that lasts only about 5 minutes.  Should I mention that SAZ and myself had a wee in a bush on a golf course, no I’ll keep quiet.  Next week I have to join a “fat club”, the kind where people are publicly embarrassed weekly in front of others who also have expanding equatorial regions.

   “Got to love a Pop Up, we did”.

During the week in the house there have been a number of strange incidents.

   “The mainstage at Southwold live”.
  Footsteps upstairs when there was no one there.

   “Our trip to Warbs”.

  A mobile with the ringtone of “when the boat comes” ringing, which no one owned
 Bedroom wardrobe mirror door that was closed, but later found open.

  “Its a pretty beach”.

However the mystery of the missing sandwich and children’s chocolate lolly was solved when grandma looked in her bag.

  “Mug shots”.

Most days I went out and spent time alone doing small rough pencil sketches which I might add some watercolour when home.  Being blasted by stormy winds while standing on the end of the pier looking back at the lighthouse made me smile.

  “Windy & drunk, but which one”.

It’s the end of a wonderful week, with far too many highlights to mention.  Is it wrong I am already looking forward to “Southwold 2018″.  Thank you so much to SAZ, Timbum, Anoodle, The JBomb, Aunty H and Grandma for a great time.

  “Team Southwold 2017”.

And In Other News…… 

Within our first hour by the sea, SAZ heard someone mentioning that they could see “Sellafield” nuclear reprocessing plant on the horizon.  Being a geography teacher she informed them in a friendly way that it is actually “Sizewell B”.  My sisters a geography teacher so knows her shiz.

 “Go on name the Nuclear facility in the distance”.

My Mid Life Crisis Conts…… 

 “This is what a week in Southwold has done to me”.

This week I have mainly been watching:  

“24 Hrs In A&E”, (S10, ep 21: TX 09/03/16).  “Autumnwatch 2017”, (S12, ep 1 to ep 4: TX 23 to 26/10/17).  “Celebrity Hunted: Stand Up To Cancer”, (S1, ep 3: TX 24/10/17).   “Click”, (TX 21/10/17).  “Feral Families”, (TX 26/10/17).  “Gunpowder”, (S1, ep 1).  “Have I Got News For You”, (S54, ep 4).  “Josh”, (S3, ep 4).  “Later… With Jool’s Holland”, (S51, ep 4).  “Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring”, (2001).  “Louis Theroux: Dark States”, (S1, ep 3: TX 22/10/17).  “Man Down”, (S4, ep 1).  “My Week As A Muslim”, (TX 23/10/17).  “Natural World 2017/18. H Is For Hawk: A New Chapter”, (TX 19/10/17).  “Panarama: How Safe is Your Operation?”, (TX 16/10/17).  “Red Dwarf XII”, (S12, ep 3 & ep 4).  “Robot Wars”, (S10, ep 1).  “The Apprentice”, (S13, ep 4: TX 25/10/17).  “The Apprentice: Honest Subtitles”, (S3, ep 4: TX 25/10/17).  “The Apprentice: Your Fired”, (S12, ep 4: TX 25/10/17).  “The End Of The F***ing World”, (S1, ep 1 to 3).  “The Graham Norton Show”, (S22, ep 4 extra)(S22, ep 5: TX 27/10/17).  “The Great British Bake Off”, (S8/S1, ep 9: TX 24/10/17).  “The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice”, (S4/S1, ep 9: TX 26/10/17).  “The Last Leg”, (S12, ep 4: TX 20/10/17).  “Travelman: 48 Hours In…”, (S5, 1: TX 20/10/17)(ep 2: TX 27/10/17).  “Zapped”, (S2, ep 3).          

This week I have mainly been listening to:   “Craigslost (From Dazed And Convicted)”, (ep 6, 08/06/11)(ep 7, 16/06/11)(ep 8, 01/07/11)(Bonus 2, 01/07/11)(ep 9, 08/07/11)(ep 128, 23/09/17).  “Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 16, 27/10/17).  “Iain Lee: TalkRADIO (Bonus)”, (20/10, 24/10/17).  “Iain Lee: TalkRADIO (Highlights)”, (17/10, 18/10, 20/10, 23/10, 24/10, 26/10/17).  “In Poor Taste”, (ep 4, 26/12/14)(ep 81, 23/10/17).  “LBC Podcast: Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (21/10, 27/10/17).  “NASA Silicon Valley”, (ep 56, 24/08/17).  “Soundtracking With Edith Bowman”, (ep 61, 20/10/17).  “The Adam Buxton Podcast”, (ep 54, 26/10/17).  “The Aggy Fox Podcast”, (ep 20, 26/10/17).  “The Bitter Sound”, (ep 5, 25/01/13)(ep 6, 08/02/13)(ep 7, 22/03/13).  “The DHB Radio Show”, (ep 3, 22/02/11).  “The Rabbit Hole”, (ep 32, 26/10/17).  “Morrissey”,  “Dusty Springfield”,  “Sixpence None The Richer”,  “Paul Heaton And Jacqui Abbott”,  “Grizzly Bear”,  ”Wolf Alice”,  “Len”,  “Bran Van 3000”,  “MacAlmont & Butler”, “Suede”, “Nirvana”.