My Birthday!

Penny, Lucy and Vivien
Windswept – taken in my car at the bottom of Hunstanton Cliffs

Lucy and Vivien arrived at my house at 9.30am. I made us all porridge and a cup of tea for breakfast and we proceeded to do the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch (see separate post for results). Opened my presents and cards from my sisters and Ray (Vivien's partner) and then headed out into the wonderful weather!!! The sun was out for a short spell this morning, but the weather decreased rapidly into appalling conditions, with 55mph north westerlies and rain by mid afternoon – it was FREEZING! What I would give for a Summer birthday!

We went to Titchwell RSPB for lunch in the cafe and then headed out for a walk along the main path. Lucy refused to walk even part way to Island Hide, as she had a newly developed sore throat and didn't feel too good, so she returned to the visitor centre to sit in the warm cafe. Vivien and I continued to Island Hide, but it was so wickedly cold with sleet now hitting us like cold knives, that we turned back too! Whimps? Yep!

Spent some pennies in the shop and then returned to my car. Left and went to Hunstanton so Lucy could buy sore throat supplies from Sainsbury's! Then went to sit below Hunstanton Cliffs in the car, to watch the raging seas. I got out of the car to scan the rock pools and the car door nearly flew off! Got back in quickly and we then headed to Sandringham. Stopped at the bird tables and watched Coal Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Robins, Blackbirds and Dunnocks feeding in the fading light.

Arrived at the Unique Castle Rising Tea rooms at just after 4pm for our booked 'Luxury Afternoon Cream Tea' at 4.30pm. The setting here is really beautiful, but the food was not as good as I have been told it is. For £7.95 you choose one variety of sandwich (I had brie & grapes and Lucy and Vivien choose Egg mayo), a fruit scone with fresh cream and Tiptree jam with either a pot of tea or coffee. The sandwiches were pretty good – we all choose brown bread and this was very tasty indeed, more so than the fillings. Sadly the scone was extremely dry and we had a job to cut through them in order to spread the jam and cream. The cream tasted a bit sickly and oversweet.

Returned to King's Lynn, dropped Lucy back at home as she felt too ill to come back to mine again. Vivien and I spent the evening devising another email to estate agents and discussing the sale of the house. The winds are extremely strong this evening. Vivien got back to Ely safely and I am now getting ready for work! Huge thanks to my sisters and Ray for their generous presents.

Thank you to Vivien & Ray, Lucy, Pete S., Malcolm & Eileen and my work colleagues for my lovely birthday cards and to John F. for his emailed card and brilliant poem! Also thanks to all my wonderful messages via Facebook and email today! Another year gone!