The Only Way is Essex

Good evening all,

We hope this finds you well and enjoying the sun and avoiding the rain as much as possible.

Woody continues to improve in his recovery. He has now started his rehabilitation course so is going to the local gym with a group of others and the cardiac nurse who is running them through a short regime in order to help support their heart but being extremely careful not to overdo it and damage the work done during the relatively recent op. He has started back at work but is only doing the pad work so is teaching and observing but not actually doing any riding and not taking students on road rides. The scars are looking very good and hard to believe underneath the sternum is still healing - 18th of July or thereabouts it should be fully healed.

One photo from our recent day out to Bedgebury with a friend of mine from 6th form and her husband and 2 children. This is on the Gruffalo walk…. We found the mouse. Woodmice get everywhere.

 The following photos are from our sojourn in Essex. Mum had hired a cottage and invited a variety of family, friends and miscellaneous others to stay in a house that slept 8 over the week in which fell Dad’s 70th birthday and Tim’s 37th birthday. It was a surprise for Dad who found out on the morning of departure to pack his things and head East.

We headed North, Tim headed South as did several others and over the week we had a lot of broad beans.

We tried to get onto the Boat That Rocked (open every day) but it was closed due to the weather. For a boat that is rather solidly fixed in place this seemed a bit surreal but the Tourist Information man seemed to think it was more often closed than open anyway. We never did get on board.

We did get to go in the lifeboat centre and the Woodmice did get a ride and a full tour by The Clangers.

We visited The Naze a couple of times for walkies

And also had walkies here, where some famous painter used to paint. It wasn’t much fun though. Too many rules and regulations.

And then there was the feeling that you were always being watched….

We had been joined by Penny and Ian, Stanley and Rosie who very much enjoyed the walk….

Stanley absolutely not getting in the way...

Famous painting...

Site of famous painting….

Further down the road from famous painting….

Quote by famous painter…

We celebrated Dad’s birthday with cake….. There were about 10 cakes across the whole week. Definitely not a week for fancy diets.

And sympathy as even on his birthday he had to do this….

There were some special breakfasts though….

The birthday walk was more like going on a bear hunt…

Some people did some bird watching, others looked for fleas….

Kai and I got bored

So we found this tree….

With an unusual creature in it...

We also found this house which we drove to later with all the rest of the family…. A Greyson Perry creation telling the story of Julie May Cope a typical Essex woman….

We visited this site which used to be a Church but there now are only 2 towers remaining.

There seemed to be a very keen stonemason in the area given the length of the eulogies on the gravestones….

Some, though, were shorter and more pointed….

We had an evening into night walk… this is looking over to the docks at Harwich (for the Continent)

Another day another Naze walk but these photos will also have to be another day as we are both working tomorrow with early starts and this will be quite a large email as it is with all the photos.

Love to all

The Woodmice xxx