In this edition of our Instagram Diaries, Mrs Romance and I have decided to tell you about what happened between New Year and the point when I returned from England on my errand of parental mercy. It carries on from where we left off in our last Instagram Diary here.
Don’t worry though. Tomorrow we’ll be bringing you right up to date with another Insta Diary all about my first week back in Australia!
We hope you enjoy this double header of IG Diaries. 🙂
I’d also like to point out that Mrs Romance’s caption for our title photo above was simply: ‘Stop looking at me, swan!’ which made me laugh into my mince pie!
Mrs Romance is very pleased with herself. Not only is it sunny today – the first day of 2016 – but she’s also got a whole bottle of champagne to drink by the pool. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, we’re scraping the frost off our boots and bunkering down for a chilly start to the year.
It’s the first morning of 2016 here in England. Australia has already finished recovering from it’s hangover and is probably heading back to the bar by now. But as the sun glints through the frosted trees and the birds begin their New Year’s chorus, I get the distinct feeling this is going to be a very good year.
In fact, the morning’s frost has lifted nicely, and Mum, Dad and I decide to go for a walk around the Suffolk fens and forests. I love this shot of my folks amidst the trees. They’re not really that small – the trees are in fact enormous!
Here Mrs Romance goes again! It’s as if she knows it’s not warm enough for such things as sparkling rosé or salads in England. It’s like she’s taunting me!
Incredulously, my parents and I have decided to go to the beach. As you can see, it’s a surprisingly sunny day and the sand (yes, sand) on the beaches of Frinton-by-Sea is setting quite a lovely scene. I love the beach huts along the shore here. And the chip shop’s not bad either.
It’s incredibly windy today though, so in spite of the sun’s best efforts, it’s still quite cold. If you look in the distance over the beautiful brown North Sea, you can just make out a few kite surfers. These guys obviously have no brain at all – either that or they’ve developed a thick layer of fat similar to an elephant seal. It’s the only way I’d even go anywhere near the water today.
Though it’s a good incentive to keeping you on the board, I suppose!
We’ve had quite enough time at the beach, so – from a tip-off from a reliable source – we go in search of Leigh’s Fine Cheeses deep in the Essex countryside. As you may have guessed from the photo, we did in fact find Leigh and his fine cheeses, and bought out the shop.
Some of the stinking beauties they have here are beyond all comprehension. Dad and I are quite dehydrated with all the salivating we’ve done since walking in here. Mum has more class than that, of course!
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Back in Sydney, Mrs Romance is getting quite fed up with all the rain and cold weather that seems to be ruining Sydney’s start to the new year. This photo she’s put up on Instagram tells of more than just a pretty beach. She yearns for the warm weather and to swim in the balmy waters of Bali’s coast. She should have come to Frinton – it was lovely there!
At last, Mrs Romance’s wishes have come true. The sun’s returned to Sydney and all is right with the world.
How good does this look? At the point Mrs R clicks the shutter here, I’m pulling on a second pair of socks and wrenching the foil from the bottom of yet another mince pie. If nothing else, I’ll be able to take up North Sea kite surfing by the end of this trip.
Cheers to the new year! Mrs Romance is very happy with the world today. It’s warm enough for a clock-off cocktail and the sky’s full of blue. Heaven!
And of course there’s always time for brunch. Mrs R is enjoying her last days of freedom before I descend upon Sydney once again. It’s my last day in England before I make my long way south back to the warm and my sweetheart. It’s been an interesting experiment – us having Christmas apart. I’ve really enjoyed spending all this quality time with my dear mum and dad.
But Mrs Romance and I have missed each other. Which is good news, I suppose. Things could get a bit awkward if that wasn’t the case!
To finish things off today, I’ve included something from my alter-ego Angry Bastard. He’s spotted something very odd on the BBC news app about Southeastern Rail Company’s train delays. How can you stop a public transport service because of ‘strong sunlight’? Especially in the English winter! Ridiculous.
We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s catch-up diary. As I said, there’ll be another edition tomorrow that will bring us right up to speed with all our Instagram exploits.
