Yup. That's your word for the day.
Get it into as many conversations as you can.
One point per …
Bonus point for approaching a total stranger, saying "Spume." and walking away.
Anyhoo …
Before we get to the pretty part of town, we have to amble (or mosey if you're reading this in America) away from the pier.
This newer end of Southwold is mostly Victorian and Edwardian but still has its picturesque spots, including this lovely little Sailors' Reading Room, built in 1864.
By the style of the building I would guess it's one of the Victorian Methodists' admirable attempts at improving the lives of the working classes.
I can picture some crusty old fisherman scaring the pants off Roger the cabin boy by reading him Moby Dick.
This scallop shell design can be seen on buildings all around the town.
However, I doubt the Methodists would have approved of these mermaids flashing their … er … tails to attract sailors away from the splendid public houses that grace Southwold (more of which later).
A little further along the promenade from the reading room we come to the start of the pretty end of town.
This is a gorgeous tumbled mess of Georgian houses, Regency villas and fisherman's cottages which I shall post about later, but here's a taster.
Nice, eh?
Of course, property prices here are a bit on the silly side as it's within easy reach of London. These beach huts currently start at £40,000 and there was a Bentley Mulsanne turbo parked outside one further along the dunes.
Bloody Londoners. Thank God Norfolk's too far away for 'em to want to buy us up.
This cute little shack tucked snugly behind the dunes is "Morningside".
When I was a little kid we stayed there for hols; not just immediate family but a whole mess of us jumbled up together.
It was more of a shed back then, with single glazed windows and holes in the walls and it was so cold and damp that Dad and Uncle Snowy had to forage the beach for driftwood to burn to keep us all warm.
A fantastic place for a kids' holiday though!
We had a splendid time. Very Enid Blyton and the Famous Five.
Lashings of ginger beer and lots of adventures capturing smugglers … or I might have imagined the last bit.
I wish I owned it now; it must be worth a bloody fortune!
Tune in tomorrow and things should get pretty.
16 comments:
Oh Dive, lashings of ginger beer? Let us get the gang together, do let us?! Oh let us pack piles of sanDwiches, yes let's!
Oooh so much to comment on in this one. The jumbly of architecture pic: i adore the middle, brown bricked one please. lol. Gorgeous.
The beach huts: i SO want one of those, i always have. Years ago i desperately desired one and my ex husband thought it was a waste of money. It was £7,000 at West Wittering. Oh why didn't i just go and jolly well old do it. Why, why. Why listen to a man who thought buying a leatherette cover for the Radio Times was exciting. Why.
Spume, oh yes that's the other thing. At first i thought you were going to be thoroughly filthy and i said to myself well if he's just going to talk smut, i shall stay around.
You recently advised me as to some brown suspect spume at my blog didn't you. Thank goodness it wasn't as fearsome as first thought. There. One point under my belt. The bonus point will take some spunk though.
Dive if i were you with those fab childhood holiday memories, i'd pop a note through the door in case they ever think of selling, blah blah... why not? If it's sky high, maybe you and Full could par-buy and languish there in summer, descended upon by billions of beach-parched bloggers.
Just wait 'til tomorrow, Lynn.
As we were wandering around town we were saying "Lynn's going to LOVE this!"
A leatherette cover for the RT? Lynn, you are SO lucky to have escaped!
And good luck with the bonus point. Hee hee.
I won't put in an offer on Morningside because there's a house just along the dunes I want more. As you'll see tomorrow.
You do realise I had to buy a bottle of ginger beer this lunchtime. It was yummy, but I have a meeting all afternoon and now I'm so full of gas it's going to be belch central. Yikes!
he he I hope you say 'excuse me' afterwards and chortle slightly with your chums. I might have to buy one too now. I don't do rude noises though. Goodness no.
Am so touched you thought of me on your walk; i DO love it all!
I just caught my son walking past and said to him, "Spume!" with something of a manic smile as i was imagining my bonus point, maybe even a god star. Does it count? He stared at me and replied, "Riiiight." then walked on.
I meant gold star of course but i'll have a God star if you've got any spare...
I need a knife, fork and spume for my dinner.
There. I've said it.
Hey Dive!
How's it going? I felt a sudden urge show up again!
I want the cute little shack, its my kind of house.
And did sailors read?
Seems with all of the temptations of rum, port and wild women what sort of nancy sailor would spent his liberty curled up with a good book? Of the sailors I've known, in fact boat people in gerneral, they're minds are attuned to ahhhh, other stuff.
Sounds like a walk down memory lane. Is it that time in your life, Dive?
Those photos are gorgeous! Can't wait to take photos of them myself. Love the colours.
joy
A Pinay In England
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Norwich Daily Photo
Lynn: Hee hee hee! A definite bonus point there, complete with little sticky gold star like we had at school.
I'm a godless heathen so they don't let me hand out God stars.
And a point to Istvanski, too!
UTSAV!!!! MY MAN!!!!!
Woohoo! It is so good to hear from you again.
How's college? How's India? How's Bhutan? How are the guitars and how are YOU????
Fess up! We all need to know!
Kate: I think sailors mostly looked at saucy pictures, much to the Methodists' disgust.
Joy: I hit fifty later this year. I find I can remember all the old stuff clear as a bell.
What I can't remember is what I did yesterday or where I put my glasses.
I have always wanted one of those little beach huts. Priced out of the market before I'm even out of the gate. (sigh!)
Kate: My shed is exactly the same as those beach huts. If I dismantled it and then rebuilt it on the beach I wonder if I could get £40,000 for it. While it sits in my garden it's worth bugger all.
A bonus point and a gold star to Terroni! Splendid work.
I am salivating. You live in such a gorgeous area! I am pining, coveting, aching....
I think I was meant to be in a Jane Austen novel....
Yikes! No way, Maria! Austen's girls lived on the freezing cold and windswept (and decidedly dull and featureless) Yorkshire moors.
Brrr …
Dive - I just have to say that I've been giggling my head off just reading the comments. God stars - I like that, don't change it. Love all of your photos except the black sticky and no doubt smelly, mud.
Ginger beer and childhood beach holidays - again, some experiences are universal. I have happy memories too except for the time when I got bitten by nasty bed bugs or something ...eewwhh! The only thing worse was having to show my aunt a bite in the vicinity of my pre-teen breast and have her announce "fleas"! I seem to recall lots of fumigating went on after that and I had to sleep elsewhere for a while.
Was contemplating which of Austen's characters Maria would like to be? Perhaps Lady Catherine De Burgh????? (fearsomely played by Judi Dench I think).
Anyhoo .. could you please fix this comment box so I can be me instead of my husband? (who is feeling much better by the way).
xxx Mme B xxx
I'm so glad he's on the mend, Mme.
I'll have a crack at the comment thing tomorrow or Saturday (it's way past my bedtime now).
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