A Seaside Saturday

I really do love a visit to the British seaside. Obviously it doesn't compare to taking stroll along a stretch of white hot sand littered with palm trees, pina colada in hand. And given the choice I'd take the Seychelles over Brighton any day of the week...I'm not a fool. But there's something special, something real and something lovely about our coastline. And it feels like home in a way that a Thomas Cook postcard never could.

These photos were taken at Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, on my Mother's Birthday. A cold, grey, wonderful day, spent with the people I love most in the world. I took the train from the city to Upminster, where I picked up my parents and we journeyed on together to the coast. We had a long, leisurely and luxurious lunch at Simply Seafood - an amazing fresh fish restaurant in the unlikely setting of right under a flyover. The dichotomy is utterly charming, and the food is generous and delicious.

We walked along the shore, stopping occasionally to pet passing dogs. We boarded the train home, sleepy and full. The evening was spent by the fire, in pyjamas, snacking on chinese food and home-made brownies. Family doesn't get much better than that.