Friday was a slow waking day. The weather initially cloudy and drizzly. I sat for a while watching the sea until breakfast, thinking about the beaches I have walked up and down in my life. I eat breakfast croissants with my partner and then as the weather brightens up I get ready for another beach walk. I am fatigued, I am not sure why and wonder if I am suffering from adrenal insufficiency as I reduce my steroid intake. It is warm on the beach but I do not manage far before I need to turn back. When we get back to the beach side café I am dripping in sweat and need to sit for a while to recover. This is not good, I am hoping it is lack of fitness, which I can do something about. While I rest the crows dine at the next table.
Once rested my partner and I go into the café and order an all day breakfast. I go for eggs benedict, which turns out to be a good choice. As a treat we both go for a the apple and blackberry crumble with custard. No other way to have crumble, anything else is just not British. As we eat people come and go all eating fast and moving on, everyone seems to be in a rush despite the weather and the location. Maybe its because I am older and now appreciate the event of having a meal out more than I used to or I am just getting slower altogether. I have to say I do not think that my conversation skills have grown to fill the space and I am acutely aware that I can be silent for quite long periods of time. A lot goes on in my head though but most of it is not worth dropping out of my mouth.
We return to the apartment where I d several crosswords on my laptop before watching England women’s football team beat Greece in a world cup qualifier. This was followed by the final episodes of Blame and the tail end of the Graham Norton show before I took my night meds and went to bed. An alarming day in a way, in that I found myself so fatigued, I’m hoping for better tomorrow.
Saturday and I wake to a sunny morning. I take my partner a tea in bed and then catch up with my messages and the blog. There are bagels for breakfast as I tap out the draft of the blog. Today is the last full day of the holiday and I am determined to climb the steep cliff path to town one last time. First there is a Tesco order to arrange so that there is food arriving at home for when we get back. This Monday is a jab Monday so I want as little to do as possible in the first couple of days of the week.
My partner and I climb the steep cliff path, me needing a rest half way up. We walk into town where I search for postcards. There are none to be found and I am thirsty. My partner spots a small stall next to a Malaysian kitchen that sells all sorts of home made stuff including honey, and there in a rack were postcards. Five or six different pictures. I bought five with the aim of writing and sending them once I am home. Having cracked this task my partner and I enter Café 25 and wait for a while before being seated in the window seat. It is brilliantly sunny and we are hot. I order chilli con carne, a strawberry milkshake and a Pepsi. The food is okay and very welcome as we sit and watch the various people who arrive all of whom seem to have a dog. I have never been anywhere where there are so many dogs. I’m beginning to wonder if you are issued with a dog if you move to Wales, or certainly Tenby.
Having dined well I go to Roly’s fudge shop and pay an extortionate amount for a couple of bags of fudge, the After Eights have run out. Theni t was off to the paper shop for a paper and to top up the milk supply. With everything we came for stowed in the rucksack we walk back to the apartment, but we do not make it past the small beach side café. We linger and eat a huge ice cream and drink coffee while looking out over the beach and looking at all the dogs that bring their owners into the café. My favourite pictures of the holiday are the ones where I am relaxing, one of course with a huge ice cream.
After a long lazy rest we return to the apartment where I read the paper and keep an eye on the football scores. Brentford manage a 2-2 draw, keeping them unbeaten so far this season. I catch up with the blog and then pack my office backpack with all the techno I brought. Its time to watch Strictly and the football highlights before some perfunctory packing and preparation to drive home tomorrow. I take my evening meds and retire to bed for the last time in Tenby.
