Halloween

I woke a bit earlier than I would have thought. The clocks went back last night but, of course, all my clocks (on the phone and watch) have reset themselves. It took me until mid-morning to realise that the cooker and the clock in the living room had not reset.

It was windy and a little stormy when we woke. I was listening to Isle of Wight Radio to try and get a flavour of the place while we are here, and they said the hovercraft service had been suspended. I wrote those words with a coffee in hand, watching the sea, which was fascinating. The sun did come out mid-morning, and after I’d cooked mushrooms on toast for breakfast, we decided we’d go for a walk. Yet again, we ended up at a supermarket, although this time it was a seven-mile trek between Sandown and Shanklin via the Morrisons. We did have a pit stop in the café, which I think was good for us both.

Today seems to mark the end of the tourist season, with a lot of places showing this as their last opening day. Shanklin Chine’s Halloween makeover (which is mainly a lot of spooky, illuminated pumpkins) was a lot of fun with plenty of opportunities for photographs. We grabbed a glass of wine in The Crab Inn, which was really very quiet; we have booked it for next weekend when Mark and Rob come, so we’re hoping it’s a little livelier next Friday. And then, to a Shanklin institution, Chubby’s, for fish and chips. We felt we deserved them after making the walk back up the hill to the apartment.