Southwold

After a peaceful night, during which the only sound to be heard (other than my snoring) was the persistent hooting of a tawny owl, R and I ate one of the best, and certainly one of the biggest, breakfasts that's ever been put in front of us, and then set off out in search of adventure.

We spent the morning at RSPB Minsmere - which was entirely my choice, this being a reserve I'd never had the chance to visit before, but which I'm confident I can say we both enjoyed. The problem R tends to have in coming for walks with me is that he likes to stride out, while I'm forever wanting to stop and photograph things, but at Minsmere - which is huge - there are several reasonably long trails providing a good opportunity for walking, with only occasional stops at hides and blinds. So we were both happy. I was disappointed in my quests for bitterns and bearded reedlings today, but I'd also been hoping to see a marsh harrier, and in the end we saw two - an adult hunting, and a juvenile sitting huddled on a post hoping that someone would feed it. I also added Mediterranean gulls to my year list, and R was introduced to several bird species he hadn't encountered before.

Dragon-wise, Minsmere is proud to be one of the homes of the Norfolk Hawker, and we had a great encounter with a lovely fresh specimen in a woodland glade, where it flew hunting circuits around and above us for a couple of minutes. I prayed for it to tire and land so that I could grab a photo, but even though that didn't happen it was a real pleasure just to stand and watch it whizzing around our heads. My extra this evening is a dragon, but as the Norfolk Hawker wouldn't pose, it's a Four-spotted Chaser. Not just any old Four-spotted Chaser though: this female is very fresh, which is interesting given that this is primarily a spring species, and her black spots are smudgy, marking her out as the 'praenubila' form. Praenubila Four-spots aren't uncommon (in Europe, at any rate), and where they occur they can be the dominant subspecies, but the precise mechanism that causes the nodes and pterostigmata to bleed pigment in this way isn't yet understood.

After a snack lunch we moved on from Minsmere. and paid a visit to Aldeburgh. Many of the businesses there are closed on Mondays, but we walked along the beach (my legs now beginning to protest that 20,000 steps were more than enough for one day), enjoyed the lovely views, and fantasised about buying some of the more outrageously attractive properties. I suspect though that this is one of those places where if you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it.

This evening we went back to to Southwold for dinner, and opted for a simple fish and chip supper at the Sole Bay Inn, which sits in the shadow of the lighthouse. The food was very good, and the staff were lovely - as everyone we've met in Suffolk has seemed to be. I love it here, and I'm already a little bit sad that we'll be leaving on Wednesday.