Hotel Boy

Collecting stones (and a very small man) on Dunwich Beach. 

The Crown at Westleton.

Our son Dan communicates using some esoteric Makaton signs that have multiple meanings, depending on context. If he tilts his head on one side; does it mean he's sleepy?  Not always.

The head tilt started when we borrowed my brother's caravan in Devon for a few days. Dan used the sign to mean "caravan". He became "Caravan Boy" and used the sign an awful lot. Later we went to Derbyshire where we slept in bunk beds and there was that sign again. "Bunk-bed Boy" came on the scene.

At the moment Dan is very excited about the holidays and has been using his caravan sign every day. It now has a more general meaning which is "holiday" or "sleep away from home".

Westleton Heath.

We set off for a day at the Suffolk Coast, but being us, we didn't actually set off until lunchtime and it takes the best part of three hours to get there. I figured out that we could have a couple of hours on the beach and then supper at a pub before driving home. Secretly, Hanna had other ideas.

We decided to head for Walberswick but made a stop for a beer at The Crown in Westleton, just short of our destination. We ordered drinks in the sun-drenched terraced garden out the back and I was sent to enquire about the slight possibility that they might have a room for us to stay the night. I didn't mind asking because I was sure a) they wouldn't have a room and anyway b) it would be too expensive for us if they did. It's quite a swanky place. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Kate Middleton, in case you've been hiding under a stone for the last year) recently spent their 1st wedding anniversary in the Swan Suite. (see the Daily Mail)

Small copper.

You could have knocked me down with a feather when the young receptionist welcomed us with open arms and gave us a special deal on the Woodpecker Room at the top of the building. It was hot up there and a bit stuffy, but we opened the balcony door and found a great view across the churchyard and meadows. 'Bargain!

We had to get in a few extra supplies for our "un-planned" stop-over which meant a trip to the Co-op in Leiston which we followed up with a lovely evening on the beach at Dunwich, then an evening meal of fish and chips in the garden of The Ship, which is owned by the same people as The Crown. We stopped at dusk on Westleton Heath to listen for nightjars (and look for zombies) but it was totally silent, though Dan found some signs of zombies in the long grass.

Crab hunters.

Back at The Crown, Dan was keen to go on another zombie hunt in the graveyard across the road. We had a very scary half hour in the dark before returning to sleep at the Woodpecker Room, but we returned to find that the lights were on the fritz and because we had left the balcony door open it had become "The Mosquito Coast". A call to Reception achieved a swift and positive result; an immediate upgrade to the Short-eared Owl Suite, which is almost as good as the Swan Suite but without the four-poster bed or Kate Middleton!

We were assisted to our new rooms by Lynsey (I think) and Dan soon settled in to watch one of the two TVs in the suite. His sofa-bed was downstairs, next to the rainwater shower. Our room (You're kidding, right?) was upstairs where we had a huge brass bed with a big-enough-for-two, comfy, free-standing bath right next to it.  This was definitely a honeymoon suite and I for one was hoping for a miracle that might include Dan sleeping on his own on a night away from home. It didn't happen, but in my novel, when I write it, it will.

Grabbed crab.

Dan was born to be "Hotel Boy"; to be waited on by attractive young staff in a luxury suite with a Full English Breakfast thrown in.  What a treat! We dragged ourselves away by 11 am to revisit the heath which was full of blooming heather and butterflies. We had a pleasant hour taking photos and bug-hunting while Dan sat in the car with his iPad.

And so, a day late, we arrived in Walberswick for a couple of hours crab-fishing which I enjoyed a lot. Dan liked it for five minutes but then wanted to go back to the car.  Hanna and I took turns to explore the salt marsh where we found all the special special sea-side plants, including a "lake" purple of sea lavender.

A sea of sea-lavender.

As we drove back through Westleton, regretfully passing the 2nd hand book and vinyl record store, we were tempted to book another night (or two) at The Crown, but you've got to go home eventually, I guess.

Dan's head-tilt sign now means "hotel", but if he adds his aeroplane sign, it means "Holiday in Maine" which is what I'm looking forward to next.