Goodbye to our UK circle tour

We’re both back in our adopted country now, but here’s a recap of our final day in the UK (Friday). It was one more of those brilliant sunny days we’ve been having all along, so we couldn’t waste it packing and set off for Hastings, not far away from cousin Janet’s in Sussex. We parked in the old town area and walked to the old High Street along a cobbled pedestrian way chock full of antique and decorating shops alongside the rock candy and souvenir stores. Easy to spend a couple of hours just peering in windows here and enjoying the streetscape of old storefronts, then looking up to views of the cliff face overlooking the sea.
After a fine lunch of vegetable soup and organic bread, we headed back down to the seafront to visit the net shops, the classic tall skinny wooden buildings usually shown in postcards of Hastings. These are fishermen’s huts, said to be used for repairing nets and made to be tall to make best use of costly beach space. Each one had to fit on an eight-square-foot section. They’ve been renovated recently and look charming alongside the fishmongers’ stalls and the museum, housed in the former fishermen’s church.
For our final dinner, ten of us gathered at a pub (bet you’re surprised) for an excellent dinner and much good conversation. Graham was inspired by our ancestor hunting and brought along some old family photos to pass around.
There is much more to show and tell about our fantastic tour, but for now it’s time to recover from the journey home and re-enter normal life. Mum is already back in Owen Sound. After some business in Toronto this week, I will be back home as well.