Lockdown from Bridport - Part 3 - Day 19

Today was the best day ever. It involved sunshine, sea and ice cream, oh and 'Office Darling' was with me too, so there was lots of laughter. A Saturday morning trundle up to the shop to refresh the window turned into a jolly affair as of course you can't help but know virtually everyone, who are also out taking the air. Everyone is so thrilled to be stretching their legs and saying 'hello'. Which as I understand, is still allowed...

'The Undertaker' said he was in charge of buying the wine for the weekend and as I distinctively recall the word 'gin' was mentioned. Naturally I thought nothing more of it, confident in his ability to keep the cellar topped up. I was in charge of fruit and veg and the weekend paper. I got half a dozen lemons, five for the shop and one for our gin and tonic later on. Note; The lemons are for some artistic flavour in the shop window seeing as the theme is 'bright'.

'Office Darling' suggests we go for a walk. I haven't seen her for so long! (Pulling up outside the house quickly and shouting 'hello' from the car on her way home from work doesn't count.) I pack a small rucksack, water and mints. We pass through the churchyard and go and inspect my Fathers grave. His Christmas bouquet that we made, along with some scented narcissi from the Isles of Scilly, still looks fresh. The French lavender is still presiding over the English which leads to a discussion about which we won't go into, in any depth, at this point. We carry on happily down the path to the beach. The warmth hits us as soon as we get down there. It is sheltered from the wind and is utter heaven. You can smell the wonderful briny scent coming off the ocean and the waves are breaking with the soporific sounds of the sea. We find a large flat rock and lie back and sigh with contentment. It is one of those moments that go a long way to preserving your sanity. 'Office Darling' takes a boomerang of me jumping off a rock. We hoot with laughter. Sometimes I wonder of the memories I will leave behind. Mainly playing the fool. 

We huff and puff up the hill from the beach and before long we are descending into West Bay where to our delight we find the ice cream kiosk open. For anyone that hasn't been to West Bay 'Margarets' on the front is an institution, visited and loved by thousands. It is still the same delicious ice cream made in the New Forest. It's the swirly sort and we plump for a flake too. 'Did you know that Margaret Thatcher invented the process for producing this type of ice cream?' I inform 'Office Darling'. She didn't, and I daresay neither did you.

Home at last and 'The Undertaker' asks me why we have a single lemon sitting on the kitchen table. 'For the gin' I reply. 'What gin?' he says.