We had a nice slow start to the day on Sunday and Eve met us at the campsite at about 11:00 for our lunch trip to Penarth. She was due a day out as we had not managed one for a long time due to all the restrictions but she had also had two stretches of self-isolation in a row from her job as a physio, with only a five day gap between them, so was more than ready for a nice meal and some cocktails!!
She had managed to meet up with Stuart and Elaine the day before and, since she had missed out on her graduation ceremony last year, Elaine had managed to acquire a robe and take some photos with a beautiful backdrop to complete the set of three graduation photos on the Catteralls’ wall at home. I think this is an idea that could catch on for all the many graduates who have missed out on this rite of passage in the last two years!!
We had an easy trip to Penarth, spotted the restaurant ‘The Deck’ as we drove past and managed to park relatively easily. It was a nice stroll along by the boats and there was loads of space in the restaurant, with a shady table on the balcony overlooking the marina. It was nice to be away from city centre crowds and in the fresh air.
Dave had kindly agreed to be chauffeur for the day, so Eve and I made the most of that and kick-started our lunch with a couple of mojitos. We then all opted for seafood and had a gorgeous lunch and a bottle of Fiddlehead Sauvignon Blanc – just because we liked the name!! We all had a starter, for main Eve had moules frites, Dave seafood pasta and I chose the seabass, which was cooked to perfection. Eve and I then had a creme brulee followed by another cocktail – mine was a gin mule which was proper lush and will be my new cocktail of choice. Dave had an affogato – coffee, liqueur and an ice-cream floater in a fancy glass!!
We then went back to the campsite, chatted and chilled for a couple more hours before Eve headed off and needed very little to eat that evening. We had some sourdough, manchego cheese and finished off the red wine in the wine box in preparation for our forthcoming alcohol free days with the Gowans from Monday.