Oh! I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside!

Today dawned as a beautiful day so it just had to be time for a micro trip to the seaside - only our second excursion to the coast this year and over three months since our last. Me and my brother both absolutely adore the seaside - especially in winter and spring when it is free of the summer hordes - and swear by its recuperative powers, which applies particularly to my brother as he has been going through a tough time lately. Today we decided on a return to Broadstairs in East Kent.
The journey down there was only mildly interrupted by roadworks on this occasion and we arrived, purely coincidentally of course, just as the pubs were opening. Our first port of call therefore, after parking the car (at the rather exorbitant fee of £6.80 for just over two hours!), was our regular Broadstairs imbibement haunt of the rather wonderfully monikered The Tartar Frigate. 
After we'd consumed our beverages it was time for a walk along the glorious sands of Viking Bay, which considering what a pulchritudinous day it was, was mostly unencumbered by many fellow visitors and to try and get some blip images. My main image is of a vintage swing boat funfair ride right on the beach itself resplendent in fabulously vibrant colours of red, orange and yellow with a line of equally colourful beach huts in the background.
It really did feel like summer with the sun shining, blue skies and a lovely cool breeze coming in off the sea. As we continued our stroll we were starting to feel a tad peckish so we stopped off at the Louisa Bay Cafe on the promenade (where I took my first extra), with expansive views out to sea for a toasted sarnie. The service was slightly chaotic - part of our order was forgotten and the card machine machine refused to work - but our sarnies were great.
After we'd finished our food I noticed a couple who seemed open to having a picnic on the beach (see second extra) - although overhearing their conversation (o.k, so there might have been some eavesdropping involved) she seemed far more keen than he was!
My last extra is one of the last things I saw before we finished our sand based perambulation - a somewhat distressed sign directing dog owners to another part of the beach where they are allowed to let their pooches off the leash. This cheeky little chappie just made me smile! :-)
There was still time for a final amble through the town's Victoria Gardens and some of its narrow cobbled streets before it was time to head home. A magnificently marvellous maritime micro trip!