Pilgrimage

Needs large.

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This time of year evokes two strong, and interlinked, sets of memories for us.

For ten years our Quaker Meeting enjoyed a weekend away at Leiston Abbey on the Suffolk coast. It was a couple of days of wholly unformatted time away from the usual schedule and greatly valued by all, especially the (then) young children who had the free run of the ruins. One activity that evolved was going for a walk along the beach at Dunwich.

When scouting the venue ahead of our first visit we took my parents along for the drive. This was the last time I saw my father alive. Many years later, a trip to Southwold with Mum was the last time we saw her alive before finding her, having died peacefully, on Mother's Day a few weeks later.

Thus, a trip to the Suffolk coast on this weekend is somewhat of a pilgrimage for us. We started at Dunwich, finishing this walk at the cafe for lunch. Then on to the Abbey (see Blipfolio).

After that we headed to Thorpeness and Aldeburgh which were regular stops on the way home, trying to eke out those last bits of the weekend.

For the first time I actually had enough time to get out to see the House-in-the-Clouds properly.

An excellent, if reflective, day.