Wednesday 8th November 2023

Woke around 0800. Dozed to R4 for awhile, then got up and showered. Descended to the restaurant for breakfast...I had the place to myself, having mercifully missed the crowds! Ventured out at 1000...pretty gusty wind outside. Came across a fallen tree on my travels in the Chatham suburbs. Broke for lunch and made for Hempstead Shopping Centre. Very busy! Managed to pick up a wrap in M&S, and a coffee in Costa, then drove to the Strand at Gillingham Reach. Parked up overlooking Commodore's Hard, and the Medway estuary. The sandbanks hereabouts have great names...I especially liked Bishop's Ooze! It rained pretty much all afternoon, though the winds died down. It started getting very gloomy by 1630, so I hightailed it back to the Premier Inn, and worked the laptop for an hour or so. Drove over to the Ship & Trades and decided to get a portion of plaice and chips and mushy peas, which meant eating in the car in the car park. It was alright until the inside ceiling lights decided they were wasting too much car battery and plunged me into darkness...it certainly slowed down the food intake! Drove back to the Premier Inn and read some "Brighton Rock" before bed...