Saturday 30th March 2024

Woke around 0830...reasonable night's sleep in Tony's bed at the top of the house...Tony slept on the sofa bed in the living-room below us. I got up and descended to the kitchen to make tea, and took a couple of mugs back up to our bedroom. Read in bed for a bit...chapter two of "Our Mutual Friend" was baffling. Got up a descended to the front parlour for breakfast. Tony toasted some hot cross buns, which we ate with butter a strawberry jam. 

We then piled into Tony's Skoda, with Piper in the back, and drove to Powdermill Woods, near Battle. We walked through woodland down to a small lake, then via a boardwalk across marshland. Ma and pa FaceTimed me as we gained open countryside, and I took them along for the ride until we reached more woodland and disappeared into the tree cover once more. Some of the tracks were very wet and boggy, which meant we had to find ways around in order to minimise the risk of slipping up in the mud. It meant the walk was slow-going, but we eventually found ourselves walking the perimeter of the site of the Battle of Hastings, and came out into the village by Battle Abbey. The sun was out by now...it turned into a very pleasant day. 

We found a table in a coffee shop on the HIgh Street and ordered a light lunch...Aki and I shared a tasty Homity pie and side salad, then we headed back the way we had come and climbed back into the Skoda for the drive back to St Mary's Terrace. Sat out front of No.12A and had a G&T before walking down to the Old Town and dinner at The Stag, a rather atmospheric old inn to the north of the Old Town centre. It was pretty full, but Tony had booked us a table. 

The food was very good...I had beef spare ribs to start, on a sourdough crumpet...delicious...followed by cod fillet with pink fir potato, leek, spinach, cod cheek scampi, and a tasty brown shrimp sauce. The hostess, Nicola, came over to say hello and have a chat...very nice pub, great service, and good food. We walked back down to the Old Town via the high pavement, then wended our way back up the West Hill via various paths and passageways. Fell into bed exhausted...