1. Tynwald Day

We had a celebration dinner the evening before, and on 5 July -- the day itself -- we took our breakfast down to the beach, and we made a Three Legs:





2. The end of sheltering

We were finally able to see Nigel's parents! Sitting at sensible distances apart, we had fish and chips outside on the patio, admired their stunning garden, and just enjoyed catching up.


3. Our last trip out from Cromer

Not that there have been many trips out of Cromer... In fact, this was only the fourth since we've been here (and as of yesterday, we've been here for 17 weeks...)

We set out for Happisburgh (pronounced Hazebr'h) at 5.30 am. By 6 am, we were eating our now traditional beef sandwiches.

And then we scuttled off (it was a bit chilly this morning) to explore what turned out to be another gorgeous Norfolk village:




There's a fine flint church, St Mary's:




There is a plethora of wartime remnants:




There's a truly spectacular stretch of coast. This morning the rollers were barrelling in diagonally across the bay, and it was easy to see why this place is a hotspot for coastal erosion.






There's a picture-perfect lighthouse:




And just down the road is All Saints, Walcott:




Of course, there's a somewhat sad edge to all these celebrations.

Our trip to the home of Tynwald Day fell by the wayside this year.

We hugely regret that these unprecedented times have meant we've seen so very little of Nigel's parents. If things had gone to plan, we would have spent five weeks with them. Instead, we spent two... We were due home at the end of April, and if things had gone to plan, we would be heading back to the UK in October. Obviously, that's not going to happen...

There's a bittersweet element, too, to all our Norfolk experiences of seaside and poppies and flint churches. We didn't intend to be here. We didn't really want to be here. Yet this place has sheltered us royally. We've been safe and well and constantly delighted. So we will miss it enormously, even while we're looking forward to heading home (and the day after tomorrow, we start that journey home by moving to Norwich).

But let's focus on the positive. We had all these wonderful things. Breakfast on the beach, fish and chips in the family garden, a great morning walk along a new bit of coast. No-one can take that away.

And there will be a next time... There really will.