Nautical day (not on the water yet)

In a fit of excitement at NOT wanting to spend the whole day asleep under the duvet with a box of tissues and a cup of tea, we went bought bottom paint for Kanga (the boat). Ok, the two aren't really related, but I thought it sounded good. We're now ready for some Warm, Spring Days, please, so we can apply said paint to said bottom.

I am very glad we do not have to paint THIS boat's bottom. That's a lot of paint.

We headed over to Woodbridge after the boatyard, to grab some lunch and go for a walk. We wandered through town and up to the market square, where we found The Galley. The mezze on the menu looked interesting, so we went in.

The food was delicious, and really colorful. Yes, it really was THAT pink (turkish yogurt with garlic & beetroot). We split the mezze starter between us as lunch, and it was just right. Some of our fellow diners were eating full three-course meals, but I think we'd have to fast for 48 hours before taking that on. We'll definitely stop in to the Ipswich branch (owned by the same chef) next time we're at IFT.

We then had the best creme brulee I've ever had (and the second best John's ever had, after the now-closed Bertorelli's in London). It was perfect.

We chatted with the chef/patron about it, and apparently it takes 5 days to make. And minutes to devour.

I'm feeling a little conflicted about blogging with so much death and destruction around the world, but I think I'm going to go with Shutter Sisters' message today: show signs of hope.

Right, that's it. I've officially given up on Edward Rutherfurd's New York. I'm finding it about as forgettable as London, I don't really care what happens to the characters, I've read 450 pages, and I'm not even half way through. Back to the library! I think part of the problem is that it jumps around in time quite a bit - every time I feel like I'm getting to know a character (rather than their grandfather, with whom I've just spent the last 12 chapters), it jumps forward again. I'm also not very good at skimming books - I either have to read every word or just not bother.

We braved the sleet and went to Ipswich for dinner last night, to Kwan Thai. It was pretty tasty Thai food, although not quite as good as Nipa, in Bayswater (London). It was much closer, though!

Summer, tentatively

We've been so busy - I was out Tuesday (ringing at Great Finborough - another tower!) and Wednesday (dinner with a friend), and then on Thursday John and I finally managed to get to Salentina, the new Italian restaurant in Stowmarket. They've been open for about a month, I think, and they seem to have a loyal following already.

I was a little worried when we got there, since it was 7pm on a gloriously sunny Thursday night and it was completely empty. By the time we'd ordered, though, 2 more groups had arrived, and when we left it was nearly full. John started off with the best calamari I've had in ages - it was really sweet and just crispy enough. My antipasto was tasty, if uninspired. We both had pizza (in their brick oven). Mine was a little dry, and the anchovies were SUPER salty, and John's calzone was not quite what he'd hoped it would be.

Looking around at the other tables, though, the pizzas were not the way to go. The smells of the pasta dishes appearing on the other tables were fantastic, and everyone seemed to really be enjoying themselves. Overall, the food was good, although it was relatively expensive and there were definitely still some kinks (no credit card machine yet, general disorganization). However, it's SO nice to have somewhere to be able to walk to for dinner (other than our beloved Radhuni).

On our way back from dinner, we stopped at the video store to pick up a movie. However, they had Lost - Season 3. So we got it. And then realized that it's the complete season 3. The previous DVDs we'd rented were only half-seasons. We're now 8 episodes in (out of 24), after 3 nights. A little behind schedule. And we both have to be at work tomorrow and can NOT stay here all day and have a Lost marathon.

Glorious weather today - the boys and I played croquet in the back yard. My parents gave James the set for his birthday last September and it's been the first real nice day (!) where we've been able to set it up in the back yard.

I've never actually played croquet on a flat lawn, so our hilly yard was no problem. The grass is nice and long, so it stopped the balls from rolling down the hill too fast.