Tiptoeing Into A Tiptree Cream Tea

Backblipping again as I'm commuting daily to my sister's in Burnham-on-Crouch so that I can spend as much time as possible with my sister from France while she is here.

My BiL drove us first to Chigborough because I wanted to check out the award-winning Lambton and Jackson smokehouse. It is in some rather dilapidated buildings, not unlike our own, behind a gift shop. Some of the products were for sale in a deli in a shed which was unattended. I think their main trade is supplying upmarket restaurants rather than direct to the public. 

We then took Ollie dog for a lovely walk at Heybridge Basin, my BiL spotting wildlife items of interest for me to photograph. Afterwards my French sister bought us a delicious cream tea with Wilkin's Tiptree Little Scarlet jam at the Tiptree Lock Tearoom. We sat outside and enjoyed watching the sparrows have dust baths. They and some young starlings gathered expectantly for crumbs.

I'll catch up with comments tomorrow after I have taken my sister to Stansted.

Today's poem is The Panther In The Jardin Des Plantes, Paris by Rainer Maria Rilke. http://wenaus.org/poetry/panther.html

I have been to the zoo three times in the past ten years. It's wonderful to see exotic animals in the flesh but upsetting that these wild creatures are captive. On these three occasions it has been the pacing of the big cats with their unexpressive gazes that has upset me most.