Gentle rain woke me. The eggcups are too big for the eggs we brought we found at breakfast. It carried on raining so we left later than planned, finding yet again using the key for the front door was very difficult. It was so hard to get back in later we're going to go out through the patio doors instead!
We first patronised a massive Sainsbury's on a newish massive shopping area in Colchester. It's always a pain trying to find items in an unfamiliar supermarket, and finding eggs and a puzzle magazine for Virginia was like finding a needle in haystack. At least we managed that and to refuel as well.
Then onto Colchester Zoo already heaving with other homo sapiens. A friendly and helpful zoo keeper insisted we got to see an impressive green anaconda resting in a dimly lit pond. A red panda posed to prove it was there before retreating into the foliage. But I was worn out by the experience - the zoo was too big for me, it was tortuous trying to find one's way around with no sense of direction, it was like a random maze or a dungeon crawl. I was glad to get out of the place. The roll I had there tasted like cardboard.
Beth Chatto's Gardens was far more pleasant and restful. Tranquil expanses of flower beds, harmony for the soul. Unlike some gardens this felt like it could have been someone's house and gardens, someone who had a very large garden. The slice of coffee and walnut cake I had revitalised my sugar levels.
No luck with evening meal out this evening (and we almost couldn't find our way back home as only Virginia's phone knew where we were staying and she had left that at the cottage charging). Places we tried weren't serving meals on Tuesdays! So we made do with buying ready meals and an apple crumble dessert at a NISA supermarket! Perfectly adequate and cheaper too. It was a bit hit and miss operating the microwave true, not a very good UI.