Writing about my ideas to create positivity or zing (such a refreshing concept) I concluded that it was time to rebalance my own approach with a walk by the sea.  Fortunately, we’d planned a short break away from home – the first in 2020, and decided it remained the safest  opportunity to recharge our batteries.  The car was packed with precision and all the enthusiasm of city kids going on holiday for the first time with their country cousins.  This was our long-awaited holiday.  So far so good and then I emerged from the kitchen with two rather splendid bunches of flowers in water.  Enthusiasm waned as my determination to treat my birthday flowers to a seaside trip was not shared by the driver.  Maybe my husband knew something I didn’t, although this was not obvious at the time.

The drive from Sussex to Aldeburgh on the east coast of Suffolk is to be endured, rather than enjoyed, although the pleasures of our destination always keep us cheerful as we navigate the A12.  Maybe its dreariness is a benefit.  Early expeditions across Kent with my Grandparents were such fun because we’d stop to pick blackberries or travel down bumpy dirt tracks to buy freshly laid eggs.  My Gran was always on the look out for diversions like Summer fêtes or flower shows offering steaming cups of weak tea in pretty cups with odd saucers.  And cake, there was always homemade cake to keep us interested.  It was often pitch dark when we arrived at our holiday destination, our bags overflowing with freshly picked rhubarb and other culinary delights.  Somehow the A12 has never afforded us such luxuries.

Aldeburgh was its usual welcoming self.  The rain streamed down the windows yet the shops on the little High Street looked quite buoyant despite a difficult Summer.  Undeterred by the heavy rain, people were queuing outside the legendary purveyor of locally caught fish and Rick Stein style chips.  Hardy children played with their dogs on the shingle beach and noisy seagulls hovered over the fishermen’s huts eager for their next meal.

Yes, we’d arrived, and the tensions of these past months simply melted away as we approached the sturdy door of the Wentworth Hotel.  It’s not my intention to write a Trip Advisor review although if you haven’t stayed at the Wentworth, then it’s time to put it on your list.  It’s a cosy, happy place which delivers on its seaside promises of great customer service and locally sourced produce expertly prepared by Head Chef, Tim Keeble.

The Wentworth is a delightful family-owned and privately run hotel which has been cherished by the same family for 100 years.  This is where a wise hotelier engages his team and rewards them with care, so that they create a great hospitality experience for guests.  With an enviable reputation for looking after his colleagues and investing in the fabric of the hotel, Michael Pritt has created a strong business which has so far weathered the difficulties of 2020.

It was fun to learn that Joyce Grenfell, the great raconteur, frequently stayed at the Wentworth Hotel while visiting the Aldeburgh Music Festival (founded by Benjamin Britten) up until her death in 1979.  This was just about the time that I discovered the delights of the town, although I didn’t get to meet Ms. Grenfell and (dare I say it) I don’t really understand Britten’s musical talent.  It was another five or six years before I stayed at the Wentworth and snuggled up by one of several open fires with a large G&T.  Maybe one day I would write letters from the hotel just like Joyce Grenfell.  This is definitely a place of positive memories and influence.

Back to the present with a bump, it was time to renew acquaintances, unpack the car and organise our belongings.  Ahh yes, and then there were my flowers.  They’d travelled well with no obvious spillages, although they were about to join even more Autumnal displays.  Our room was transformed effortlessly into a little corner of the Chelsea Flower Show.  It soon became clear that my husband’s reticence to embrace my excellent idea to take my flowers to Suffolk was founded in prior knowledge.  But now it was almost time for dinner and an opportunity to catch up on hotel lockdown stories.  No surprises, Michael had exceeded his reputation as an excellent employer who values his team and puts them at the heart of his business, along with his guests.  This really is a team effort.

Back home in Sussex with the rain streaming down our windows, the garden looks dishevelled and bedraggled, although I’m not moved to put on my waterproofs any time soon, even though I’m curious about our new little goldfish.  I’m reminded of the antics of the hardy east coast fishermen with their seagull posse in tow.  I’m definitely feeling positive and I don’t even need to go foraging to create my seasonal display.  I’m still savouring the memories of our little seaside adventure and today I’m wondering what I would write about in my letters from Aldeburgh.  Why not get in touch with your ideas?