#he used to sit on the terrace watching the birds nest

[theladyofbloodshed]

There was a dead cat on our road this morning and this evening a dead snake

what is happening am i in a stephen king book

[josephgurdak]

Exploring Nature and Wildlife Photography Near Urban Areas

Wildlife photography is ideally done in forests; however, for a hobbyist or even a professional it can also offer a great experience in local green vicinities, provided they look around a bit.  As Joseph Gurdak, a wildlife photography expert says, wildlife may not necessarily mean wild animals such as tigers, lions, and leopards. It covers much more than just wild animals, such as the flora, fauna, various species of birds, butterflies, insects, and more. If you are a nature lover, try exploring wildlife photography as a weekend hobby by simply observing the trees around you, especially early in the morning. If possible drive a little outside the city and spot for naturally formed sanctuaries. Depending on the season and the weather, you would come across various species of flowers, insects, birds, and so on. If you are bit on the countryside and the road is quiet and green, you may spot peacocks, deer, and so on. This post takes a look at how to explore this hobby without having to go to a far off forest for a long time.

 Wildlife Photography Beyond Actual Wild Animals

Like Joseph Gurdak points out, there are actually many benefits of wildlife photography and trekking, beyond accumulating personal experiences. So pack a small daytime bag and a water bottle along with a good-quality camera and set off to explore your urban area. You can trust Joseph Gurdak when he says that you will find a new perspective in the area you have perhaps known for years. Here are a few pointers which may be helpful:

•  Start off by simply going on to your terrace in early in the morning. Typically, if you stay in a tropical place, you will hear chirping of birds. You can find small birds with amazing colors; slowly start observing their traits such as the branches on which they sit, their sounds at different times, and so on. Slowly as the sub rises, you will see more activity of birds and other animals such as squirrels coming out and running really fast from one end to the other. Observe the trees, their type or the fruit they bear. Accordingly, you would see birds feeding on fruits on trees. Trust Joseph Gurdak this in your lens requires a lot of patience and observation.

• If you go a little further like on a nearby hill, again in early morning, you may just find various species of butterflies, insects, and birds. If you are lucky enough, you may find peacocks as well.

• Discover the species of butterflies, insects, and more. Also find out if there are any honeycomb structures. Study the flora and various trees. If you get to observe and taste the honey in these honeycombs, do it because that will also help you decode the flowers which were used for this honey, and thus its quality.

• On some other weekend, do explore the waterbodies surrounded by a tree cover nearby such as a river or a lake. If you live in a coastal place, do visit the beach in early mornings. In all of these places, you are likely to find migratory birds such as flamingos. You will discover that some of these birds feed on fish and crabs in the sea, and they have a peculiar way of catching their prey.

• On the beach, you may see starfish and other aquatic creates which come out on sand along with the sea wave. If you are lucky enough, you may see dolphins jumping in and out of water right from the beach. It is such as pleasure to watch them.

• It’s mesmerizing to spot relationships of various birds, their nests, and the way they build them.

• Spend some time observing these animals, birds and their behavioral patterns, responses, and slowly you would get to know how and when to capture all this in your lens. Else, it is not easy as by the time you adjust your camera and take position, the bird you spot would fly away.

•  Almost all humans enjoy nature walks, watching the sunrise, star gazing, and so on. During those activities, you may even discover a new species of a reptile, butterfly, or insect. Yes, this is very much possible.

•  Most importantly, document and share these experiences and documenting as it would not only give you pleasure and happiness but would also be useful for future referencing. It would also help create awareness of nature and its conservation among people.

 If you are a wildlife enthusiast and are in some other full-time profession, try exploring your nearby areas with trees, hills, and water bodies, over the weekend. This may just be an amazing experience to take pictures and upload them on social media. Like Joseph Gurdak says, exploring such a hobby through nature trails, perhaps with a group of friends, is an awesome stress buster. So, think of doing a mini trek up on a hill or mountain nearby or explore some nearby tree cover.

[restlessmaknae]

Disastrous [pt.6]

Chapters: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

Genre: fluff, comedy, romcom

Main Characters: Kim Namjoon; Gu Dasom (OC)

Setting: holiday AU; friends to lovers AU

I knew that this holiday will be difficult with Namjoon by my side but I never thought that it would be this difficult.

An arranged holiday with my best friend to a breath-taking island? What could actually go wrong? In my case, the question is, what didn’t go wrong?

The next hours were spent with walking back to the bus station. The distance was long, so it took us 5 hours to get there. Namjoon said that we could have gone faster if the weather hadn’t been so hot and it hadn’t been around midday. I sometimes really felt like I could faint because as I’ve mentioned, we had no food, nor water. Luckily, we found a fountain on our way where we could drink a little but because we didn’t have money, we couldn’t even dream about buying anything. It was so humiliating. I didn’t have any kind of headwear, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if I had gotten sunstroke. Namjoon also felt a bit dizzy but he always felt it as his priority to encourage me to keep going.

I was never keen on walking or hiking or any kind of those outdoor physical activities but after our 5-hour journey, I hated even the idea of moving my pinkie for the next few hours. I’d never been more tired in my whole life and I immediately sat down on the ground when we got back my best friend’s backpack. I was just so exhausted. So, so exhausted.

“Ah, I’m so happy it’s over!” I blurted without much thinking and took a big sip of the water bottle. It felt incredibly good as my throat had been dry for hours.

Namjoon also let himself slide down to sit on the ground beside me. I voluntarily leaned onto his shoulder while he slung his arms around mine. It was beyond reassuring, it was almost like heaven. I could pacify my crazily beating heart and wildly rumbling thoughts by then, so I could finally feel at ease. He was beside me, I was beside him and nothing ever seemed more perfect than that.

“I feel like I could eat a cow right now,” I murmured out a jumble of words and earned an ethereal chortle from Namjoon.

“We don’t have enough money to buy you a cow,” he said in between laughs but I just playfully smacked him in the chest.

“Yah! Don’t make me sad, Namjoon!” I pouted like a little girl and it made him laugh even more. I adored watching him laugh because I never considered myself a funny girl and he still had a fun time beside me. I was kind of proud of that.

“I don’t want to but that’s the truth.”

“I know.”

“But I’ll pay for your dinner. Deal?” he raised his eyebrows in question when I withdrew. I knew he wanted to compensate me for losing his bag and making me super worried throughout the day, so I gave in. I didn’t want him to feel worse.

“Deal,” I nodded as excitedly as I could but I must have looked like a runner after completing the marathon. My hair was more like a bird nest and my face was all red thanks to the heat. My clothes were covered in sweat and I was happy if I could walk back safely to our accommodation on my feet.

We just sat there for God knows how long before we decided to find a cosy and fairly cheap restaurant to eat something. I was never really fond of hamburgers but when I saw that it was on the menu, I didn’t hesitate to order one. A really big one. I was hungry and my stomach was growling again and again, its weird noises an urging for me to get some food. Namjoon chose the same and we were munching away on our hamburgers without saying a single word out loud. We desperately needed those extra calories.

Due to the fact that it was already 5 o’ clock and we were hardly in a condition to continue our sight-seeing tour, we headed back to the guest house. I was never happier to see those dull, white walls and familiar bunk-bed than that particular night. I realised that a lot of mishaps occurred during our holiday and our room wasn’t even the worst of them.

“Can I sleep now?” I sneaked a glance at Namjoon like I needed his permission to go to bed. He looked at me dearly and pinched my cheeks. If the hot weather didn’t make them heat up a bit, his touch definitely did.

“Of course you can. We had quite a rough day, so you deserve a good night’s sleep,” he nodded and pointed to the bottom mattress. I hopped down without hesitation but before I fell onto the quilt, I made sure that I grabbed his wrist and pulled him with me. It didn’t take him by surprise, thus he didn’t even protest.

I wanted to doze off against his shoulder because I didn’t really remember the last time when we slept like that. We were best friends for 15 years now but our friendship started just like any other; totally unexpectedly. We encountered at a playground in Goyang and made a pinky promise that we will be together until the end. It all started with silly things that 6-year-old kids do; killing our time at the playground, sharing our toys with each other, talking about our favourite animated shows and playing hide and seek in our garden.

We weren’t neighbours but we spent a lot of time together and the more we grew, the more we needed each other’s company. I remember vividly that I always shared my fears with him while we were looking at the stars from the terrace of his room. He listened to me patiently and waited until I didn’t have anything else to say. Then, he rubbed his chin, tilted his head in contemplation and started talking about solutions how I should be more confident and face those obstacles. I never knew how that 6-year-old immature guy with the grey braces turned into a wise, philosophical teenager but he definitely changed. Puberty hit him so hard – or me, I don’t know – that I started seeing him as a man and not a boy. But soon, I felt the same way about my male classmates as well and that thought never flew across my mind again until 2 months ago.

“You know it’s funny,” Namjoon whispered as I rested my head on his shoulder. This silence wasn’t like the one before; it was serene and soft like a cloud hovering on the clear-blue sky.

“What?”

“I saw a lot of sides of you in the last 15 years but you never fail to show me new sides since we started our journey,” his hushed voice was full of awe and I didn’t really know why. I was pretty sure that witnessing how I had acted in the last couple of days was nothing but troublesome. I was whining, I was yelling at him and I was screaming because of a giant spider. What could have been so pleasant about that?

“Is that a good thing?” I glared at him, not sure what kind of answer I would get. His serious expression slowly dissolved into a nostalgic smile.

“Yes, it is. You are my best friend and it’s such a pity that we can’t spend as much time together as we used to since we started university. I guess that’s why I felt like we slowly drifted apart in the last couple of years. You know, there was school, assignments, new friends and you had Hyeonuk as well−” he suddenly confessed and I couldn’t help but flinch painfully at the mention of my ex-boyfriend.

I met Heyonuk 2 years ago at a college party and we had been a couple for 23 months when he said that he wanted to break up. That asshole. I inwardly cursed myself for ever trusting that guy, even though he was such a sweetheart until he announced that it was over.

“You felt like we drifted apart because of Hyeonuk?” I asked, almost frantically because I’d never thought that Namjoon would feel like I had chosen my boyfriend over him. He wasn’t jealous, he seemed to get along well with Hyeonuk when I was around, so he didn’t show any sign of jealousy. Or he was a really impressive actor.

“Yes, a little bit,” he admitted without hesitation. He didn’t seem nervous, he didn’t even nibble his lips but the dimples deepened with his smile. He wasn’t mad and I admired him for his understanding. It was one of the things on the endless list of what I loved about him. “But I don’t blame you. If you’re in love, you have to spend more time with your boyfriend than with your best friend.”

“That’s not true,” I shook my head immediately because I learned from my parents that you shouldn’t neglect your friends and family even if you are in love. “You should have told me if it really irritated you.”

“It doesn’t really matter anymore,” he waved his hands in an attempt to leave the subject and move on. “Hyeonuk doesn’t know what he missed when he said that you’re too dull and worthless for him,” he quoted the exact same words that my boyfriend had told me two months ago and even flinched like he was hurt.

He was the one who scooped me up after Hyeonuk said goodbye and that’s when I started developing feelings for him. Seeing how he cared about me and cursed at my ex-boyfriend made me feel touched. He never acted like that before when my relationships ended but that’s also true that none of my relationship were as long yet painful as the one with Hyeonuk.

“That douchebag,” I snorted furiously but my expression suddenly changed when I heard my best friend’s reaction. I couldn’t suppress the urge to smile as widely as possible.

“That crazy bastard,” he spluttered the words dismissively and when we met each other’s gazes, we broke into little fists of laughter. That made me remember for the good old days when it was so usual that we dissed my ex-boyfriends and his ex-girlfriends like that. The thought that we were getting closer and closer again melted my heart a bit.

We were talking for an hour or so and I wish we could speak more but I had already stifled a yawn like 12 times and when he noticed my sleepy eyes, he turned off the lights and walked up on the ladder. When I heard that he arrived on his mattress, I whispered to him like we always did when we had a sleepover at each other’s houses.

“Good night, Namjoonie.”

“Good night, Dasomie.”

His deep, hoarse voice was the sweetest melody that could cherish me to sleep.

[toffyandsalt]

prompt, how about Percival taking Credence to cape cod? It's near ilvermorny so Credence could hang out with wizards close to his age, but it's sunny but not too tropical so Credence won't get sun burned and it's beautiful and quiet and the sand is soft and polished and the seafood is amazing.

Hello, lovely! So sorry for being that late with your request, but here you go. I hope it satisfies your needs :) I’ve never been to Cape Cod and my memories of the sea have dimmed, so… There you have it.

Alert: a lot of fluff ahead, self-indulgent fluff! And you can listen to ocean ambience here.

It’s early morning when they arrive, and Credence already knows it’s the most peaceful place he’s ever been to. Not a sound can be heard but a soft swishing of the ocean waves. He can see water from where they stand, its fluffy foam and how it glides over the sand. The horizon is threatening in its endless line, but if anything, it speaks of freedom to him.The sky is of a rich pink colour with feathers of orange clouds.

“Do you like it here, Credence?”

He does.

Graves finds his hand and squeezes it warmly. It’s a reassurance, an affectionate gesture. Their fingers intertwine, and holding onto each other the couple proceeds to a group of small cottages, nested together for a resort.

Their house is small and cozy, a minimum of what they need. There are paintings on the wall and all are moving, whispering. There are flowers in vases which don’t grow in the area but look like they have been collected a minute ago. The house has a tiny terrace and this is where Graves and Credence settle down to watch the sun rise and rest after the journey.

Nestled together on a hanging bench, they stare at the horizon. Credence listens to Graves’ peaceful breathing as much as to the whispers of the ocean waves. Their hands are still together. They don’t talk, they don’t need it to convey the thoughts that busy their minds. Gratefulness is in touches, understanding is in small smiles, gracing their tired faces. Occasionally Credence turns to look up at Percival, only to see his lips curved in a smile.

The higher the sun is, the more alive the place becomes. There are people emerging from their houses, there are birds, flocking on stones and the gazebo. But more than that, there is magic everywhere, shown in its most beautiful, domestic representation. A young waitress is setting tables with a flick of a wand. A couple of teenagers plays at the water, throwing water balls at each other and shielding themselves away. With a wave of a hand people set up umbrellas and folding chairs, prepare food and drinks.

Credence and Percival leave their house as well, strolling down the decked pathway. Graves seems to be in his element. People nod at him in recognition, some smile, some frown. The story of the ex-Director of Magical Security must have reached many corners with only a handful of people aware of his true uninvolvement. Credence can’t help but admire the strength of his lover’s character, how he manages to keep a mask and keep the shattered pieces of himself together.

He wishes he could be just like Graves.

Days go by and Credence can’t help but wonder if it’s all a dream. He has so much freedom. He is showered with love. People notice him and it’s not a look of disgust on their faces that he sees - it’s a friendly smile or a reassuring nod. Students from the Ilvermorny school, which Graves told him about, don’t shy away. Instead, they slowly involve him in their magical activities. No one minds him being older and less educated in all things magic. They show him spells, they help him practice. In only a few days Credence manages to levitate things, in a few days more he is the one to spell a fire on the beach for everyone to roast food in. Every day Graves watches from afar and curiously asks about it when the night is nigh.

Credence tries his best not to be selfish and steal the good time for himself. He is watching Graves as much as he is being watched. With delicate touches and loving kisses he helps Graves get through occasional nightmares. He musters voice to every now and then say more than “thank you”, more than “I’m so happy to be here with you”.

“I want us to always be here,” he says one evening, when they sit on white sand with their bare feet buried in it. Graves’ arms are wrapped around him and his hands rest on his own. Percival caresses him, his chin on Credence’s shoulder, heavy and possessive.

“If you’d like.”

“Would you?”

“Credence, wherever you feel content, I will be there.”

Credence smiles. Genuinely, widely. He leans back to turn and kiss Graves and before he can settle on this, before he can kiss Graves till all strength leaves his body, he whispers:

“Wherever you are, I am content.”

I love prompt requests :)

[inthesummerswelter]

recipe for disaster: chapter five

The darkness permeating the stairwell suffocates any last bit of energy that she might have had as she comes back from a rough shift at the restaurant.      

Penn slogs onwards and upwards, but her toes catch the lip of the stair when she’s halfway up. She falls, bag flying off her shoulder and hands splayed out to catch herself, and ends up with a spectacular splinter piercing cleanly through the side of her right-hand ring finger.

“Fucking sonovabitch! Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Carefully, with quivering fingers, she removes the long piece of wood, opens a window, and tosses the offending object outside.

To an uninformed observer, this may see just like a freak accident, but Penn knows better. It’s the most recent in the long line of horrible events that have made up her entire.

For starters, Ashton didn’t show up for breakfast, and she burnt the toast waiting for him.

 She stands in front of the kitchen stove for an inordinate amount of time, gazing out the window across the terrace, fingers clenched around the edges of the sink basin.

But no cheery greeting comes. No face silhouetted in the morning sunrise. No quiet shuffling around the entryway as he tries to slide off his shoes as quietly as possible, knowing that she doesn’t appreciate loud noises too early in the day.

Which is ironic, as the smoke detector goes off moments later, wailing and shrieking, making Penn glance down automatically and seize the pan without any mitts on to take it off the burner.

So, now she has scorched toast, minor burns on her hands, and a persistent ringing in her ears.

The dogs eat it nevertheless – which leaves mounds of crumbs on the floor she has yet to tidy up – but, as strange as it sounds, Penn’s not angry or anything. Instead, she’s almost disappointed.

It’s okay, really. He can have other plans for breakfast, could have other plans he just forgot to tell her about. But, Penn thought he would have called or texted her to let her know?

It’s not a big deal, she tells herself, as she peels a banana and stares at the daily crossword. She has no idea of any of the answers. Ashton always fills in the crosswords when he comes over.

But then she forgets to eat lunch and is late for work and has to throw together a goat cheese-and-grape sandwich from scraps lying around the pantry when she rushes in, almost an hour into afternoon prep, hair a bird’s-nest and chef jacket unbuttoned.

The only bright side to all of this is watching Louis’ painfully slow movements, presumably from another hangover. He’s come to work for the past three days wincing at the beams of light coming through the slatted windows in the back entrance, grimacing after George – their soup specialist, who reminds Penn vaguely of a monkey – asks him to sample his variation on clam chowder, and scowling whenever Penn bangs the pots around a bit too much.

She doesn’t feel an ounce of pity for him. He’s still such a fuckwad to her, and she’s not complaining that his own incompetence and lack of forethought regarding his drinking is putting her further ahead in their competition.

Except that further ahead isn’t really all that further, because it takes Penn close to eight minutes to truss up this leg of lamb and then she bobbles the pan and almost gives herself a rosemary-and-chopped-carrot bath.

Dinner service ends up being a hell of a mess, what with Louis “accidentally” bumping the whole bottle of sherry into her saucepan and nearly scorching off her eyebrows. In the end, Delacroix ends up sending both of them home early, with orders to stop by the clinic around the block on their way if Louis ends up reopening on the gash on his arm or if Penn’s forehead starts to bother her.

Obviously, he’s not pleased. As two of the top chefs in the restaurant, there’s absolutely no excuse for the amount of fuck-ups they’ve committed over the past week, not in a professional culinary setting. Penn’s so thankful that Delacroix’s chalking up all the accidents and mistakes to the stress from the competition.

The whole restaurant business is insanely competitive and finding another job in London still within cycling distance of her flat might take longer than she can afford. Paying for rent without a steady income gets really expensive really fast. And, she couldn’t ask Gran for help in that, either.

This whole experience has to come from herself, from her own earnings.

Her personal pride wouldn’t allow anything else.

Louis shuffles out at about a quarter ‘til midnight, but Penn’s not released until half past one, due to orders to make sure every soup pot used is sparkling. Finishing, with sore shoulders and a cramp in her neck, she wipes the soap suds off the best she can and practically runs to her locker in her haste to leave.

She’s a fucking mess, throwing everything into her bag, knives still not entirely secure in their carrier and chef’s coat crumpled at the bottom. Ripping out the barrette she wears to keep her fringe from flopping in her eyes, Penn tosses that in the bag too as she rushes out the back towards her bike, quickly snagging the little bit of leftovers she’s allowed to take back home for her late dinner.

It’s rained since she’s arrived at the restaurant, and Penn’s eyes take in the slick cobblestones of the street.

However, her mind does not.

It’s occupied with neat little fantasies of a meltingly hot bath and cookie dough scooped right out of the mixing bowl with some trash telly playing in the background.

Throwing one leg over the seat of her bike, Penn sets her feet on the pedals and begins her journey back home, crashing through puddles as if they aren’t even there.

She wipes out spectacularly in front of a pub around the corner from her building, tossing up a sheet of grimy water that completely drenches her. Gasping, in both pain and shock, Penn flicks her hands quickly to throw the excess water off, wincing at the strain in her jammed wrists from where she tried to catch herself from cracking her skull on the curb of the sidewalk.

A quick body check follows – bruising accumulating from where the bicycle fell on top of her and an insanely large amount of road-rash on her forearms and kneecaps – and she pulls herself up with the aid of a streetlamp.

Staggering into the pub, Penn slaps a handful of quid on the counter, rasping out, “A bottle ��f vodka, please. Brand doesn’t matter.”

Honestly, this night’s chances of getting better are all riding on how soon Penn can decompress in that bath and get herself all loose and drunk on some cheap liquor.

The bartender turns, and it’s the bloke from that night. That Australian kid.

“Jesus! Are you alright? Do I need to call for an ambulance?”

She catches a glimpse of her reflection in the mirrored surface behind the bar and nearly jumps out of her skin.

“Jesus Christ!”

She looks like something a from a gutter that a cat ate and then vomited back up again.

Her hair, previously matted from her shift at work, was soaked with street-water in her fall, and is now sticking up in a way that looks like she just found her way out of a crackhouse. The wild eyes with dark bags to match, and a lovely smear of green-yellow bruising across her temple do nothing to improve her appearance.

There’s a resounding silence for a few moments, as Penn gawks with wide eyes at both the bartender and herself.

“Um, can I have that vodka?” she croaks out, staring intently at the scratched surface of the bar and shielding her face with one scraped hand, utterly embarrassed. She can feel her cheeks blazing hot and wants nothing more than the floorboards to open up underneath her and suck her down into a nice, quiet, little hole in the ground.

He hands a bottle over the counter to her, and, as she’s tucking it away in her bag for safe-keeping, he passes her a scribbled-on napkin as well.

“Just in case,” he clarifies, “if you’re ever in a bind and need help and…”

He lets his sentence trail off at the end, letting a vague gesture at Penn do the rest of the explaining for the messily scrawled name and number.

Strangely, Penn’s touched.

“Thanks, uh…Calum? I’ll keep that in mind.”

  At last into her flat, after using part of Calum’s napkin to bind her finger where it had started to bleed and wrangling her bicycle up into its proper place, Penn sags against the door until she’s sitting on the ground.

The dogs come, trotting up to her with the click clack of their paws heralding their arrival, and proceed to give her a through face-wash with their tongues. She only lets them indulge for a few moments, because God only knows what kind of bacteria lives in grimy street-water. Drunk people probably piss into that alley on the regular. Penn scoops them up in her arms, along with her bag, and brings them into the kitchen with her.

She vaguely contemplates the bath again, giving herself a quick sniff and confirms that, yep, she’s rancid. She sets the vodka down on the counter and is in the process of pulling out Clove and Cardy’s late-night snack from under the cupboards when she hears it.

Ashton’s laugh, ridiculously high-pitched and giggly for someone of his stature, as clear as day above her left shoulder.

Penn ends up slamming her head on the underside of the counter in surprise.

“Fuck! Ash…?”

There’s nobody there, however, just Clove staring up at her with a concerned expression on his doggy face. Cardy, on the other hand, has her paws and nose pressed up against the sliding glass door that leads onto the terrace, and Penn shuffles over, clutching the back of her head.

A light on across the way throws two silhouettes in Ashton’s flat into sharp relief. One is quite obviously Ashton, from the waves in the shadow’s hair, to the way he hunches over the table and folds his hands, intent on the other person in the room.

Who, apparently, seems to be very much a female, Penn observes, as she stands up, tossing long hair over her shoulder and stretching lanky, coltish limbs. To be fair, that shadow’s got boobs, too.

A thousand feelings churn through her gut, a roiling pit of vipers, none of which Penn has any desire to examine or identify. They sting, though.

She turns into a flurry of activity, attempting desperately to stop glancing over her shoulder, where Ashton and the girl are now less than a hands-breadth apart, their heights making them practically eye-to-eye. Penn is so fucking short that the top of her head just grazes his chin. A dark flare of something burns in her stomach as she moves at warp speed around the kitchen, determinedly keeping her head down.

Along with her various culinary certifications, Penn is also skilled at avoidance tactics.

The refrigerator door slams multiple times in succession, opening and closing as Penn grabs eggs and milk and a crinkling bag of chocolate chips and comfort. Flour and sugar and a pinch of salt come next, and then a whisk leaps into her hand as she begins to churn the batter. No recipe necessary. Penn’s got it all memorized.

Setting it down about two-thirds of the way through the mixing process, she scoops up Cardy from the window, dashes into the bathroom, and plops the dog beside the tub as she turns the taps on nearly full blast.

“Come and get me when it’s ready, okay?” she tells the dog, as she squirts a lavish amount of bubbles into the bath.

Rushing back into the kitchen, she picks up the bowl from the counter again, giving it a few vicious stirs and tossing a casual glance over her shoulder at Ashton’s flat.

No big deal.

She can handle just a quick peek.

Two shadows have merged to become one amalgamated, lumpy form. She watches it move, a slight sway back and forth, and the back of her throat starts to burn as well.

Nope, no, she can’t.

A swipe of the dough with her finger tells Penn that it’s just about the right consistency, and, as she goes to lick it off the pad of her index finger, one of the blobs draws back, putting space between the bodies, and then the head swoops in.

After a moment, they separate again, as Ashton walks his guest to the door and hugs her once again.

It’s no use to stand there and watch the silhouettes embrace any longer. Very quietly, now, Penn reaches inside herself and twirls her sadness into a thread, and winds it about a small bobbin, making sure no loose ends escape. It goes in the little cupboard in that space just beside her heart, packed away tightly with its fellows.

It is better now.

Or so she tells herself.

But then, three things happen all at once that start Penn’s heart to racing: Cardy comes screeching into the kitchen, froth piled atop her nose, the vodka bottle tips towards the floor, bumped by Penn’s elbow, and Ashton slips on a pair of shoes and begins to open the slider door to the terrace.

Oh, god.

He can’t know that she was watching, spying, on him.

That’s not okay, not okay at all.

Quickly, she catches the alcohol and snags a glass with the same hand as she careens around the small kitchen with the bowl of cookie dough cradled in her other arm. The dogs dart in and around her legs, and she skids into the corner, bouncing off the wall into the bathroom.

Cardy and Clove are left on the other side of the door, as she frantically locks it, placing the liquor and glass near the edge of the tub and the cookie dough in the sink and begins to strip off her clothes.

Obviously, she couldn’t have seen Ashton at all if she had been enjoying a nice bath the whole time, right?

Penn practically swan-dives into the bath, scooping the bubbles up and over her and shutting off the taps. It’s heated bliss, and she can feel her muscles relaxing palpably. She cups the bathwater in her hands and scrubs her face with the bubbles furiously.

The vodka and batter make their way into her hands, and she manages a few shots of liquor and two or three spoonfuls of cookie dough before she hears the faint sounds of Clove and Cardy rushing to the terrace door to greet their new houseguest.

Fuck.

She slides down in the water until her ears are completely submerged, and she gives her hair a good scrubbing too, feeling the grime from the street-water beginning to soak and dissipate.

Then two, thunderous knocks send vibrations through the water.

She holds her breath. She should have locked the terrace door and turned out the lights. Her mistake.

“Penn?...Penn? I know you’re in there. Can I come in?” his voice sounds out, plaintive. “I want to talk to you.”

“Can’t!” She shouts this, just a bit too loud, too soon to be casual. “Door’s locked and I’m naked–”

She cuts herself off, but her brain is just a microsecond too slow for her mouth. A long pause follows, and Penn can feel her ears burning.

Fuck. He’s probably disgusted now, comparing all of her flaws against that lean, long-legged veritable goddess he was with earlier. Penn looks through the bubbles at herself, picking apart her imperfections, going through the list she’s already memorized. Short and stumpy versus a good candidate for the next Miss Universe pageant. Not a hard choice.

“Oh. Oh, um. Well, I just wanted to, um, tell you that I…”

Suddenly, all she wants him to do is to stop talking.

“Ashton! Ashton, it’s okay – just stop, okay – it’s okay!”

The doorknob shakes once as he tries the door.

“I just wanted to say that I–”

It’s too much.

“Just leave, okay! Just go! I don’t want to talk to you right now!”

“What?” His voice sounds small now. “Penn…”

Everything’s starting to hurt now, her body aching again, from the tenderness still in the timbre of his words. Her heart aching again.

“Go away, Ashton! I don’t want to see you right now!”

“Oh. Oh…alright.”

Penn lets herself sink down again, after she’s sure that his footsteps have finished echoing through the hallway and tries to pretend that she’s not crying. It’s hard to distinguish her tears from the bathwater.

She hates herself so much right now, self-loathing bubbling up under her skin and burning burning burning.

The water goes cold long before she leaves the tub.

[easytravelpw-blog]

Full text write on https://easy-travel.pw/the-north-coast-of-france-the-ultimate-road-trip-from-dieppe-to-calais/france/

The North Coast of France: The Ultimate Road Trip from Dieppe to Calais

01 of 07

A Road Trip Along the North Coast of France

Christine Wehrmeier

The north coast of France is often ignored, particularly by visitors from the UK, who regard it as a place to drive through as fast as possible on their way down to the south. But they’re missing a treat. It’s a fabulous area with a long sweeping coastline, major attractions, and seaside resorts — some rather grand catering in the past to the English milords and Parisian rich; others beloved by sailors and fishermen. This neglected treasure of a coast is ripe for a road trip.

There are two ways to do this driving tour. If you’re in Paris, this tour makes an excellent few days outside the capital. If you’re in the UK, it’s a perfect short break that delivers the best of France in a nutshell.

DFDS offers ferry crossings from Newhaven to Dieppe, Dover to Dunkirk and Dover to Calais. Prices on the Newhaven service start from £49 each way for a car and two people. Bookings include reclining seats; private cabins are available for a small additional fee. Crossings take four hours each way and DFDS provides three daily sailings during the summer. On the Dover routes there is a choice of up to 54 sailings per day and prices start from £39 each way for a car and up to nine passengers. An upgrade to include access to the premium lounge costs £12 per person each way and priority boarding is £10 per car each way.

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02 of 07

Day 1: Dieppe

Atlantide Phototravel/Getty Images

Morning

If you're coming from the UK, take the DFDS ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe, leaving at 9.30am and arriving in France at 2pm local time.

If you're coming from Paris, the 195-km (121-mile) drive will take around 2 hours 30 minutes. 

Afternoon

Walk along the small streets parallel to the English Channel starting at the Estran-Cité de la Mer, the local museum of the sea. Seventeenth-century houses in white brick line the Grande Rue; continue onto rue de la Barre where number 4 housed a pharmacy in 1683. Voltaire lodged here with his friend the apothecary when he came back from exile in England in 1728 then went to live with his lover Emilie du Châtelet in Champagne. Other houses date from the 18th century.

The old section ends at the Château, originally a huge circular tower that was part of the 14th century fortifications of this once vital sea port. Today the massive stone structure with its rounded defensive walls and small windows high up above the surrounding countryside houses a good museum. Ship models, maps and instruments along with Dutch paintings and furniture catch and keep your imagination. But don’t miss the superb collection of Dieppe ivories, made from the ivory imported from Africa and the Orient. The 17th century saw 350 ivory carvers in Dieppe; today you’ll only see a small workshop in the museum.

Beyond the Château, you come to the Memorial to August 19th, 1942. It commemorates the date when a force of 7,000 soldiers, mostly Canadians, was launched from the UK against the Germans in north France. It was a disaster; 5,000 men were killed or taken prisoner. But lessons were learnt and during the later Normandy D-Day Landings, artificial ports were towed over, while heavily defended harbors like Dieppe, were avoided.

Dinner

Eat in Dieppe, where the tang of the ocean means fish or shellfish. Oysters at the Comptoir A Huitres, or a huge plateau de fruits de mer will hit the spot in this simple restaurant.

The Café des Tribunaux is a large brasserie-style café that started as an inn at the end of the 17th century. It was the favorite place for the Impressionists, and was painted by Sickert, who spent his summers in Dieppe in the 1890s, moving there permanently from 1896 to 1905. It’s a great place for people watching, sitting on the terrace with a cold beer or glass of wine.

Overnight

If you want to stay in Dieppe and like sea views, try the Inter-Hotel de la Plage. It looks just like a pleasant seaside hotel and has rooms for every budget. The sea-view options are the more expensive. There’s no restaurant, but with plenty of choice in Dieppe, this is no hardship.

Outside Dieppe, the Auberge du Clos Normand is everything you want from a former coaching inn. Today it’s a delightful old building with wooden balconies, rooms overlooking a farm, a restaurant with an old tiled floor and brick walls.

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03 of 07

Day 2: Houses, History and an Estuary in the Somme

Franz-Marc Frei/Getty Images

Morning

Dieppe is on what is known as the ‘Alabaster coast’ (Côte d'Albâtre), an 80-mile-long stretch of white cliffs and wonderful beaches along the seashore. Just south west of Dieppe on the D75, the road takes you the charming little resort of Varengeville-sur-Mer, where half-timbered houses stand shyly behind thick hedges. So near to the UK, this was a part always loved by the British. Le Bois des Moustiers should therefore not come as a surprise, but who would have expected this glorious house, designed by Sir Edwin Luytens in 1898, and a perfect example of the Arts and Crafts movement? The gardens were an extension of the house, designed by Luytens’ collaborator, Gertrude Jekyll. It’s a little piece of English architectural and cultural history, open to the curious from mid-March to mid-November. 

A piece of French history awaits at the Manoir d’Ango, built as a summer palace for the invaluable ship owner, naval advisor to Francois I and privateer, Jehan Ango, between 1535 and 1545. Walk through the forbidding and huge wooden gate and you step into an Italian Renaissance jewel, built around a large internal courtyard with a pigeonnier in the middle. It’s open from April 1st to November 1st.

Lunch

Eat in Varengeville on the terrace at the charming Auberge du Relais, with menus from €23, or indulge in a great plateau de fruits de mer (€40 one person or €75 for two). 

Afternoon

Drive back through Dieppe and along the coast road, the D925. Go through the small seaside resort of Le Tréport and on to the golden beaches of Mers-les-Bains, a typical resort of Victorian villas that doesn’t seem to have changed since the 19th century. The coast road continues up through Picardy to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, a charming seaside town where William, Duke of Normandy, embarked on his journey to conquer England in 1066.

Saint-Valery still has its medieval citadelle in the upper town, while the lower town has quays running along the estuary lined with brightly colored houses, restaurants and hotels.

You can imagine the past life at the Écomusée Picarvie with its collection of tools, photographs and artefacts. Or just spend the afternoon doing all those things people do in seaside resorts: digging for shellfish, taking a boat trip, cycle through the surrounding countryside with a guide. But be careful; the Somme estuary has strong tides that ebb and flow, creating dangerous currents.

Opposite, Le Crotoy is a pretty former fishing hamlet that faces south, giving you wonderful views and a landscape that inspired the likes of Jules Verne, who wrote Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea here; Colette and the Impressionist painters, Sisley and Seurat.

Take the road north along the coast, through now silted-up fishing hamlets that seem left in a time warp. You’ll arrive at the Parc Ornithologique du Marquenterre, a magical place of sand dunes and pine forests where you can hire binoculars and walk through the paths stopping at the observation posts and looking at the remarkable collection of nesting birds here through powerful telescopes.

Dinner

In Saint Valery, book at La Table des Corderies, where the chef Sebastien Porquet champions the freshest local products.

Or, drive to Le Crotoy for dinner overlooking the glorious bay and dining on more excellent local, seasonal dishes at Bellevue.

Overnight

The Hotel Picardia is a chintz-filled gem of a place, set in a 19th century building. With only 18 rooms (seven are family rooms) and close to the waterfront, this is a favorite so book well in advance.

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04 of 07

Day 3: Glorious Gardens, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme to Montreuil-sur-Mer

Simon Greenwood/Getty Images

Morning

From St-Valery, head north east into the countryside. Make for Crécy-en-Pontheiu which you’ll get to by driving on the D111 through the Crécy Forest. All that is left from the famous battle of 1346 when Edward III did such damage to the French troops using the new six-foot longbow, is the Moulin Édouard III 1km northeast of Crécy on the D111 towards Wadicourt. This was where Edward watched the battle.

The gardens of the delightful Abbaye de Valloires are your destination this morning. From Wadicourt, continue on the D111 to Dompierre-sur-Authie. You’ll enjoy the drive through the beautiful Authie valley before you reach this peaceful spot. The gardens stretch out from the ancient abbey, its warm stone walls forming the perfect backdrop for a series of five themed gardens. Have lunch in the abbey restaurant.

Afternoon

If you’re a garden fan, cross over the river and take the D119 that runs along the opposite bank of the river Authie to Auxi-le-Chateau. From here take the D941 to Frévent, then the D82 to Séricourt. This is a wonderful, slightly eccentric private garden. The garden's 29 themes take you on a walk through war and peace, down a shaded alley of white cedars and under roses and clematis trained on a pergola. Séricourt is featured in the Top Gardens of France.

From Séricourt, take the D340 to Hesdin and Montreuil-sur-Mer for tonight’s stop in the delightful small town abandoned by the sea.

Dinner

If you're staying at the Château de Montreuil, eat at the Michelin-starred restaurant for a memorable meal. Or, choose from various other options in the area. 

Overnight

The Château de Montreuil sits behind a front gate in its own gardens. It’s a gracious, 3-story white-washed building looking more like an Edwardian stately home than a top château hotel. Inside the rooms are a mix of periods and styles; choose the Tudor age in the room with a four-poster, or stay in this century with a more contemporary design. 

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05 of 07

Day 4: Montreuil-sur-Mer to Le Touquet-Paris-Plage

Nicolas Thibaut/Getty Images

Morning

Montreuil itself is a sizable town. Once one of the major medieval ports of France, it lost all purpose when the river Canche silted up in the 15th century, leaving the town to remain in a time warp, ignored by the rest of the country. Today it's a quiet, pretty place with historic ramparts and a citadel that played a part in World War I, good shops and restaurants and a fabulous view over the river.

Spend the morning here then drive the short distance to Étaples, a working fishing port with an intriguing attraction about the local fishing industry, the Maréis La Corderie.

Lunch

Aux Pêcheurs d’Étaples is the place for excellent fish and seafood. You’ll find it above the fish market on the quayside.

Afternoon

Le Touquet-Paris-Plage has always been a magnet for both Brits and vacationing Parisians. It’s a gracious, relaxed seaside town with a whole range of sporting activities from water sports to horse-riding. It is also a top golfing destination. Le Touquet has always been one of the top seaside resorts in France, once attracting the likes of Oscar Wilde and Noel Coward.

Dinner

There are plenty of dining choices in Le Touquet for all budgets. If you stay at Le Westminster, you must eat in the Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Pavillon. Otherwise, try Le Café des Arts  where the French classics are first rate, served in a casual, relaxed restaurant. 

Overnight

Le Westminster is the top hotel in the area, a glorious embodiment of the elegant Edwardian age. It's kept its popularity; signed photos of all the stars and celebrities who stay here line the walls of the public corridors. 

If you want to be outside the main town in a delightful forest and next to a top golf course, choose Le Manoir with its very English-club-like feel. 

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06 of 07

Day 5: Le Touquet to Wimereux

LECLERCQ Olivier / hemis.fr/Getty Images

Morning

Drive along the Opal coast then take the turn to Hardelot-Plage. It’s a haven for children, and for adults there’s the unusual attraction of Hardelot Château. Built on 13th century foundations, it was the brainchild of Sir John Hare who used Windsor Castle as his inspiration to rebuild it in the 1830s. With its mix of French and English influences, it celebrates the entente cordiale. Today Hardelot Château has a delightful, domestic Edwardian interior that comes as a contrast to the very castle-like stone exterior. 

In 2016, a new 338-seater Elizabethan theatre was opened in the grounds. The theatre is open all year round, and is immensely adaptable for theatre and music. The main attraction is the Theatre Festival which runs from mid June to mid July each year.

Lunch

The Brasserie L’Ocean looks over the sea from the large picture windows of the restaurant and from the outside terrace. It’s open all day and has menus from €23.

Afternoon

Boulogne-sur-Mer is a very short drive along the coast. The seaside town is lively, with a top attraction, the Centre National de la Mer (National Centre, Nausicaá). This is a great place for families, with tank after tank of hammerhead sharks, jellyfish, turbot and rays. Don’t miss feeding time for the sea lions who always put on a great show, and the delightful penguins.

Take time to walk away from the harbour and the seaside up to a surprisingly interesting medieval upper town. You can walk around the old medieval walls with their paths, rose beds and garden benches to take time to look at the view.

Dinner

If you're staying at La Matelote, you won't want to eat anywhere else (see below). The restaurant is well known locally, and is always full of locals as well as hotel guests. 

Overnight

In Boulogne itself, there are two good possibilities. In the upper town of Boulogne, book at this charming bed and breakfast. L’Enclos d eL’Evêché has just three rooms which are chic, decorated with great flair. There’s an excellent breakfast as well.

The town’s best hotel is the long-established, very comfortable La Matelote. Opposite Nausicaá, it’s been beautifully renovated and now has a pool, Jacuzzi, hammam and sauna. If you can, book a room with its own balcony onto the sea.

Outside Boulogne at Wimereux, book at one of the most popular, and well-known hotels along this stretch of coast. The Hotel Atlantic has a lovely seaside feel, with rooms overlooking the ocean. It has a spa and the 1-Michelin star restaurant, La Liegoise. 

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07 of 07

Day 6: Wimereux to Calais

LECLERCQ Olivier / hemis.fr/getty images

Morning

After a good breakfast, drive up the coast, past windy sand dunes to the headland: Cap Gris-Nez. All along this part, to Cap Blanc Nez, numerous turn-offs from the road take you to walking paths with stunning views towards England. At Wissant, you get to the long sandy beaches where Julius Caesar launched his assault on England in 55 BC.

Your final drive takes you up to Calais, the port which most people just use as a starting point for their journey through France. But Calais is a surprising place which has spent the last few years renovating its historic buildings.

Lunch

Stop off at La Cote d’Argent on the sea front for top seafood in a modern, spacious restaurant.

Afternoon

Calais has some delightful surprises. The major don’t-miss attraction is the Lace Museum, officially the Cité Internationale de la dentelle et de la mode de Calais (International Center of Lace and Fashion). Calais was once a great lace making centre; here you’re taken through the story. There’s something for everyone: fashion from the past and the present; demonstrations of lace making on a huge industrial machine bought in England, and videos that fascinate with their detail on making the patterns.

The Calais Town Hall and Belfry is a glorious extravagant building, looking much older than it 110 odd years. In the garden, one of Rodin’s Burgers of Calais statues holds pride of place. It commemorates the incident in 1347 when Edward III of England captured Calais and threatened a mass execution of the citizens. He changed his mind, instead deciding that six of the main leaders should be executed. This was too much for Edward’s wife, Queen Philippa of Hainault, who successfully pleaded for their lives.  

There’s a lot more to see in Calais: the huge Notre-Dame church where a young Charles de Gaulle married Yvonne Vendroux  in 1921, and the statue of the couple outside; the excellent Fine Arts Museum, and the old-fashioned but evocative Musée de Mémoire 1939-45, telling the story of occupied Calais.

And that’s all to do before you go shopping, which Calais is famous for.

Dinner

The rue Royale in the medieval fortified part of town is full of restaurants and bars. Book at the Histoire Ancienne, a family-owned and run bistro-style restaurant that serves classic dishes in a friendly relaxed venue. Menus from €19. 

Overnight

The old-fashioned but well renovated Hotel Meurice is near the beach and just a few minutes' walk into the centre of town. A grand staircase at the entrance sets the scene, and the hotel is particularly popular with British visitors. It has a good bar that buzzes into the late evening.

​So ends this tour of fabulous North France. Want to go further? Head up to Dunkirk near the Belgian border where the remains of Operation Dynamo in World War II still lie along the beaches. Outside the town, you can see the Operation Dynamo sites where the fight continued. 

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