We have actually been to Abberton many a time before with all the children but have never really explored as all they have ever wanted to do is picnic (they do love their food, our lot) and go on the climbing equipment and we have never had the heart to insist that they drag their little limbs around the whole site.  Okay, that may be a partial lie – we have probably just wanted an easy life and couldn’t be doing with the inevitable moaning that would have accompanied leaving the adventure playground!  We have also never purchased anything from the café, bar the odd ice cream, so thought it would be nice to sample their bakes!  It’s free to park, completely buggy-able and they just ask for a, I believe, voluntary donation for the Essex Wildlife Trust.

As always, it was pretty windy but the sun was shining so it was a coat on/coat off kind of a walk.  We tried to check out one of the hides but there was a “twitcher” in situ and we thought he probably wouldn’t really appreciate our wittering on whilst he was trying to .. twitch?!  (Why are they called twitchers? Answers on a postcard.)  We continued walking and our chat turned to the subject of Sister X’s workmen, currently doing some renovations for her, and the fact that they were rather ‘Diet Coke break’ easy on the eye.  Unfortunately, after much merriment on the subject we came to the rather sobering realisation that they were probably young enough that we were actually, possibly – biologically at least – old enough to be their mothers! Oh the shame …. the shock when you realise, suddenly, that you aren’t 21 anymore!  Clearly, it was time for emergency cake!!

Today, I went for one of my staple choices (not risking going rogue again after the disappointing lemon cake last week, oh no!) – carrot cake.  £4.55 for a slice and a cuppa.  I can’t actually remember what the other two had but, having studied the photo it looks as though Sister X had some kind of chocolate-crunch-cakey-flapjacky type of thing and Sister Y?  I’m going with either orange or ginger.  Apologies, I must pay more attention or possibly take notes – this is the main purpose of the blog, after all!  Anyway, ‘dry’ is the adjective that sprung from their lips when I asked what they thought and I’m afraid I have to agree.  Mine was also a bit warm and the frosting was melting.  So not great cake but a lovely, light and airy café with lots of space between tables and views out over the reservoir.

We were actually there for quite some time – the conversation turning to the perfect subject to pair with cake: our children’s personal hygiene habits.  I will not reveal which of our children was the source of the hilarity to save embarrassment but one of us discovered with horror that the face cloth we happily cleanse our pores with on a daily basis also has a second use.  Imagine the delightful family morning bathroom scene if you will . . . Mummy, upon finishing her facial cleansing routine, places her cloth on the side of the sink and busies herself with her next ablution.  In wanders a certain offspring, picks up the cloth and begins enthusiastically cleaning a particular part of his anatomy with it.  ‘Oh no darling, that’s my cloth.  I use it on my face.’ He smiles, ‘I know Mummy.  I use it every day too!’  And with that information, cake lovers, I leave you ……!