February began with a solo parenting stint. The big dude headed off on a work trip, leaving me and the little dude to hold the fort for a few nights. We skipped a Frank Black gig — the little dude insisted on a 5:30 AM wake-up call, and I prefer to avoid venturing out after sunset anyway. A planned Chinese New Year gathering fell through, but the batch of homemade spring rolls I made for the occasion didn’t even last a few days between the two of us.

Half Term in Cromer

Escaping to Cromer: Saturday 15th Feb - Sunday 23 Feb

We spent eight nights at the Cromer Country Club. We drove through sleet and snow before arriving at our accommodation in the darkness.

Chronological Highlights

Sunday 16th Feb: The High-Fibre Casualty

The big dude spent day one entirely bedridden. He had consumed two-thirds of a box of high-fibre cereal the previous afternoon and paid the price. The little dude and I abandoned him to wallow in the cottage and hiked into town ourselves to stock up on supplies.

Monday 17th Feb: Recovery and Risky Platters

With the big dude vertical again, we made a collective trek into town under cold, windy, but clear skies.

Dinner at the Amber Bar & Restaurant (located at the Country Club) was uninspiring. The little dude turned his nose up at his own meal selection, leaving his garlic bread and sub-par nuggets untouched after two cautious nibbles. I took a gamble on the seafood platter while the big dude opted for beef goulash.

Wednesday 19th Feb: The Games Room and The Seafood Strikes Back

The gamble failed. The big dude woke up queasy after finishing off the leftover prawns and dip from my seafood platter. While he recovered (and worked), the little dude and I retreated to the games room to build slimes.

By evening, we salvaged the culinary run at No 1 Cromer. The starters — scallops and a crab soufflé — were superb. The mains were immense; the big dude’s plaice and chips arrived looking impossibly huge, and my sea bass was fresh. The little dude demolished his meal, solely motivated by the fact that it arrived in a plastic beach bucket with a spade. We tapped into our emergency dessert stomachs for an almond tart and ice cream.

Thursday 20th Feb: Lazy Birthday

Did absolutely nothing today, played Nintendo all day, made some bacon butty for lunch, fish fingers for dinner.

Friday 21st Feb: More lazing about and eating

Made pancakes for breakfast/brunch, then lazed about.

After missing out on a fully booked primary dinner option (Gibson’s), we stumbled into The Red Lion. The pub delivered. The steak and ale pie was solid, the roast pork hit the mark, and the little dude approved of the fancy chicken nuggets. Dessert followed: two scoops of ice cream for the kid (pistachio and chocolate), and I forgot what I had …

Saturday 22nd Feb: The Seal Hunt

We forced ourselves to do something other than eat. Following a tip-off from the big dude’s evening run, we targeted Horsey Beach for seal-spotting.

We fueled up on bacon butties at Seal View Winterton — which had a car park AND a cafe — before starting the trek.

The walk spanned an hour through brisk winds, grass dunes, and miles of empty golden sand. After about an hour of walking, eureka! — we finally found the seals! We watched them until sunset, before sprinting back to beat the car park’s closing gates.

 

Sunday 23rd Feb: Home via the Bug Parc

We checked out, drained our remaining loose change into the slot machines trying to win lollipops, and drove to the Bug Parc.

After a stellar waffle lunch, we hit the exhibits. Note that this was probably one of the best meals we’ve had at an attraction’s cafe!

The park features excellent bug talks, karts, playgrounds, and massive jumping pillows. The big dude enjoyed it most, volunteering to handle giant centipedes, giant snails, and cockroaches.