At the seaside

A break from bookshop blogging: today I went to the seaside with a friend from church. Yes, it's January. Yes, we went to the seaside. Yes, I know you'd already cleverly got it figured out that I'm mad. Call me Irish. Anyway.
It was a glorious day:

And I think my friend enjoyed it too, which is particulary nice because she's got to be in hospital most of the time.

We went to De Panne (Flemish), AKA La Panne (in French translation), AKA The Breakdown (if you're being boorish and wanting to translate it into English). We both know it from having done Missions Vacances there. It's different in winter without the crowds, beach huts and inflatable giraffe. However it still had a good friterie (many actually, but one with which we're acquainted), a lovely choclaterie (same) and people on multi-person cycling contraptions. In fact, apart from it being a little too cold, I prefered it to summertime La Panne.