sam_tom_sam | In which Sam Tom has a weekend of cream and waterfowl

I had a largely good weekend, during which I received a visit from Jack, who was keen to escape the drilling and dizzying paint fumes in his office in London for a few days. On Friday we went on the train to Topsham, to do a circular walk from that station down into the town, along the waterfront and round past the bird hide. The weather was drizzly but not too cold, and it turned out to be quite a lovely day in other ways. We went to a charity shop where I scored Wild Boy, Andy Taylor's autobiography, for just £1.50. Then we went to a big antiques centre on the quay. It was three storeys tall and full of interesting items, many of which were not too dear. I couldn't resist buying a large white stuffed cat with a grave expression, which I saw sitting in a little wooden toy cart. He is 17 years old and oddly lifelike. I have called him Hilary.

I was keen to show Jack the wigeons and other waterfowl I had spotted the other day with Mrs Lyle. Upon entering the bird hide, we were surprised to find the BBC Autumnwatch crew inside! They were filming the arrival of avocets from Holland. They were all very nice and let us look through their telescopes, which was awesome as I was able to see not only the smart black and white avocets, but also lapwings, curlews, wigeons and egrets up really close! Apparently the programme is airing on BBC2 this Thursday so I will have a look at that.

After all that excitement we needed a drink, so we went to the Lighter Inn by the quay and enjoyed some sandwiches, crisps, cider and ale. By the time we got back it was dark and throwing it down with rain, so we had a cosy evening in watching films. No attempts were made during the weekend to sample Exeter's nightlife, as I couldn't see anything going on (except for an 80s new wave night at the Cavern that I didn't see until it was too late).

On Saturday Mrs Lyle was enlisted to take us to Budleigh beach, where we went round the charity shops and bought quite a few items, including some small shot glasses and a sake set. We then walked along the windswept beach and had a cream tea at a place called Tea and Tittle Tattle that felt like a middle-aged lady's front room. The scones were clearly home-made and were delicious, with a crumbly, cakey texture. There was also plenty of cream, which isn't always the case in these places.

On Sunday we went on the train to Dawlish, where we harrassed for bits of pasty by the most aggressive seagulls I have ever met. I threw bread for the black swans and even fed some lovely Muscovy ducks by hand. Jack stood and watched at a safe distance. What nice birds they are, the way they amble along looking stately and slightly disapproving with their bright red wattles is quite engaging. The walk along the pier was quite exhilarating, dodging the waves crashing over the sea wall. I'd have liked to have stayed longer but the weather was just so cold, and it was nice to go home and eat Quorn cottage pie and then apple pie and cream (2 pies in one meal! Score!).

Today Jack went back to London and I worked on a translation all about tea and project management. I do not like the project management jargon but the descriptions of tea are nice.