Life's A Beach

The thing about living on an island is that you are surrounded by the sea.  The thing about living on an island during a heatwave is that you can go to the beach after school, swim in the sea and eat your tea on the sand - and still be home in time to do your homework.

We have done this a few times over the last week; after school and on Sunday morning, when I really should have been home cooking dinner.  No thanks.  Sunday roasts are for Winter, the beach is for Summer!

My crushing feelings of guilt about doing nothing are slowly subsiding as the temperature increases and the school holidays loom ever closer.  Great Britain is, quite possibly, at the beginning of the longest, hottest Summer in history.  Woweewowee!!!  Bring it on!  I have my shorts, my sun cream and my flip-flops, the children break up on Friday and we will take all the sun we can get.  Thank you very much.  We have endured four absolutely rubbish Summers and so a nice long hot one will see us in the garden and on the beach every day.  I am not mad keen on house work at the best of times, so a cursory whip round with the hoover and a quick flick of the duster will do for now while we get out and enjoy what Nature has kindly sent us to enjoy.

Pea being a keen Naturalist found a Mussel in a rock pool and anchored it down in a bucket and left it with me to look after.  She wanted to know when it opened.  I dutifully checked it now and then but apart from blowing a few bubbles, it didn't seem inclined to do anything more exciting.  My status in life has seriously diminished.  I have been reduced to Mussel babysitter.

 I am, by nature, quite a laid back person, but I am slightly concerned that my Cavalier attitude is rubbing off on my children and filtering down from the beach to the rest of our normally quite ordered lives.  H1 went off to school this morning with his shirt hanging out and a hole in his jumper that I had noticed before but chose to forget about.  H2 has a Devil-may-care attitude at the best of times and he seems to be settling quite happily into the role.  After the beach on Sunday, H1 made Millionaire's Shortbread, his speciality (and the only thing he makes, to be honest).  He made the caramel and turned off the gas, put the saucepan back on the hob with a plastic spatula inside and wandered off outside.  He returned a little while later to find the kitchen smoking quietly to itself and the pan turning black on the hob.  He hadn't quite turned the gas off and the remains of caramel and plastic spatula had welded themselves permanently to the bottom of the pan.  I have tried for the last two days to scrape the layer of molten plastic and sugar off, but I think it is destined for the bin.

I should have hit the roof and gone on about safety in the kitchen, blah blah, but I didn't.  I said he was an idiot and thank God he didn't burn the cottage down and left it at that.  I must try harder to be more...bothered.

Puppy has the right idea and doesn't exert himself any more than necessary.  When the going gets tough, the tough find a nice shady spot and lie down.

Yesterday morning a thick mist rolled in off the sea and engulfed all in it's path, for a few hours at least.  Pea was slightly anxious about it as she had been invited by her friends to one of the island's beaches a little further away from us.

The local weather forecast promised it would all clear up by lunch time, so we had to be content with that.  We drove to collect her friend who then directed me to the beach they would be spending their afternoon at.  Porthdafarch is a tiny, quiet beach of golden sands, rocks and blue sea.  I dropped them off and went home for an afternoon by myself.  As it turned out, my friend came round for coffee and a chat and then it was time to fetch H2 from school.  When Pea rang to ask me to go and get her, the sun was beating down and it was a beautiful evening.

I picked the girls up and drove home.  Pea was limping slightly when she got in the car and they were both very tanned and tired.  They had had a super time and were drunk on sun and sea air.  I asked Pea what she had done and she replied that when the boys wanted to dive into the sea off the rocks, they had asked her to dive under to see if it was safe.  Being a good swimmer, she had been happy to help and keep everyone from bashing their heads in on hidden rocks.  She was in the water for so long her feet became numb and she fell over some rocks when leaving the sea.  She cut them quite deeply and they were very sore.  A good hot shower and some tea at home solved most of the pain and this morning they are healing nicely.  Just part of being active outdoors.

The thing I love about the beach is that you can be yourself.  It doesn't matter how old you are or how cool you are at school.  The boys that joined Pea and her friends yesterday are normally hanging about playing snooker, not really talking to anyone and not really looking at anyone, but on the beach they were relaxed, had fun and enjoyed themselves.  I'm so happy we can have this kind of life style.  Pea has worked very hard for her exams and now she is really able to let her hair down and have fun.

 So, long may the heatwave continue.  After the long cold Winter it is a dream come true to wear summer dresses, have tanned legs and bare feet and take my children swimming in the sea.  On Friday, I am packing a picnic tea and we will take it to the beach and spend the evening there, watching the sun go down and celebrating the end of school for six whole weeks!  Perfect.

Create a bit of beach life for yourselves and thank you for reading. xxx