Made from scrap

Made from scrap
All's well

Followers

Total Pageviews

Sunday 29 July 2012

Post Holibob Post

Wow, blue sky.  After the deluge of rain this Summer our journey to Somerset 'Land of the Summer People' culminated in the discovery of blue sky and hot sunshine.  Our destination was Dunster Beach.  It was a journey of nostalgia and familiarity for me.  Every year my family had a tradition of going to Dunster Beach for their annual holiday.  Long before I was even thought of.  My grandparents and Aunts and Uncles would have 'chalets' each and holiday together.  Then as a child every year it was the destination of our annual one week Summer Holiday.  Every year I would be so excited to get there and the three hour journey seemed like an eternity.  The week meant freedom, fresh air, the seaside and making holiday friends.  One year eleven members of my family booked the same week and then three more came to join us.  They were happy times.  Digging sand castles, flying kites, collecting shells, skimming stones, playing 'French Cricket on the beach, games on the putting green and lots of other activities.  I was always very sad to be going home and would often sob in the back seat of the car.  I have taken my boys on some crazy 'adventures' but never to Dunster Beach.  This year it had to be done.  We were blessed with glorious Summer weather for the entire week.
It made one dog very happy.  She made it her mission to clear the beach of 'Birdies', she enjoyed chasing the gulls and water waders.
It also made two boys very happy (for most of the time)!  They enjoyed the sea and sand.
Every year 'hole' digging took up a large proportion of our time as children.  It had to be done this year.  One morning at about 7.30am, Euan and I set to work on our 'Fort'.  I still have the blister to show for it!  He went and got his brother out of bed at about 8.30 to come and join us.  We had a fort with a moat and were all ready to do battle and defend our fort when the tide came in.  Ahem, their was just one problem. . .we waited and waited and shrieked and shouted as the tide got closer and closer.  It filled a channel that lead to our moat and then. . . epic fail on my behalf. . . the tide turned and went out again!  Doh!  It came so near yet so far to our fort!  I needed my brother who is the 'Dunster Beach Hole Digging Expert'.
This was the view out of the back of our chalet.  I am a little disappointed in myself for not taking more photographs, but I have had bad experiences with sand and cameras in the past so I did not carry my camera with me much.  Just over the fence is a lovely lake and we had ducks, coots and geese parading past our chalet daily and providing much entertainment for myself.  Coots are hilarious and quite like chickens in their manner.  The lake is teeming with fish, carp and trout.  There are some ancient whoppers and hundreds of young fish.  Fish feeding and duck feeding has always been a big part of my 'Dunster' holidays.  I was worried I would drop my camera in the lake so I didn't take the camera fish feeding either.  My parents had a chalet too, far enough away to get some respite from us!  One evening me and my Mom were fish feeding while my Dad was with the boys, we were lucky enough to spot a Kingfisher twice.  That was a treat.
Also right outside the chalet were clumps of 'Evening Primrose'.  They stay closed during the day and open up at night.  I was up early every morning thanks to my 'sofa bed' so I managed to snap these before they closed.  The boys slept in bunk beds as the chalets are rather small, Henry had the top bunk that had a dodgey broken ladder. . . he offered to swap beds with me to relieve me of my solid sofa bed, very chivalrous of him but I have more chance of moving a mountain than mounting a top bunk with a dodgey ladder.  After camping and Yurting I found a chalet pretty luxurious, we had running water, electricity, a cooker and a loo!  There was even a TV which I had to switch off and police to insist the boys went and found other things to do.  Now I hate to complain. . .but. . . it was awfully bloomin hot!  Every day it was boiling and us redheads do not fair well in scorching sun, even with our factor 50 suncream.  There was nothing to be done but give in during the day and just chill out around the beach and chalet, it was much too hot for day trips with a large black dog.  It would have been dreadful to travel with her in the car.  She is a good dog and likes the car but not in the heat.  It was a relaxing, non eventful week of mucking about.  I did take the boys to the 'Arcades' a couple of times and Euan has to be the luckiest, jammiest person in arcades.

He actually wins and comes out with more than he went in with.  Henry takes after his mother and blows his money and has nothing to show for it!

I had forgotten how much fun 'Air Hockey' is and when playing my sixteen year old I am actually pretty competitive!  He won though!
              I am dreading Weight Watchers weigh in.  I had to have Cream Teas, yep plural, I had to have fish and chips's, yep plural, I had a delicious 'Ploughman's Lunch' with pickles and huge chunks of Somerset cheese and bread. . .in fact I am thinking of retraining as a Ploughman just for the lunches!  I also had to have an ice cream. . . yep I was good I had just the one!   I had a fantabulous time, so much so I want to book again and pay my deposit for next year!
               The chickens were delighted to see me.  They were two eggs each day that I was away.  Then on my return there has been three eggs a day again!  My partner also had to have the TV on for the old Budgie while we were away as he was quiet and lonely.  He kept trying to talk to my partner in the evening but I know my partner would not have chatted back as much as I do!   Maybe I should consider a 'travel cage' for next time and the budgie can come on his holibobs too?  The garden is in need of much attention and today I noticed that our large freezer had somehow got turned off while we were away.  It was full and everything was ruined!  Gah!  Never mind I will have to get creative and get it full again.  I did manage some crochet while we were away but it is not very worthy of a show and tell just yet.  I am glad to be back, with the washing machine on overtime, the internet. . . Blogland. . . my bed. . . and my feathered buddies.  Home Sweet Home!   

19 comments:

  1. Welcome back, glad you had a lovely time and such brilliant weather.
    Sorry you had to return to the freezer disaster. I'd cross examine the budgie!
    That magazine seems to be like hen's teeth, hope you find a copy.
    Carol xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Carol, the budgie is 'keeping stum' I think he is still sulking! I think I will give up on the magazine but it does look lovely. :)

      Delete
  2. Yay! You are back. I always look forward to your posts. Don't worry about WW meetings. If you can't enjoy the holidays then what is the point? You do so well on the program when you are home and doing your everyday routine. Glad to have you back in blogland. XOXO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hiya Kashi, it is good to be back in Blogland...it was a challenge without wifi for a whole week! :) x

      Delete
  3. So good to have you back again :) It sounds like you had a marvelous time! That is excellent to be able to take your boys to a place of such significance to you. Despite all of the good times you had, I'm sure you're glad to be home in the end. And don't worry about your upcoming meeting. Vacations always call for at least a little bit of a splurge! Maybe you'll get all back to normal here soon with your garden, freezer, and laundry. Glad to have you back!
    ~Lacey

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lacey, splurges rule! Especially on holiday...I think I am as close to normality as I will ever get! :) x

      Delete
  4. Sounds like you had a lovely time. Sometimes I bring my budgie on holidays with me. His cage is strapped into the back seat with the seatbelt and he likes to pass comment on my husbands driving. This year he is not going to be a happy budgie. He is going to his Grans for holidays. He will sulk for a week when he gets back.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Budgies are hilarious aren't they. They do actually sulk. Mine definitely gave the vet the 'Stink eye'. You have to experience it to believe it! I used to travel 350 miles every weekend with a hamster in a travel cage strapped in the front seat next to me. She used to nibble her cucumber happily. So I guess I could travel with a cross budgie! lol

      Delete
  5. Yeay! Missed you. So glad the sun shone for you all. Oh! Your post back such happy memories. My great uncled owned one of those chalets. He was the vicar at Honiton and he even wore his dog collar on holiday ( not only his dog collar you understand. No shades of grey hereabouts!!!) He was a flambouyant character married to Elsie 25 years his senior and they used to ride a tandem everywhere.
    Thanks for giving me such a happy morning xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a small world. Your Uncle sounds like a fantastic character, the best of British eccentricism. Those chalets now sell for a small fortune. I can remember the good old days when the chalets did not have toilets! Apart from that they have not changed at all. Nice little neat rows of all different shades of green. There is a rule you can paint them whatever colour you like as long as it is green. :) x

      Delete
  6. Welcome back to bloggy land :-) Good the weather played ball for you and it looks like a fun time was had by all. I'm blonde and have the same problem with the sun as you, I go from blue to white to bright red then it all peels off and I start again, would love to go a lovely brown colour but that would never happen!
    Awww the chickens must be thrilled your back and the budgie has you to matter with again, it's always good to be home in the end :-)

    Lori xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We just have to accept we will never tan! :( Even a fake tan looks dreadful. I hate sun burn. The budgie is still having a little sulk, once he starts to chat again I will wish he shuts up! lol :) x

      Delete
  7. Sounds like you had a lovely time. Reminded me of holidays we had when I was young - happy memories. It's nice to get away but always nice to be home again isn't it :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is what it is all about isn't it...creating happy memories and then getting home to your own little bed again! :) x

      Delete
  8. Oh Lucy sounds like you had a great time and you were lucky with the weather. Beaches and boys go well together don't they, we always head to the beach for our hols even though we live by one! Our boys would spend hours on sand sculptures, holes and rock poll damming, happy days. They all do there own thing these days and we are off on our own..............to the beach, for hole digging, sand sculptures and rock pool damming LOL!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good for you Sue! The beach seems to bring out the inner a child, it is just we can disguise it when accompanied by 'kids'. My blister from digging holes was the biggest which must show I tried the hardest and took it more seriously than the others! :) x

      Delete
  9. Hello Lucy
    of course you've had a good time you've been on holiday to my home town....well actually Dunster is just down the road from Minehead where I grew up,but I was born in Williton which is on the way to Taunton. I used to cycle to Dunster at the weekends to play with my friends and to muck out stables at the riding stables situated at the bottom of Conyger hill to get a free ride. We used to muck around in those woods leading to Conyger Tower and in Winter get our conkers from this huge tree in the same woods up that hill. Jeez we had some fantastic times!

    Of course you had to have a cream tea while you were there I mean its just unthinkable not having one...its like offering an insult to all of Somerset if you visit the county and don't have a cream tea. Its what you call getting your priorities right and having a cream tea in Somerset is a priority! :-)

    Keep well

    Amanda :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Me again
    I forgot!!! I have my first giveaway on the go and its open to everyone,so do pop by if you have time :-)

    Amanda :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a great vacation! I stayed home for my week off work and loved it,too, but to sniff a sea breeze wouldn't be bad...

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate and enjoy reading all of the feedback from your comments. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and sharing your thoughts. Sadly I have found it necessary to enable word verification, something I was trying to avoid...but I am receiving an unmanageable deluge of Spam! We don't want that do we? xxx :)