Rhosilli

Rhosilli Bay at sunset

AWFUL night. Slept in the bunk beds because we were too knackered to get the sofa bed out, and so although to begin with it was lovely with both boys cuddled up with me, I forgot that they both insist on rolling over eventually! So I got very little sleep what with the wriggling and fussing with blankets and both wanting a stupid amount of milk all night. They are both exhausted and out of sorts and until we go home I don't think they're going to reclaim any sleep. Steve has realised why his mum used to think that a two-week holiday was too long, a week was too short, and a week and a half was just about right. I'm inclined to agree!! But if we went home now we would probably miss out on the nicest weather of the fortnight... and I've only just started to get to know Therese and Iselin!

Steve took Ben and Charley (at Ben's request) for a walk to the beach this morning. We had a small-family morning, to give all the children a bit of a break. Mum and Therese went on another laundry run, Dad took himself off for a Walk, and I stayed in the cabin. Pottering. In peace and quiet, listening only to the ringing in my ears. Did a bit of sorting and packing, a bit of cleaning, a bit of sewing (my glove monster now has a kind-of twin), and a patch-job of painting my nails. The sun was shining. It was lovely.

Lunch: everyone descended on our chalet for a picnic lunch on the grass outside. Very noisy, messy, fun, happy. Dad escaped to his room!

Then we went separate ways again. Steve and Ben to the beach, Dad fell asleep, Chris and Therese took their brood up to the cabin but I think the idea was to get the twins to sleep and take the older two to the beach for a bit. Mum and I headed into Sketty to some second-hand shops, she'd seen some bits earlier that might catch my eye! As it turned out the blue kilner jars didn't reach out and grab me but in a different shopI did find treasure: a Royal Albert milk jug for £3; and a matching set of teacups, saucers and side-plate knock-offs for £5. It was so tempting. I thought I'd struck gold and went back in to look at the tea set more closely and thought I must have remembered the design wrongly when it turned out not to be Royal Albert after all, but I 'd bought the milk jug, and got a single cup, saucer and side plate to go with it. They are very pretty and they all match, just the jug is a Royal Albert real deal and the cup and saucer is a fake. I just need another single pretty teacup and a sugar bowl, and my afternoon tea for two will be complete ;-)

Back home in time to make an early tea of macaroni cheese and Charley conveniently woke up and demanded milk so I got out of that one!

Dinner was early so that we could bundle the kids into the car in the hope they'd fall asleep on a drive to Rhosilli Bay. Well, Ben and Charley did! We got there and the clouds had parted a little and the tide was on its way out. Three million feet down to the beach later we did some beachcombing and exploring, hoping to see the famous Helvetia wreck but much of it is gone now. The clouds came back in and obscured the sunset but it was a lovely evening expedition! All wrecked after the climb back to the cars, and home for hot chocolate and immediate bed. Ben lay down on the floor after being carried in from the car and said, sorrowfully, "mummy I'm sooo tired..." and was asleep on my lap within minutes while I had my drink.