Bracklesham

Daddy and Bear, practising balancing. Bear's pretty good. His attitude is "yeah I can balance. Next?"

Beautiful beautiful day. Lazy morning, slow morning, breakfast, moodling. Sorting out the tent. Warming up. Chucking the boys outside. Wondering whether to walk to the beach, being put off by a few spots of rain - which turned to nothing, but sent us back for the car nonetheless! Said hello to some neighbours to offer them the use of our tent for if it did start to rain.

Off to the shops with a sleeping Bear. Bought new wetshoes for Bean, new crocs for Bear, some toys for the campsite. Back to the campsite to chat to reception, who had matched up Gerald and Julie's need for a pitch next to us with a booking who'd either gone early or who'd cancelled - hurrah! We stayed and played for a little while, Bean made friends with the neighbour's little boy who was a little younger and had autism, and then made friends with one of the neighbours (and spent almost all his waking hours at the campsite with her from then on!). Gerald and Julie arrived and pitched up, and off we all went for a walk to the beach for a fish and chip supper. Bean had his new wetshoes on of course. They are red and blue, like spiderman.

The right footwear apparently makes ALL the difference to one's approach to the sea. No longer afraid AT ALL, Bean went straight in. Under the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to have a carry or a shoulder ride back to the campsite if he got wet, he waded in and jumped waves and ran in and out - and then tripped and fell in :D of course that was all he needed, he no longer had any problems with getting soaked... Bear would have loved to have gone in as well but as we were thoroughly unprepared for either of them to actually go in the water there was no way he was going in as well!

BUT Bean learned that wet wetshoes are not the most comfortable shoes to walk back in, along a very bumpy rocky stoney road, when you are cold and soaking wet :( Eventually daddy ran back ahead to fetch crocs, which were MUCH better for walking home in.

And we'd booked a campfire grate thing for the evening for which Steve undertook the duty of getting going. We were determined to use as much of the firewood we'd bought as possible so the very sudden and very sharp rain shower which sent us scurrying for cover (and which made the boys realise they were very much ready for bed) did not deter the fire makers, and once it had passed (it lasted maybe 5-10 minutes if that) they were back outside again, warming up. Gerald and Julie headed off to sleep not long after I'd finished putting the boys to bed, but Steve and I stayed up way past any sensible bedtime, determined to use up the logs, watching the flames and sparks (there's a few sparky pics), just enjoying companiable silence for the most part.

Ahhhhhhh. It's good to be able to breathe.