Skipping Stones

Took the wean and Lola out to Bray after school. Perfect evening, dusk deepening slowly, leaving enough light to curdle on the sea, making the horizon almost do that vanishing trick. We tried skipping stones, like the dad in the picture. But there seemed to be a shortage of flat pebbles and with a camera and Lola to negotiate it proved a bit tricky; and the wean didn't manage any better. His left-handedness worked against him, though he can throw a very accurate basket-ball. Later I bought him chips and chicken nuggets in Henry & Rose's, and the lovely Barbara was still running things, as she was 25 years ago when I lived around the corner on Westview Tce. with my cousin Dave.

There's a new ice-cream place on the prom, so I bought him dessert, as I'd promised. He was an angel, as he often is on such outings, well-mannered in the chipper, calm and generally undemanding. When we got home he reverted, just a wee bit, to his grumpy house-devil incarnation, but nothing too extreme. He was tired I guess. Roll on the weekend.