Easter Holidays Day #2

An slightly sombre air after the fractured night before; but soon swept away.

I took the boys to the shop quickly and then came back up. In the hour we were out, a truce seemed to have been struck so we all piled into the car and went to Grimness.

A winner for two reasons - it always has seals and it has the pirate / smugglers' cave walk.

Sun was shining, the sea was a million shades of blue, iridescent and inviting. As we pulled up after fully - oh - 2 miles - of driving, there were 3 seals just off to our left.
Car parked, an excited exit to the beach and we all piled out en masse to gawp at them. They wagged tails and tossed heads to ooohs and aaahs and eventually we tired of them just before they tired of us.

In the 10 minutes we watched and the sun beat down, the mood lifted and that was that. We had a brilliant walk down the cliff to the beach, watched anemones in rock pools, went into the cave, sat and basked, threw stones, shouted and got echoes. A magical hour all together.

Back for lunch and then to - the Kirkhouse. Given my brother's less than enthusiastic phone calls and his wife's stoic refusal to accept I might have had good reasons, I was nervous. But we rocked up, the three older ones played together, the three younger ones formed their own splinter group and she lay in the sun up the road, peaceful, glass of wine, pottering quietly.

We bounced on the trampoline, threw footballs for Hughie, stroked the hen chicks, drove the tractor mower.

Then up the hill to an Asha sale and we had home made hot cross buns, tea and bought an elephant cushion cover for G for her new bed.

A great couple of hours although I can't help thinking we missed a trick not introducing M to S, but....

Back up, kids dis a fashion show, watched Britain's Got No Talent, and eventually one by one the kids dropped off. G again was steadfast in her refusal to go, but after a fraught hour, peace prevailed and that was day 2 done.