Thursday photo #275

After another week of exploring the UK in our camper van, the girls have had yet more brilliant experiences. We’ve also had our fair share of mud. Thankfully, by the time we arrived in Northumberland the weather was on the turn. Unfortunately, they’d had weeks of fairly terrible weather before we arrived so the campsite was like a bog. 

Body boarding

A few years ago, we bought the girls a cheap body board each for a beach holiday. Dressed in their wetsuits, off they went into the sea. I can’t remember how old they were at the time, but neither of them really took to it. It was a bit chilly, they weren’t confident enough in the water and quite frankly they preferred to build sand castles. 

Since then, we’ve tried it a few more times and they’ve never really loved it. This week though, we had an idyllic day on Bamburgh beach. The surf couldn’t have been better for body boarding. Large waves that weren’t too fierce, weather that was warm but not too hot. So, on went the wetsuits and out came the body boards. 

This time, it was a success. Lia stayed in the very shallowest area and didn’t really get into body boarding, but enjoyed being in the sea. Libby on the other hand, was straight out into the sea with her board. As soon as she caught a wave that took her all the way into the beach, she was hooked. In fact, the only thing that got her out of the water eventually was the cold. Now, we’re all looking forward to many more days playing in the sea. 

Catching up with friends

We’ve never been great at booking holidays in advance and this one was no exception. We’d talked about going to the Orkney Islands, but realised August wasn’t the best time to visit. We settled on Northumberland for our second week of exploration because we’ve had a couple of brilliant holidays here over the past few years and it’s a beautiful destination. 

Northumberland also happens to be a short distance from where two good friends live. I first met Mel when we worked alongside each other over 15 years ago. We didn’t do the same job or spend much time together at work, but she was one of those people I just clicked with and we’ve been friends ever since. So since she moved to Scotland a few years ago, I’ve found an excuse to go up there every year and fit in a visit. 

I got to know Jenny through blogging and we’ve met up a few times since, both with the children and on our own. Visiting Jenny when we’re on holiday is always great fun, because the children get along so well that we tend to just let them do their own thing. They require very little input from us. 

Meeting up with Jenny and Mel so far from home has made me realise how terrible I’ve been at catching up with friends who only live a couple of hours away. So this week, I’ve been sending messages I should have sent years ago. Arranging catch ups with old friends, knowing full well that after all this time we’ll carry on where we left off. As if we’d only seen each other yesterday. 

Thursday photo #275

This photo of the girls in their swimming costumes and wellies captures their personalities perfectly. They haven’t cared about being knee deep in mud, they’ve made the most of every minute. In the campsite splash pool, on the beach, visiting castles and taking it all in their stride.