Could it be.....?

Today we have had the first sunny day since we got here a week past Saturday. It had rained EVERY day up till today and I was seriously wondering what on earth I was going to do with three kids. There's only so much Top Gear they can watch - at least before I go mad anyway.

At the thought of a sunny day out, we piled in the car with grandma today and headed up the coast. I was planning to visit Alnwick Castle as it's a few years since we did that and the Duchess hadn't finished her rennovations then, (not that we were going for tea or anything). However, on the way up the glorious Coastal Route, I decided on Warkworth Castle instead as it's slightly closer. (We are spoilt for choice when it comes to castles up here.)

Spent most of the time yelling at 12 and 5 year old boys to stop climbing and pointing out the plethora of signs forbidding such activity. Little one can't read but big one had no excuse. I have to say, in his defence, that it was hard to tell the steps from the crumbling walls, but I could just imagine them causing the remains of the reamins of the castle to land in a heap at my feet. We then walked into the village for ice cream and I spied about five gorgeous large cottages that I can buy in another lifetime somewhere in the future.

Then over to the beach where it wasn't cossie weather and the water was a bit too cold to be tempting anyway. The kids found the monster sand dune (or goon as the little one calls them) and off they went. Alas, not two minutes had passed before I saw queenager searching frantically in the sand. Despite having handed over her dangly ear-rings for safe-keepng, she had forgotten about dearly loved, but too large ring, which came flying off the finger as soon as the first dune jump was attempted. A half hour search resulted in nothing, surprisingly. 12 year old then performed a foolhardy jump from a ridiculous height, hit his head on the sand and nearly killed a passing toddler when he rolled over his foot.

Impending grey clouds and a sorely tested ma and grandma made me bundle them back in the car, but not before I either encountered invisible nettles or midges, as my legs are now a fetching pattern of red welts and white bumps. It could also be something to do with the fact that I shaved them rather hastily this morning and slapped false tan on them immediately. When will I learn?

Tomorrow we are off bright and early to Bowness-on-Windemere, another of my fave places. The Lake District is known for its appalling weather so we are armed, but I will be p'eed off nonetheless if the sun doesn't make an appearance.
And now off to pack clothes for every climate!