Monday 14 July 2008

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!

17 comments:

  1. I hope you do have a good day tomorrow, we are originally from the Lake District. We were there in February and yes it rained!! But what's new right...........

    I do hope the weather cheers up for you,

    Gill from Canada

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  2. Hi EPM! When you get back from the Lakes, hop on the train to Edinburgh and take them to the Castle, the Camera Obscura (which has the most fantastic set of holograms on display), Dynamic Earth, Royal Museum (at least one free thing). Or go to Dunbar and have a surfin lesson when the rain really doesn't make any difference. It has rained here but there's been enough non-rain for the kids to play tennis every day last week. Not holiday weather, though.

    And if you came the middle of next week, you could always house sit for us & explore Edinburgh whilst we're in the wilds of Co Donegal. Where, of course, it never rains.

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  3. Sorry - we have NOT had the best weather for your trip home, have we?

    Meanwhile, DO enjoy the Lake District. It's one of the most special spots in England. Was it Keswick (sp?) that John once took me to????

    Be safe...
    Janet

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  4. Glad you're all having fun back home despite the weather. Won't tell you how hot it is here, but I'm certainly enjoying life 'poolside' at last!
    BTW the reason I bought my house here in the US was the bath tub, it's huge and deep (compared with most here). The double shower helped a bit too!
    xx

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  5. 'Top gear' - 'Thing 1' loves Top gear too. http://rantingsofanexpatmum.blogspot.com/

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  6. Sorry to hear the weather is not treating you kindly, but what's new. Enjoy your day in the Lakes.

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  7. Rubbish weather and sand in your ice-cream. It's what holiday memories are made of...

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  8. Warkworth is lovely in itself...specially when the sun is out and they are playing cricket on the village green - SO English! Good luck with Lake District. If all else fails think Swallows and Amazons...

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  9. Hope you are having a lovely time, despite the weather - lucky you meeting some fellow bloggers - does that include WITN? Just as you arrive, I'm off for a month - so another time....enjoy Lx

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  10. Sounds like you're having a great time! Wave to Scotland for me.

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  11. They say the weather on Sunday will be better ... but then 'they' often get it wrong. Who are 'they' anyway? Have fun in the lakes.

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  12. It keep watching the weather reports and rooting for the North but I'm afraid the only consolation I can offer is that the weather is rubbish down here, too.

    Enjoy anyway.

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  13. The weather hasn't improved much since you wrote this, has it. Have you been watching the golf? Glad I'm not there. As I write this, then sun is out, but then so is the wind (the bane of my existence).

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  14. Oh dear, you are not having much fun! Weather was good this week. Hope it was where you are. I find you need to take rain gear, sun hats, suntan lotion and sun glasses where ever you go in Britain as anything can happen & frequent changes occur all the time. Makes it hard to carry everything you need for a family as I am finding when I take out the grandchildren!

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  15. You didn't really expect summer here of all places did you? I mean the whole of the rest of the Uk can be basking in glorious sunshine while we on the North East coast can hardly see hands in front of faces! Bloody sea fret!

    Didn't you find some dock leaves to get rid of the nettle stings?

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  16. Oh the joys of an English seaside holiday with children! You were obviously having the best of times.
    M :-)

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