Dorset :: August 2011

DAY 1 weather report :: heavy grey skies, chilly and blustery.

We awoke to very unsummery weather on the first day of our Dorset holiday. Nevertheless, we still made our customary first-morning-of-the-holiday visit to the sea.

We wrapped up warm and went for a bracing walk out along the pier. Well that's to say that J and I walked. The Little Peeps did speedy things on their scooters and Little B ran his little legs off.

We stood at the end of the pier and watched as a fishing boat sailed into harbour over the choppy grey sea with a cloud of seagulls following in it's wake. It felt quite exciting to witness real bonafide fisherman in action.

I must have walked around this little harbour a gazillion times in my lifetime, and it never, ever, ever fails to lift my spirits. As a child it was all about the taste of mint choc chip icecream. As an adult it's all about the colour of the boats. This little turquoise boat (my Ultimate Favorite Colour of All Time) with it's pinky orange buoys made me swoon.

DAY 2 weather report :: a brighter sky but still quite chilly and breezy.

We headed out to Stonebarrow Hill to view the views and eat a picnic lunch.

The Little People went off exploring nearby and came running back to tell us about the wonderful trees they had found to climb. We followed them into the woods and watched as they climbed and nested themselves proudly in the branches.

Through the woods and out the other side was a huge bramble patch with a narrow pathway running through it. The blackberries were just coming ripe and as they were growing near to the ground they were easily picked by small hands.

We filled a tin mug with glossy black fruits, a small but very delicious harvest.

I love coastal views so much, to me they are the best kind of views imaginable. The colours of sea-meeting-sky does wonderful things to my inner self. Kind of a schizophrenic mixture of complete calm coupled with crazy excitement. And then there is the smell of salty fresh air, the feeling that one's body is being filled to the brim with something intoxicating and wholesome and good.

DAY 3  weather report :: rain, rain and more rain. Buckets of it threw down from leaden skies in a torrential downpour.

Our planned beach picnic with family was cancelled. We set ourselves up for a day of indoor recreation.

My indoor activity of choice is pretty obvious. I sat in my jammies on the bed listening to the rain hammering against the window and lost myself in soothing sea-coloured ripples. The morning was not exactly peaceful (the Little People were at Full Volume for some reason) and there was a slight tense, cooped up kind of  stress-vibe hanging about the place but it wasn't too bad.

Miraculously, the weather made an incredible about turn by the end of the morning and we hastily re-scheduled our beachy picnic plans. It was still really windy mind you, but our trusty windbreak was pulled out of the car and pressed into service. We hunkered down behind it and enjoyed a really lovely outdoor lunch.

High Winds make High Seas, and the waves came crashing into shore.

We were here with my sister-in-law and two nephews who love the sea as much as we do. We sat for a long while as near to the water as we could get, enjoying the salty sea spray making our faces wet. Little B absolutely loved it. He kept laughing to himself every time a wave crashed in. He picked up handfuls of shingle and hurled it at the sea. It was a really lovely, simple, pleasurable way to spend an afternoon.

DAY 4 weather report :: heavy rain through the night, a day of unpredictable sunshine and showers.

The morning of day 4 was spent in Bridport. Visiting the toy shop in Bridport is now a holiday ritual of ours, the LP get very over excited with this particular bit of our Dorset holidays. This year was no exception. We also had Little B to contend with this year though, and to say he loved the toyshop would be a huge understatement. He went completely crazy over an extensive display of plastic ride-on vehicles, he absolutely couldn't believe his little eyes. Unfortunately when we had to remove him from the display it caused a humongous meltdown. It was impressive, the full works. It would've been quite stressy/embarrassing if it hadn't been so funny. His little body was so full of indignant rage at being physically removed from a source of pleasure, he was rigid with anger. Poor wee mite. How unfair to have such killjoy parents.

After a very lovely pub lunch with family, Little Lady and I skipped off together to visit Bridport Arts Centre to see a touring exhibition. As you can see, it was an exhibition of the Knitty Variety, and it was completely fabulous!! I took lots of pictures so will write about it in a separate post I think, it deserves it's own write-up.

Mid afternoon on day 4 and the weather was suddenly incredible. Warm, bright, sunny and perfectly summerish. We headed down to West Bay to meet with my sister-in-law and two nephews for a spot of crabbing.

Oddly enough we have never thought to try our hand at crabbing before, but my sis-in-law had it all in hand. She had The Kit. And she knew just where to go and what to do with it.

The kit consists of a crabbing net on a long line and some very stinky dead sealife to act as bait. You choose your spot and lower the net carefully over the harbour wall until it touches the sandy bottom and you wait. You wait until you think you'll burst with impatience. Then you haul the net up and hope for A Successful Catch.

A Successful Catch causes much squealing and cheering, it's surprisingly exciting to catch a crab. After The Catch you then have to transfer the crab from the net to a clear crabbing bucket. You then get to watch the crab Close Up. And you also get to show it off to many passers by who all want to share your Successful Catch with you.

You repeat this process as many times as you need to in order to satisfy four Little People who all want to have a go at hauling in a Successful Catch. Seven crabs were caught in all, seven crabs were admired, and seven crabs were released back into the harbour to enjoy the rest of their day.

After all the excitement of the crabbing experience we headed further round the harbour for icecream/cappuccino refreshments. You can see how stormy the sky still looks in the distance, I think we were really lucky with our patch of summer sunshine on this day.

DAY 5 weather report:: blue skies with sunshine, breezy winds and skuddy clouds.

In the morning we drove up to one of our much-loved high up places to take in the expansive skies and breathe in the fresh country air.

Driving down from the High Hill I spotted these gorgeous flowers. They were sitting in a jug on a table outside a picturesque thatched cottage so I yelled at J to swing the car in to the hedge, then leapt out to investigate. There were bags of green beans, plums and apples for sale, as well as these beautiful garden flowers. I was totally bowled over by them and bought all three bunches :: orange and pink dahlias and a bunch of sweet peas. I popped the required £2.40 into the jam jar by way of payment and skipped back to the car with a broad grin on my face. As we were on the way to visit my Mum, I gave the sweet peas to her and kept the dahlias for myself.

This is my Mum's cottage, a simple two-up-two-down with an abundant front garden. My poor Mum was complaining at the state of it, that due to her spell in hospital it had all gone "to wrack and ruin", but to me it looked absolutely beautiful.

The cottage sits in an idyllic spot beside a small river where trout jump. We like it here. A lot. We ate a lovely lunch of soup and crusty bread, followed by mugs of tea and Dorset shortbread. Have to say it was completely wonderful to find my Mum looking so well and in such good spirits. She's making a remarkable recovery and spending time with her this holiday was very positive, happy and heart-lifting. So different to the feelings that dogged me through the early summer when she was so dreadfully close to slipping away. Thank goodness. Thank goodness.

Later that afternoon we headed back to the coast to meet with my brother and his family at the campsite they were staying at. What a campsite it is, it's hhhhhhhhhhhhhuge. Mahooosive. Hundreds and hundreds of tents. Hoards of people, kids, dogs. It was ever so slightly mental in my opinion. The location though is unbeatable, it has access to a lovely unspoilt stretch of Chesil Beach. More big crashing waves and salty air to enjoy, followed by a dinner of chips at "The Jurassic Fun Centre". Mmmmmm.

DAY 6 weather report :: an amazing sunrise promising a fine summers day ahead.

Our last day, and we managed to rally a whole family get together. Eight adults and five children. 10.30am at The Watch House cafe on East Beach for coffee and cake.

Thanks to Joey who's lovely blog I recently discovered, I learnt that this once rather shabby and fairly rubbish cafe has now been taken over by the same folks who have The Hive at Burton which I adore. What a vast improvement! Fresh and delicious coffee, homemade cakes and an inspiring food menu. Not to mention the location (perfect for the LP to play in the shingle while the adults sit on the terrace).

The interior is simple, fresh and charming. Large unadorned windows, whitewashed walls with blue tongue and groove below, checked table cloths, wooden chairs, strings of colourful fabric bunting and some delightful artwork on the walls (Joey it looked wonderful!).

And the view from the terrace over the top of a frothy cappuccino??? Fabulous of course.

We decamped from the cafe to the pub (with a spot of crabbing in between) and enjoyed a wonderful family lunch. There's my lunch look :: a heap of crispy whitebait served with warm granary bread, homemade tartare sauce and a salad. A glass of chilled white wine to the side. It was deeeeeeeelish.

So that about sums up our time away....it looks and sounds delightful when I see the images and let the words flow. And mostly it was really good, yes it was.

There were a number of quite stressful times though, most of which revolved around Little B. At 20 months old it can be quite difficult to accommodate him easily in certain situations ie, lengthy cafe/pub sessions where he understandably gets bored. It was also hard work spending time at other peoples houses where they are not used to having small children about the place. Houses with a huge number of precious/breakable objects all at Little B's level. It was blooming hard work keeping a check on what he was up to in this sort of environment. He broke a few things, smashed a plate, ripped a book. You get the picture.

J found it all very trying and it led to a few heated discussions about the nature of our family holidays these days where there is no time to actually r-e-l-a-x. What can you say to that? He is quite right in many ways, taking three young children on holiday IS hard work. It's not relaxing. It's tiring and stressful at times. But maybe he's losing sight of the good things they bring to the proceedings. Their excitement, enthusiasm, zest for life, energy and discovery that is such a joy to be a part of. Maybe I'm just more used to the limitations and frustrations of daily life spent with Little Peeps. Maybe I'm just more accepting of the Way It Is. Who knows.

Ah well. I'm not wishing to sound down hearted about the holiday. It was lovely to spend time with my family, and that for me was the most important reason for being there. To reconnect with loved ones and to touch base with a place that holds my heart. I'm already looking forward to next time.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Linda Gilbert]

Lucy -- I remember holidays just like when my 3 were little. Now they are all grown and we have a Grandson arriving just before Christmas. I just hop we shall be able to share such special times again and see the journey of life through his little eyes!
I am so, so glad your Mum is better.
Just a little reminder for me! I went to Weymouth College and did my Special Study on the Rope and Gundry Ropeworks in Bridport so your pictures brought back some very happy memories for me!

[Linda]

Lovely photo's of your holiday away, thank you for sharing.

Linda

[Pauline]

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog!!
Love your pictures, love your comments to the everyday life story, love your attitude to life itself!

[jbasiletti1967@hotmail.com]

Wonderful photos and memories for you to keep forever.I m so glad your mum is on the mend.xxjulie

[Justine]

We were sitting on that very beach in West Bay just last night, eating fish & chips from one of the kiosks on the harbour. We'd driven down to say farewell to some freinds who'd spent the week at Freshwater - at the same time as your relatives it would seem; there's a coincidence!
I didn't know The Hive team had taken over that other cafe - will defo give it a try next time - thanks for passing on the news!
Glad you had a good holiday; having 2 LPs and Little B to contend with makes things 'different', but still lots of fun!

[louise]

I have really enjoyed sharinh your holiday! Beautiful photos as always.

[Liz]

Thank you so much for letting us share your holiday memories. Your photos are fab and you managed to pack so much in to your time away! Glad that your mum is so much better :-)

[ambothan.blogspot.com]

I remember holidays like this with my babes. Now they're all leaving home!
Best wishes to your mum for her continued recovery.
Jennie

[karen]

What an absolutely wonderful post of your holiday, the photos are so lovely, particularly love your Mom's cottage, its quite fairytale very beautiful.
Thanks for sharing
Karen

[Kashi Griffith]

Thank you Lucy for being you. I started a blog yesterday, you have so inspired me. I know what it is like with the little ones on vacation. You are right though, so worth the trouble. My blog is so new and I am still learning about it, I am going to post pictures today after I finish making supper. I have made so many of the things on your blog and love all your posts. I spent a weekend recently going back to the beginning of your post and reading all of them. I only discovered you this past winter. Take care, the little people grow up so fast. Kashi

[Elizabeth de Sousa Pinto]

Of course it is stressful with children - holidays or not! I often hear men complaining about this, maybe as a mum, we are used to this kind of stress and try to see the positives...I don't know...
I'm sorry to hear that not everything went smoothly for you, but otherwise your holidays sounded marvellous (at least for me) and those flowers - LOVE THEM

[Susanne Tyree]

Enjoyed your post with it's lovely pics. I especially loved the ones of your mum's cottage. There will be plenty of days for fussing with her flower gardens when she is feeling up to par. For right now it would be best that she recovers from her illness. That bending and kneeling among the flowers is back breaking work and one can pay dearly for it for weeks afterward. Young children are not always the best when on holiday, but that is what it is all about being a family and togetherness. When my children were young they hounded us for 2 days, "Are we there yet?" The trip was from North West Ohio to Fort Myers Florida which is just about as far as one can go in that state. It was 3 days of traveling to get there and 3 days to get back home. It was a good 2 week vacation, but there is no place like home and I was so glad to step foot in our front door.

[The Garden Bell - Kate]

Another Charming post this rainy afternoon here in the Windy City for me too read. All that we have that is the same as you are the cloudy skies. Let's see we have NO

Cute Boats on the Water
Buildings that look like Castles.
Fields of Green that go on forever.
Oceans with the sounds of Waves Crashing.
Cutie-Pa-Tutie little ones to make you smile.
Trees that are a 1000 years old covered in Moss.

But, we do have some fun stuff on the hook too.
Flowers from the garden freshly snipped this am.
Dreams of a Vacation without visiting Family.
A change of season felt in the air.
Lots and lots of color to share.

Thanks again for brightening my day.

[Ivana Degmecic]

Dear Lucy,
you lines are always so soft, nice and truthful. Enjoy reading them.
thank you
Ivana

[Just Gai]

I love your account of your holiday. It's so wonderfully human. Life's not perfect. Things don't always work out the way you wish. Yet you've managed to find pleasure wherever you can. It's a rare gift.

[Jean]

I remember how much work those days can be! Maybe the answer, at least partly, is to think of these times as, working vacations. Important to take as a family, for all the good connections they give you and the children. But not expect them to be relaxing visits! I think this can be a male/female thing, although not always. You are willing to be the one to stay home, right now, so maybe it suits you better. I remember being terribly insulted for my children, that their dad did not always find them easy to be around. I wanted us to fit the picture of a happy family and put so much pressure on us to fulfill it! Maybe you could plan to take a vacation for the two of you, that is adults only and very relaxing! Good luck! I know you will figure it out! Thanks for the beautiful pictures and your very honest picture of life! Love your blog and persist in the belief that I would like you as a real person! Cheers!

[Libby]

Lucy - thanks muchly for sharing your wonderful photographs and tales of your travels! So very glad to hear that your Mum is doing well. I remember those vacations with kids. Ours were in a tent trailer and the stress of just parking the thing was enough to get things off to a bad start. But just being able to get away and enjoy someplace different with the boys was worth it all. However, for relaxation we had a friend stay with the boys while we had a weekend together.

[Emma (silverpebble)]

That little turquoise boat made my eyes happy too. A knitted pineapple. How ace is that?

It looks as though you had a good, good holiday.

[Klaine]

Wow! Your mum´s cottage is sooo beautiful! The spot next to the little river is so lovely, I can imagine me sitting there and crocheting a bit *dream*
Best wishes!

[debbie (happy little cottage)]

I love going on holiday with the Attic 24 family! I adored your mum's cottage, the cafe with the gingham tablecloths and the turquoise boat. Oh, and the ocean too!

[Hazel]

Lovely post even with all the bad weather. I know where you're coming from re the last couple of paragraphs. Hope you got my email re Skye shoes. x

[Jude]

So pleased that your Mum is better. Love her little cottage. And the telling of your wonderful sounding holiday. I've always said that my DH is a wonderful father, but a useless Dad; now that sounds like a contradiction but he'd do ANYTHING for them, but has never had any patience with them. We took a "two of us" holiday once. Supposed to be 4 nights in our caravan, just the two of us. Our youngest must have been less than two at the time. We had travelled 100 miles, towing the caravan, set up, had dinner, set up the beds. I was in tears because I missed my "babies". He packed everything up, took me home, and we collected our babies at 1 am, from their Grandma's on the way home.... LOL (MIL thought I was mad, and wasn't amused) But DH just did it. No questions. No sulks because we didn't get our time alone. I hope you never have to test it out, but I'm sure your DH would be the same. ((hugs)) Jude.x PS He has also driven 150 miles stating out at 10.30 pm when our DD's house was broken into and she was scared to be alone. I so *heart* him when he does things like that. :-) xx

[mtk]

Hello Lucy!, my summer is like this, http://www.pickles.no/easy-egg-warmers/

[Liz]

Lucy thanks for inspiring me to blog as well!

http://lifeonsheridan.tumblr.com/

[CecilyMae Handmade]

Hi Lucy, lovely to see the pics of your time down here at last. At least it was sunny for some of it, although it's been a fairly grim August! Not half as much swimming as we'd like. Thanks for linking me, I've had lots and lots of lovely visitors! We were in the Watchhouse the same day - maybe next time we'll bump into you! Joey x x x