We were away last week, our usual five day Easter jaunt down to the Dorset coast to spend time with my family. It's a holiday that I really, really look forward to each year, a lovely, gentle time away from home and a chance to touch base with my family who I only see three times a year. I occasionally question the fact that we do the exact same thing year after year after year (this will be the 9th year of my Dorset Spring blog posts), and very occasionally I think longing thoughts about heading to somewhere warm and European. But essentially, this is a time for me to see my folks and I enjoy being somewhere so beautifully familiar that holds a very special place in my heart. It's very much more than just a short trip away from home for me and I can't see us giving it up, well not any time soon.
As you can see from the above photo, our first morning at our favourite beach café was a wet one. In some ways this weather suited us as the whole place was near deserted (unlike last year when it was warm and sunny and heaving with people). Even though we usually love to sit outside on the decking, this café has a large tent-like extension which allows you to still feel like you are connected to the outside whilst staying warm and dry. Our brunch was as delicious as ever (breakfast ciabattas all round, with a mug of especially good coffee) and by the time we'd finished scoffing, the rain had miraculously stopped falling. So off around the harbour we went....
....marvelling at the unexpected sunshine when just half an hour before it was absolutely tipping it down. The weather was very Jekyll and Hyde for the whole week, pouring rain one minute, bright sunshine the next, talk about unpredictable.
The Sunday morning when we were at West Bay, the tide was high and the wind was gusty so we took an exhilarating stroll along west pier with the waves literally splashing up over the sides. The air was full of salty sea spray, it landed on our faces and the taste of it instantly took me back to my childhood. The Little People thought it was great and took their chances walking right next to the wall in the hope of actually getting a soaking. Mad little things that they are.
The sea was very rough....
....and we could clearly see that a storm was rolling in fast from the West.
It came in at such a rate! We could literally see the rain sweeping along the coast towards us.....
....and we only just made it off the beach and back to the car as the heavens opened.
The stormy weather at the start of our holiday did give us an excuse to stay put in the warmth and comfort of the house, which in my honest opinion was no bad thing. The Little People seemed happy enough watching films, playing on their gadgets and stuffing chocolate into their faces, and I had my crochet bag with me full of colourful cotton yarn. Last Easter when we were down in Dorset I was crocheting my Harmony Blanket, the Easter before that it was my Coast Ripple, so it did feel a little strange to be blanketless this year. I made up for the lack of blanket with a very pleasurable mandala making sesh - I'm making some more large hula-hoop decorations for Yarndale (remember these ones I made in 2014?). I'm using a really lovely free pattern from Bella Crochet blog this time -I'll show you more very soon (currently on my third one, mandalas are sooooo addictive).
A day after the storm had passed (we found out that storm Katie was the cause of the wild weather), we woke to blue skies and sunshine and decided to make it a Lyme Regis Day. Oh joy!
I found that my love affair with this pretty seaside town has not diminished, I love it so very much here.
Everything about it charms me, it's so pleasingly colourful and visual and guaranteed to set my heart fluttering.
In our stroll along the sea front we discovered a tiny new-to-us café here at the edge of the beach called Blue Sea Café, you can see it there in the above photo. I can't resist the lure of a coffee with a sea view, so I took charge and quickly shimmied the family to a table before they could think about denying me one of my favourite holiday pleasures.
I almost squealed when my coffee came to the table and I clapped eyes on the blue and white striped cup and saucer (little things like this please me so much), and the coffee was unbelievably good too.
The Little Peeps had ice cream of course, but I took the above photo to show you how my resident Nail Guru decides to decorate her nails for Easter. Pretty cool eh?
After our lovely mid morning coffee stop, we carried on strolling along the beach....
....and round to the harbour. We didn't really have an agenda, other than to pootle at leisure, which is something I adore doing. I am indeed a very, very accomplished and experienced pootler, I was born for it I'm sure.
It was lunch time now, so we decided to go up into the town in search of some fodder. Up through the gardens we went, with beautiful views out across the beach and harbour below.
Our lunch came from the delicious Cornish Bakery, there is something very satisfying about eating a hot pasty straight from the paper bag whilst sitting beside the sea. We found a bench sheltered by the sea wall with stunning views out along the Jurrassic coast, it was a lovely al fresco lunch in more ways than one.
Sometimes when we are in Dorset we struggle trying to make plans that fit in with the various members of my family, especially when my brother is also visiting with his family in tow. We make a large group altogether (nine adults and five children) and so although I would much prefer to wing it and not make plans at all, I have to toe the line and behave. We managed two large, pre-organised family rendez-vous last week - a superb pub lunch on Easter Monday, and a lengthy morning coffee session a few days later. I absolutely love going out for coffee and am very very lucky that in my normal life I manage to do it most days (well my studio is above a café, which is more than a bit fab). For family coffee outings we usually head to The Hive Beach café at Burton, with fingers crossed for the weather so that the Little People can leap around on the beach whilst we sit and chat at length. It was great to catch up with my brother and his family, to find them well and happy and to watch cousins reacquaint after a few years worth of growth.
This is our new-best-favourite beach at West Bexington which we discovered last Easter, we were here in the middle of last week for an impromptu picnic lunch.
It's so amazingly unspoilt here, and aside from a small car park, some very handy 'facilities' and a quirky little café that is more often than not closed, there really is nothing else here except miles and miles of shingle beach.
After we'd eaten lunch, we sat a while on the beach....
....I get such a rush of happiness seeing my crochet blankets out and about doing their blankety thing! The colours are so bright and happy and absolutely sing out against the more muted colours of the seashore.
I had Little B chattering away to me for a while, then he went off with his big sister to throw pebbles into the sea, leaving me to sit and daydream....
....it was delicious spending time there, listening to the sounds of the sea with my thoughts and memories quietly drifting in and out of my mind. So peaceful.
The last day of our holidays was probably the best day weather-wise. It was still pretty cold but the sky was wearing a most beautiful shade of blue, accessorised with the most cutesome little fluffy white clouds.
As we weren't leaving until late afternoon, back to the sea we went for one final last walk around the harbour. I loved the 'sun pennies' sparkling in the water, it was hard to capture on camera as the light was so bright. Bright and beautiful - oh I love being by the sea so much :)
The Little People were on their scooters this morning, so it was quite a speedy jaunt around the harbour and out onto the pier. We sat a while in the sunshine, breathing it all in whilst the Little Peeps whizzed around us on their wheels. I find myself instinctively trying to capture the essence of that wonderful beside-the-sea feeling that I love so much, as I know I will crave it once I am back home.
Ahh, and here is lunch, so so so good! We bought lunch from one of the little kiosks beside the harbour and sat on the riverside wall to eat it hot and fresh. The Little People had sausage and chips, and J and I shared this pot of freshly cooked whitebait with chips. It was really delicious, simple seaside food eaten greedily with fingers.
And so another lovely Dorset holiday passed quickly and happily, and I am rather pleased to report that I haven't felt nearly so blue about being home again this time. I feel OK, I really do. Kind of a relief really!
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Only just found your web page after gazing at your wonderful cup cake blanket and this blog just brought wonderful memories as i only moved away from Dorset 4 years ago to east Midlands so it was a lovely trip down mamory lane and i just love your cup cake blanket so will order yarn although i already have a roomful of yarn which i will never use unless i become imortal :)
Posted by: Tailormaid | April 18, 2016 at 09:14 PM
I'm really curious - how did you join the squares of the granny square blanket in your photos?
Posted by: Katie | April 16, 2016 at 02:27 PM
Just reading this post has rejuvenated me!
We love Dorset and visit every year (My parents have a caravan at Lulworth)
I love that Little Lady's nails matched the beach huts!!!
Debbie
Essex
Posted by: Debbie | April 13, 2016 at 05:35 PM
Nice read and see photoes from your family holiday in Dorset...nice all time and also cafè moment,lovely white and blue cup!!Very good your mandala too!!Have happy Sunday
Posted by: gabriella adano | April 09, 2016 at 06:07 PM
can highly recommend Dorset house guest house in Lyme regis. Just the best homemade granola and fruit compote for breakfast. We cant wait to go back.
Posted by: Jess Sellars | April 09, 2016 at 04:20 PM
Lovely to read about your holiday to Dorset. It brought back many happy memories of my visits there years ago. The beautiful blankets really added some colour to the pebbles!
Posted by: Sue | April 09, 2016 at 12:52 PM
But the UK is allready European ;)
Posted by: Bettina | April 09, 2016 at 05:02 AM
Oh my goodness what beautiful photos...and that shingle beach is incredible!! About your 2014 photo of those beautiful mandalas....I'm surprised you haven't crocheted a cover for your wall clock!?! :) :) :) Thanks again, for sharing all this loveliness with us! :)
Posted by: Ricki | April 09, 2016 at 12:39 AM
Love Dorset and love your photos. We haven't been down for a few years but you've whetted my appetite. Thank you.
Posted by: Ros | April 08, 2016 at 06:43 PM
Your photos are beautiful, we lived in Dorset for three years and loved it down there. I think doing repeated visits each year is great for families, seeing your folks but also for building your kids memories over the years.☺
Posted by: lindsey toms | April 08, 2016 at 05:50 PM
Idea for blanket colours: Pic 15 from top, Beach Hut doors! of course they are somewhat similar to your cupcake colours, but i know you could make it work! Beach Hut blanket! I really dream one day of being able to visit Dorset, love the works of Hardy and it would be amazing to visit the area. Glad you are feeling better too, keep getting steadily stronger.
Posted by: gina in alabama | April 08, 2016 at 01:29 PM
Your pics make me remember the smells of the salt air in North Carolina's Outer Banks where my in-laws reside. This is the first year in over a decade that we were not able to visit during Easter Break and I didn't realize how much I missed our tradition. Funny how I whine about doing about how boring the same visits are year after year but if we don't do it then I feel like something is missing!
Posted by: Lcf | April 08, 2016 at 02:14 AM
I got my dream holiday to Lyme last October. The kids were off a week before most schools broke up,so it was quiet. Loved the week we stayed and although didn't find many fossils due to odd tide times, we loved the atmosphere and colours of the place.
Can thoroughly recommend Ammonite Fine Foods (they kept giving me samples of amaretto and some lovely mead)and The Writing Room if you love pens. We found people to be either extremely friendly or not chatty at all - always extremes! Lovely to see your photos - we plan a surprise daytrip back there one day this year.
Keep doing the beautiful crochet. Sam
Posted by: Sam | April 07, 2016 at 05:12 PM
I feel exhilarated just looking at your photo's. Especially the sparkling water in the harbour.
We enjoy Lyme too !, although only visited twice . Places are usually much more fun to visit 'out of season '! . AND even doing the repetitive stuff ! I wonder if you got the beach hut / blankie pics nailed ??!!
Sounds like a fab time had by all :)) Lovely and refreshing !
Posted by: ALI DUFTY | April 07, 2016 at 02:28 PM
Hi Lucy, it looks like another wonderful family seaside communion - wonderful photos of such a pretty spot. We have a annual summer family camp-out which I try very hard not to miss.. similar to your family seeing each other this time of year. It's a very good thing. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
Posted by: Teresa Kasner | April 07, 2016 at 06:31 AM
Thank you for all these great pics! Would love to be there :-)
Posted by: Elisabeth | April 06, 2016 at 11:23 PM
Another lovely blog post. We stayed in Lyme Regis in 2006 and although we enjoyed the holiday I don't think we saw the place at its best, as there were extensive sea-front renovations going on at the time, so you literally could not get from one side of the town to the other along the front, or walk on the Cobb, etc. Would love to go again but family commitments are making it hard to plan anything at the moment.
Posted by: Linden | April 06, 2016 at 11:20 PM
Have never been to Dorset but when I finish my Coast blanket I would like to go there.
Posted by: Charlotte | April 06, 2016 at 10:37 PM
Lucy I am so glad to hear you are feeling well. Your pictures are all so beautiful. They make me want to come have a visit. Your mandala is beautiful. the second row before the edge look like tulips. I have'nt made one yet so a mandala has quickly moved to the list of have to make list. I have been on a whirl of blanket making and I have loved every minute of it. This past week I finally bought myself a yarn winder and boy is it ever cool. They remind me of square pancakes. My birthday was the first of April and I bought myself some yarn (of course) a mini stereo and Sam Smith's CD In the Lonely Hour. I love his voice. All and all I have enjoyed my week as well. Much love to you and the family. XXXXXX
Robin from across the pond in the good ole US of A!!
Posted by: Robin Summers | April 06, 2016 at 10:13 PM
Great to read about your family holiday. I used to visit this part of Dorset as a child and this post has brought back happy memories of this beautiful area. x
Posted by: Kim Poulton | April 06, 2016 at 09:59 PM
Thanks for sharing your holiday thoughts and photo's with us, so glad you had a lovely time. There's something very special about being by the sea. Love reading your blog and seeing your crochet creations x
Posted by: Cherie Chudyk | April 06, 2016 at 08:01 PM
Lucy, I think your Dorset holiday posts are my favourites of all the lovely posts you publish. I remember the one from 2014, especially, with great fondness. I'm impressed with how you manage to find different things to photograph and different angles and moods to capture even when you're photographing subjects you've used before. Whenever I look at your Dorset shots, I'm transported to my own holiday in Newfoundland in the summer of 2014, which resulted in five long posts. Thanks for reminding me of the joys of peaceful, happy times by the cold, cold ocean.
Posted by: Anne at Shintangle Studio | April 06, 2016 at 06:57 PM
Looks wonderful and yay for blankets and pebbles, I'm still working away on my seaside themed cosy stripe blanket. As for Katie she blew through here too, taking the felt off my neighbours lovely crafting shed :( thankfully the summerhouse made it through unscaved
Clare x
Posted by: Clare | April 06, 2016 at 06:41 PM
Hi Lucy, Am glad you had a good time in Dorset, my mum is coming from there on Friday to sunny Somerset. I love the storm grey skies in West Bay with the brilliant white of the crashing waves. Another blanket colour scheme- Storm grey, white, moody blues...a darker version of your coastal ripple maybe!! Havent actually been back to west bay or Lyme for a while so its always lovely to see and read your reports about it. Love your blogs. x
Posted by: Julie simmons | April 06, 2016 at 04:43 PM
Dear Lucy, thank you so very much for wonderful sea side trip. I feel like I am with you and family when you take us along with you on these roaming holidays. Your site is a ray of sunshine for me, warming me from head to tippy toes.
I have been following you on line for several years now and muchly enjoy your crocheting,I always find inspiration in your work. There is such joy in your comments and photos. Your children are very lucky to have such a wonderful mum. Your family reminds me of my own lovely mother when I was a child. She always had time to talk, walk, and listen to our dreams and experiences.
Posted by: Kareth Bodman Moore | April 06, 2016 at 03:17 PM