When I first started writing my blog in the Spring of 2008 I was dancing through the last year of my thirties with two Little People aged three and five. It seems so long ago now (and I've got the two teenagers to prove it), and yet at the same time if often feels to me as if hardly any time has passed at all. I so clearly remember celebrating my fortieth birthday with a weekend away at the coast, thinking that my life was pretty well settled. I thought that my forties would be a slow, happy continuation of my gentle stay-at-home-mum life, with a return to a little bit of stitching work at some point. At that time I had NO idea (absolutely none whatsoever) that by the time my forty-first birthday would rock around that I'd be carrying a baby bump along for the ride!! My my, that was probably one of the biggest surprises in my life journey to date, and completely changed the way my forties unfolded. I also had no way of knowing how my simple blogging hobby and my new found passion for crochet would develop and change my life in such an amazing way. I am so so so SO thankful for this patch of Blogland which allows me to look back through archives which represent a whole decade of my life. I love that through my own words and pictures I can remember so many beautiful little details of extraordinary everyday-ness which tell the story of my Forties.
On Friday, I said goodbye to that precious and surprisingly changeable decade of my life and welcomed in a brand new one - I'm SO flippin' excited to be stepping into my fifties!!!! YAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't explain why, but I just have a deep down feeling that the next ten years will be absolutely marvelous in so many different and as yet unknown ways. I am absolutely full to the brim with happy optimism, and it's a truly great feeling.
It'll come as no surprise to you that for my big birthday day, I wanted no fuss and no special attention. I wished for it to be peaceful and preferably full of sea air, cake and a lot of love and laughs. I was away in London for two days last week (more about that in another post), so I had had my fill of hustle and bustle and all I wanted was a quiet day beside the sea. So after depositing the Littlest Little Peep at school, J and I drove to St Anne's on the Lancashire coast to pootle and potter and be just a teensy bit Birthdayish.
Our first stop was one of our favourite cafe's which sits at the entrance to the old Victorian pier. This cafe is run by an Italian family and the coffee is always extremely good indeed - I was so enchanted with the chocolate windmill dusted on top of my froth, honestly, it takes very little to make me happy. I just had to have some carrot cake too, as it's my favourite cake (just about beats a good lemon drizzle) and one that I often have on my Birthday if I am anywhere that is cake-ish.
After the coffee and cake with a beautiful, cosy sea view, we wrapped up and took ourselves outside to walk along the promenade. Despite a truly awful weather forecast thanks to storm Callum blowing in, we were extremely lucky to find dry weather in St Anne's on Friday.
But blinkin' heck, it was soooooooo windy!!!
There were very few people braving the fierce winds, and we pretty much had the whole expansive beach to ourselves.
The surface of the sand was being blown about making it appear like a moving, living thing. It was mesmerising to watch, as were the seagulls battling to fly in one direction.
I adore coastal walking and felt like I could have happily walked for miles and miles along the expanse of sandy shoreline. The openness of this vast sandy beach is so calming and uplifting, and the gulps of tangy salty air filling my lungs was wonderful. Did I mention that it was a tad windy?? It gave me the most insane hair (which reminded me so much of my 40th Birthday)!!!
There are no cliffs along this beach as the land is very flat along the Lancashire coastline. But the wide sandy beaches are backed by low-lying grassy sand dunes instead and there is something so beautiful about that particular shade of silvery beach-grass green.
I fall in love with it every single time I see it, and love the overall breezy, subtle colour palette. Soft, sandy colours mixed with shades of sun bleached wood and moody, silvery skies and that stunning marram grass green......
.....oh, and the delicate pinks of the pretty shells too. There are always a tonne of razor shells all over the beach at St Anne's, but it's these teensy little stripy pink shells that I love the most. I am sooo tempted to have a play with this natural coastal colour palette, to see how it looks when I start to describe my feelings and memories in yarny stripes.......oh, such an exciting thought!!
We didn't have nearly long enough on the beach really, but the morning was marching on and J and I had a Birthday lunch date on our horizon. We hopped in the car and drove along the coast from St Anne's to Lytham proper. Usually when we visit this part of the coast we stay at the St Ann'es end as we love the down to earth charm of it there. The Lytham end is altogether more upmarket with a thriving high street full of lovely independent shops and cafes. The windmill on the green is a very well known historical landmark (hence the chocolate windmill on my cappuccino) and always amazes me with it's out-of-place feel.
We walked all along the main street in Lytham and I so wanted to linger and browse and take photographs but we didn't have a lot of time to play with. The shops are a true delight, and if you ever get a chance to visit I can highly recommend it. I love places that have a genuine sense of community, and it was amazing to see the old fashioned greengrocers and fishmongers which are becoming a rarity in our small English towns. Next time I'm there, I will snap some pictures to share - the pumpkin display outside Strong's was especially photogenic!
We were headed to a small brasserie restaurant which specialised in Mediterranean and modern Greek food. J chose it after reading reviews online, and it was absolutely beautiful inside as you can see from the above photo.
We ordered from the "Lunch Pronto" menu which included a cheeky glass of vino, and it was utterly delicious I have to say. Such a treat! J and I sat at a table in the window, the sort of table which has tall legs so that you perch on high stools, and it was really very lovely to watch the world go about it's breezy business as we sat and enjoyed lunch.
We left the coast full of good food, sea air and feel-good, and a heap load of very happy Birthday memories.
Back home, and I was content to be cosy and snuggled up with J and the Little People. I opened some lovely presents, drank chilled prossecco and inhaled my latest candle crush (sea salt and lemon, just the most gorgeous zesty, summery, sea-breezy scent). I've not yet changed my mantel from Summer to Autumn, but I'm so looking forward to hanging up my Autumn garland and arranging my little crochet pumpkins from last year......I'll pop that job at the top of this week's to-do list.
And so my fiftieth birthday came to a gentle snoozy end, snuggled up on the sofa with Little B feeling so grateful for my happy home life.
Over the weekend I spent rather a lot of time idling and pondering, running through a good many ideas and thoughts and plans for the year ahead. I feel deep down that good things are going to happen, and I very much hope that I'll have enough energy to keep up with it all. I think this next decade is going to be fabulous!
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Wow!
That's great.
Posted by: Sawyer | January 29, 2019 at 06:47 PM
Love your blog. Smiling as I read it, some similarities to my own life. Also 3 kids and slightly crafty - kids are now teens and dabble in craft not particularly successful. I also had my 3rd for my 40th birthday and find myself wondering where the years have gone as I celebrate? my 50th and assess where I'm at in life. Still forget I'm not 34 - remember as I get up in the morning on wet days. :)
Posted by: Impishfriend | November 07, 2018 at 07:13 PM
Such a bleak beach.
Posted by: Justine | October 28, 2018 at 10:44 AM
Lucy I turned 50 in July and it’s such a wonderful way to re evaluate your life. It’s like a new decade to have a go at growing learning and starting something new isn’t it?
A new chance, a bit like a brand new year to set new resolutions but we get a 10 year block x
Happy birthday and Thankyou for sharing your beautiful corner of the world.
Posted by: Char | October 28, 2018 at 01:31 AM
Belated Happy Birthday wishes, that was a perfect way to celebrate your 50th birthday!I found reaching 50 wasn't as bad as 40. It makes me realise how long I have been reading your blog and like you my life changed considerably after blogging! Sarah x
Posted by: Sarah West | October 22, 2018 at 07:41 PM
Many happy returns!So nice that you had Greek dinner on your birthday!AriadnefromGreece!
Posted by: Ariadne Skyrianidou | October 21, 2018 at 06:27 PM
Happy Birthday! Your day sounds to be lovely. I am a frequent reader of your blog and never comment but that is changing - I will be making it a point to comment more often if only with "hi". So, if you see a lonely little "hi" in the comments you will know it is me.
Posted by: Melissa | October 21, 2018 at 02:15 PM
Happy birthday, my dear Lucy. A big hug from the south of Spain.
Posted by: Esther | October 20, 2018 at 08:25 PM
Happy birthday Lucy. Looks like you had a wonderful day. Love Cathy xx
Posted by: Hooks and Needles | October 20, 2018 at 07:59 PM
Love your blog even though I do not crochet. I am a quilter who loves your color sense.
I read another blog that showed some old wall hangings that used crocheted animals and thought of you. Here is a link to it. The crocheted animals were on the October 19th posting.
http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Judy Cloe | October 20, 2018 at 01:27 PM
Happiest of birthdays to you, Lucy! I am also turning 50 this year, next month to be exact. I certainly don't mind!
Posted by: Jenny McCally | October 19, 2018 at 10:24 PM
YOU ARE NOT FIFTY !?!?!
Blimey Luce I cannee believe it.
Sending all my love for a very happy birthday & here’s to the next 50.
Happy Birthday old pal !
Katie B xxxxx
Posted by: Katie B | October 19, 2018 at 08:35 PM
A belated Happy Birthday to you! I rarely comment but I have enjoyed your blog for a long time. Keep up the good work:)
Posted by: Mary H | October 19, 2018 at 02:58 PM
Happy Birthday! Thanks for the blog!
Posted by: Claudia Martins | October 19, 2018 at 11:24 AM
Happy Birthday Lucy, your day sounds wonderful. :) xx
Posted by: Linda | October 19, 2018 at 10:33 AM
Happy Birthday! The 50s are pretty wonderful. I moved from the States to London that year, and couldn't be happier to still be here after 20 years to celebrate my 70th birthday next month. I am only a 1-year follower to your blog, but thank you for giving me back the thrill of crochet after many years. I am a bit slow . . . January's autumn ripple is nearly half way, but I still love it and it was much too hot this summer to sit under a blanket, so I have picked it up again in the proper season.
Posted by: Jenni Buhr | October 19, 2018 at 09:46 AM
Congratulations on your 50th. Wishing you lots more happy years.
Posted by: Wendy | October 19, 2018 at 09:02 AM
Dear Lucy
Your birthday celebrations looked just perfect, my kind of day. I love your blog and meeting you at Yarndale was the icing on the cake, so for the pun!
Looking forward to following you in your new decade.
Thank you so much for all your inspiration and enthusiasm.
Lots of love and best wishes
Lesley xx
Posted by: Lesley Buckle | October 19, 2018 at 08:06 AM
Happiest birthday wishes Lucy. Your birthday celebrations look absolutely delightful.
Posted by: Tameeka A McIntosh | October 19, 2018 at 01:50 AM
Happy 50th Lucy! You are right , your fifties are a fabulous decade. Your blog was the first I read, and I think it was pretty early on, I caught up on the archives anyway. You rekindled my love of crochet and got me thinking about colour , so thank you Lucy, keep rocking!
Posted by: Carrie | October 18, 2018 at 07:17 PM
Another beautiful tale from you, Lucy...
So happy for you..enjoy your year ahead!
Nora x
Posted by: NORA McGRANN | October 18, 2018 at 05:37 PM
Happy 50th birthday!!! Wishing you all the best in the new decade of your life! I so much enjoy reading your blog. It gives me such warmth in my heart ...
Posted by: Evi | October 18, 2018 at 04:12 PM
Happy Birthday Lucy'
I started reading your lovely blog one rainy Sunday afternoon in October2009.
By the end of that afternoon I had crocheted a square. Here we are in 2018
and I am just starting anew blanket for our first grandchild who is just 3 weeks
old. Enjoy your next decade Love Sarahxxx.
Posted by: Sarah Jones | October 18, 2018 at 12:14 PM
A belated happy birthday to you! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Some beautiful scenery and lovely writing for all of us to enjoy!
Posted by: Karin | October 18, 2018 at 11:55 AM
Happy birthday Lucy x
Posted by: Jo Smith thespannerworks | October 18, 2018 at 10:25 AM