A week is a very long time in my world; I’ve usually completed an awful lot of stuff and been up half the night. I have been driven mad by children made 27,000 cakes, snacks, dinners, breakfasts, lunches. I do 3 school runs a day, 6 trips there and back. So on and so forth. I cant tell you how much I was looking forward to our holiday this week and how quickly it went!
I booked the holiday on the spur of the moment, it was one of those days when things were going wrong and I was thinking about childhood holidays. For some reason I looked at somewhere I had gone with my parents, found that it was a reasonable price and booked it on the spot. Thus we found ourselves in a log cabin in Dorset in freezing weather. I had this romantic notion of standing on The Cobb in Lyme Regis with my husband in the snow, now I have achieved that dream and very cold it was too!
The holiday will be forever remembered for the snow on the beach, but also because little Ned decided that it was a brilliant time to practice his outdoor walking. You haven’t lived until you have seen a fifteen month old in a teddy bear hat, a couple of days into proper walking outdoors literally strut across Beer beach. We spent the rest of the time chasing him about, as he has now realised that with walking he is master of his own direction, which is usually the opposite one to the one we are travelling in.
Because it was so cold we had to make the most of all available eating opportunities and so the children were introduced to the delight of a proper celebrity chef meal at Mark Hix Oyster and Fish House. Again little Ned proved himself worthy of the price licking his plate clean. I think the Boy must have been the only five year old ever to order the Fish of the Day because he had to repeat his order about three times and mention most adamantly that ‘no, he didn’t want the fish fingers…
No holiday to the Jurassic Coast is complete without a lot of fossil hunting and this time of year is perfect. Much less perfect is the vast numbers of people now on the beach following the same past-time, especially for the miserable like myself who like to spend holidays as isolated as possible. Still, for a Boy, a hammer is all that is needed for hours of destructive time passing and a new love of fossils and crystals. He reminded me so much of myself lugging three tons of interesting rocks half a mile along the beach to take home.
Meanwhile, Fifi looked on the foreshore (the best place for fossils) and found about ten times the number with much less effort. Just as well she insisted in 3 vests, 3 t-shirts and 3 jumpers, 4 socks on one foot and 2 on the other, just to keep herself warm. I was alright personally, as I had lots and lots of Easter chocolate hidden in my pockets for when no-one was watching.
As is traditional with a British holiday, the sun came out on our last day when we were due to be driving home. We did that thing that all the signs tell you not to do and left all our valuables in the car whilst we took a long hike across the cliffs at Stonebarrow Hill. This walk has to be one of the most beautiful hikes in the UK. I’ll never forget the sight of little Ned barrow-rolling down the hill and my two older children walking and running hand in hand. A lovely end to our holiday, it’s moments like that which make me realise why I became a parent, how lucky I am and how wonderful life can be.
Now, when is our next holiday? I cant wait!
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