A little bay for my babes.

It's grim here up North. When I told my parents almost 16 years ago I was moving to England and more specifically to the North East, they admit to imagining a rough, industrialised area of little beauty or charm. It didn't take more than one visit to change their mind. We are lucky to live along the beautiful North East coast of England. Although for around 360 days of the year we could use a few more degrees Celsius, it only takes a day like this when the sky is blue, the sun is out and the beaches are clear to make me feel like this is the place to be.

We headed to the King Edward's Bay in Cullercoats after school this week with the crucial supplies of Malteser ice creams - carefully selected by the children - to one of my favourite little beaches for a round of "let them run around and work off some energy so I can have a relaxing evening".

As luck would have it, we had the whole beach to ourselves. A rare treat and probably explained by the fact the ever popular Riley's Fish Shack (a must for anyone visiting these parts) was closed for the day. No queues of people, but also no latte for me then. Never mind, the views more than made up for it. Enjoy.

Running off the ice cream sugar rush

Riley's Fish Shack & the lifeguards on duty (I lied we weren't quite the only ones on the beach)

Pretty sure Norway is that way

Comments

Change the tune.

It's been a busy old month. Lots of change, with highs and very lows. But we are looking ahead now. Good things are on the horizon. Plenty of nice things to look forward to. So with that, let's put on some cheerful music, pick some new songs to listen to and get inspired to make it a great summer. Music can change my mood pretty quickly. If I put on a soppy, folky track I can write the most melancholic post ever. Put on a bright, dance tune and I'll skip the writing for a bit of a dance and the energy boost it gives me might result in a clean house (or room at least) or a speedy run. Finding a new favourite song can put me in a great mood and inspire new adventures. Projects will get started and if it's a really good song, the project might actually get finished too. There isn't much more entertaining to my children than me dancing around like a loon in the kitchen while we cook dinner. In contrast a sad song can evoke the strongest emotions. I rememb...

Bring on the bright

Nothing as bright and ready-for-Spring than an Easter parade of yellow shoulder bags. I'm over the red bags. I never found one that was quite right and so after many attempts I've moved on to the next season already. Shelve the wintery hues, bring me Spring. I can't say for certain, but the fact that my holiday plans are taking shape may have put me in the mood for some brighter accessories. For me the ideal bag has to have a shoulder strap, allowing hands free child wrangling and also be small enough to be comfortable for wearing out for a walk (think stroll to coffee shop rather than wild rambling) and big enough to house my wallet, keys, phone and sunglasses. I've rounded up my absolute favourites from the bargainous, via the slightly more on the naughty side to the remortgage-your-house-and-eat-rice-for-months zone. Leave a comment with your favourite. 1 Chloe - Hudson Small | 2 Chloe - Marcie Mini | 3 Parentesi - Acros...

New starts, little souls.

It's what all parents are thinking about and talking about. Some have even been dreaming about it since the start of the summer. The kids are starting school again this week. With it comes the exhilaration at your new found freedom or the sad feeling that the summer together has gone all too soon. And that we will miss not only the sun but the time spent together. Kids will be lining up to join their old friends again or standing around looking for a familiar friendly face in an overwhelming sea of people. As a parent you always hope that your child will be equipped with the strength and self confidence to deal with any feelings of loneliness or fear. There is no greater gut wrenching moment than when you fear your child is the one feeling like the odd one out or "Billy no mates". My child is lucky to have had many friends in her class in the last few years. This year she will be starting a new class, with barely a close friend in it. Not as bad as starting afres...

MEscovery

Search This Blog