Life's a Beach!

I am writing this sitting on the beach in Polzeath. So far, it's not raining today, but we have had a LOT of rain in the last few days.  We Brits are hardcore when it comes to beach holidays; rain, wind and hail are no obstacle for sitting in the beach.  Personally, I don't mind too much if it rains a bit when I'm on holiday in Cornwall. The wild Cornish coastline is wonderfully atmospheric when it's being buffeted by the elements.   

We were in Boscastle that famous day in 2004 when it flooded. This pretty Cornish town is situated deep in the middle of 3 valleys. The afternoon we arrived the rain began to pour and we watched as the river became wild and it's banks began to burst.  When a small red car started bobbing down the river from the flooded car park, we realised that we were stranded.  We waded ankle deep through the dirty water that rushed down the main roads towards the centre of town, trying to find a safe place to wait out the storm.  We found refuge in the village hall, where we spent half the night until a coach could get in to rescue all the stranded tourists.  Of course it was  far worse for all the local families and shops who lost homes and livelihoods. We simply lost a car and had an interesting holiday tale to tell when we got home. 

No such drama this holiday, although we did get caught in a downpour whilst sitting in a pub garden at the weekend.  We huddled together under the umbrella over our picnic bench and the girls squealed with delight as we all got a bit wet. 

The ice cream van is calling my name, and the sun is out, hurrah!  Luckily, we have  bumped into some friends from curly girly's school and she is happily occupied playing with her little pal in the sand.  This is a day at the beach at it's best.  Bring on the pasties! 

Oh, I do like to be beside the sea side! 

TTFN. GALx