Thursday 6 June 2019

Sun-seeking


Our half-term week went by quickly but gave us a great opportunity to relax and unwind.
While much of the country was enjoying glorious sunshine and high temperatures, here in the North it has mainly been grey and damp. It was a different story by the coast, however, and so that is where we headed. A picnic packed, we took a short drive and were soon greeted with blue sky and a seemingly never-ending stretch of sand. The tide was out, there was a stiff breeze and we were glad of our jackets as we ambled along the shore by the waters edge. Walking across the beach instead of the pebbles felt much easier on our legs, as we weaved our way around the small channels of water, trying to avoid getting our feet wet.






We picnicked in a sheltered spot among the dunes and, of course, our visit would not have been complete without some scrambling. The sand was so soft that at times it seemed almost impossible to reach the top. It was exhausting but such good fun, and we managed to get sand everywhere! The views were worth it though. This is looking inland, across the nature reserve and you can clearly see where the cloud cover begins.


From midweek, the wet weather saw us entertaining ourselves at home. We've been reading, colouring and teaching ourselves how to play UNO. I even retrieved the Nintendo Wii from the dark depths of the TV unit. I'd forgotten how much fun it could be to play ten pin bowling in the living room, although it would appear that Lily is a complete natural and I don't stand any chance of winning!
We're back at school again now and the countdown to our summer break has begun. These next few weeks are going to be very busy as I hope to get my studying out of the way in time for summer. At least then the pressure will be off and I can concentrate on enjoying some long and (hopefully) sunny days.
J. X


54 comments:

  1. It certainly looks like you found the sunshine and had a great time too. I remember this last push to the summer holidays always being busy, you'll be very glad of the break when it gets here.

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    1. It's going to be a busy term, with so much going on. I don't like to wish my time away but I expect it will be a relief when our summer break arrives. I'm hoping for some warm, sunny days. X

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  2. Just look at those gorgeous blue skies. I am missing the sea at the moment as we have had to delay our plans to go up to the cottage.
    It will all go so quickly now to the summer break - hope you get your studying completed in time x

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    1. It must be lovely to spend your days at the cottage and you must be looking forward to your next visit. I'm determined to complete my studies in time for summer. Just a final push now. X

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  3. Oh, those views and all that space. You can really breathe there, can't you. Wonderful.
    xx

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    1. It's wonderful, Joy. The vast expanse of beach and fresh sea air is so exhilarating. X

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  4. Beach scenes are always a delight to see. I can almost feel the light sea breezes and heat the beautiful sound of the waves coming to shore.

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    1. I could spend hours gazing out to sea and listening to the waves against the shore. X

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  5. Stunning photos! We love to get down to the beach and we're so very fortunate it's only down the road. We've had lots of needed, refreshing rain, but today is bright and sunny. We love ten pin bowling on the Wii! I also love the Wii Fit and dancing along with the little Mii dancers and doing the balance games. I have terrible balance problems due to vertigo and it really does help. Best, Jane x

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    1. Thank you, Jane. It had been years since I'd been on the Wii, but I soon got the hang of it again, and Lily loves the bowling. I might even have a try at the dancing this week! X

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  6. We seem to have rain, rain, rain here, as well. But you had a lovely respite, along the beach.

    To think, that another lovely beach, saw a very different scene, 75 years ago.

    Remember D-Day... Please....

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  7. Beautiful photos of your lovely day!
    How I wish I lived near that amazing place!
    Glad you had a nice break, cozy at home.
    Uno is one of our favorites!
    Have a cozy day, my friend.

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    1. Thanks, Billie Jo. I wasn't sure if Lily would manage to get the hang of UNO, but she soon picked it up. X

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  8. It sounds like you made the most of the school break! How nice that there was sunshine and blue skies at the beach and you could go there to enjoy it! Hope the rest of the school term goes by quickly, you get all your studying done, and look forward to the summer.

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    1. A week off is always welcome, Bless, although it seemed to be over far too quickly. Not long until summer now. X

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  9. What glorious photos. Please send some rain our way, we are desperate for some! xx

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    1. You can gladly have some of ours! I hope it's not too warm for you this weekend. X

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  10. Such glorious photos, particularly the last one. Sounds like your end of the week was like ours in Scotland. Hopefully a quick half term and the the Summer holidays to enjoy. B x

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    1. I loved seeing your photographs of Ben Lomond. Such glorious scenery. Yes, not long until summer now. Fingers crossed I can get my work finished in time. X

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  11. Beautiful photos. We too played Uno a lot when the kids were smaller. Must remember to pass on to one of them for their kids to learn.

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    1. Thank you, Jill. UNO is a great game for the whole family. I'm sure your grandchildren would love it. X

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  12. wow, what beautiful pictures, sounds like a lovely day.

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    1. Thank you, we had a lovely time there. X

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  13. Glad you had a lovely day at the coast. Lincolnshire coastline can be similar in that the sea is such a long way out. All the best with your personal goals in studying, Cathy x

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    1. It's been a while since we've visited at low tide, so it was lovely to be able to walk out across the sand.
      Thank you for your good wishes. It will be a relief to finally complete my studies. I've felt under a bit of pressure over the last few months. X

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  14. The beach looks so inviting. Lovely to walk along it and get the sea air. Your photographs make me want to be there that's for sure.

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    1. I just find it so relaxing. There is something so beneficial about fresh sea air. X

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  15. Oh, look at those clouds! Your beach is just gorgeous. I need to make time to go to the beach here regularly, too. It's so therapeutic.

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    1. Oh you must. Didn't you hire a bike last time? X

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  16. What a beautiful beach. You are so lucky to have one closer to you.

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    1. It's a lovely place for a walk and a picnic. X

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  17. How wonderful to live so close to the sea! The photos are beautiful. How long do you have off for your summer break?

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    1. Thank you, Sue. Around here the summer break is usually around six and a half weeks. I can't wait. X

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  18. Fabulous photos, the area looks gorgeous - I want to go there! :)

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    1. Thank you, Eunice. You should visit on one of your trips. I think you would enjoy it there. X

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    2. I would if I could figure out where it is! :)

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    3. I didn't mention it, did I!? The beach here is on Walney. At the North of the island is the nature reserve that you can see part of on the last photograph. Here you can access the beach and walk around the reserve. This is where I photographed the gate with the iron birds on this post https://jemsdays.blogspot.com/2018/11/feeling-chilly.html
      To the north you can see Black Combe and on a clear day you can make out the Isle of Man.
      South Walney is run by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust. Here you can see out to Piel Island and where we go to watch the seals. X

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    4. Thanks for that Jules, I've had a quick look on Google maps. I'm back up in Cumbria next weekend for ten days - back to the site I went to at Easter - but this looks to be a bit too far in the wrong direction to tie it in with my holiday, however it's certainly been noted as one for the future as it really does look lovely :)

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    5. You'll be OK on North Walney, but I've just remembered, dogs are not permitted on South Walney because of the wildlife. Maybe you could visit Piel Island instead, where they are allowed. 🐶

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  19. Such a beautiful beach with amazing views, what a great place for a visit. Glad you managed to have so much fun on those rainy days. Hopefully the Summer break will bring lots of sunshine.

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    1. It's quite lovely there. We could see across to the Isle of Man, although my phone camera couldn't quite capture it. X

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  20. Today is the first day we've had a sunny day for several weeks. I spent the afternoon in the garden. So I am a tad envious of your sunny photos. We used to play UNO although I can't for the life of me remember it. The children in New Zealand had a Wii and were for ever challenging me to play games that they knew I didn't stand a chance at but it was fun anyway.

    All your beach scenes without any hills in the distance remind me of the huge empty beaches in New Zealand where, on the East side there was nothing until South America and on the West one might bump into Tasmania on the way to the other side of South America. It made one realise just how isolated New Zealand is.

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    1. We make the most of any sunny days we get, Graham. Today is overcast and wet, so I'm going to get my chores out of the way to free up tomorrow for a day out.
      It's years since I played UNO but I managed to pick it up again quite quickly, even if they have added some new cards. x

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  21. What a spectacular day! I'm glad you were able to find the sunshine and share it with us. These pictures make my heart sing. x

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    1. It's amazing the difference a bit of sunshine can make. X

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  22. Stunning sky colour, you could have been abroad

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    1. I can see what you mean, Julie. It was lovely to be there, enjoying the sunshine. X

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  23. The beach photos are just gorgeous! I know you are looking forward to summer break. It will be here before you know it!

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    1. Thank you, Julia. There is so much going on over the next few weeks, I'm sure they will fly by. X

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  24. Such wonderful photographs on your post here, that sky is so beautifully blue :)

    All the best Jan

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    1. It was so lovely by the sea. As you can tell from the last photograph the weather was very different further inland. X

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  25. Such beautiful photos as always. That sky looks amazing, the kind of blue I associate with after the summer solstice normally...deep and rich and lovely! x

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    1. Thank you, Jackie, we had a lovely time there. I'm hoping for a warm and sunny day for the solstice. X

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