The British Seaside…

I just don’t think you can beat it. The sea air, golden sands, crashing waves and constant tide change and of course, the serious amount of ice cream that has to be consumed. Bliss. There is something rather special about a British Seaside trip, that I don’t think can be found anywhere else in the world. 

It’s been our yearly pilgrimage to Cornwall and the sunny south. And as always we have loved it. It seems to call us every year. I think since having children, it’s been our go to holiday. And in the past 6/7 years we haven’t missed a year. 

The Cornish definitely know a thing or two about how to make someone’s summer holiday by the seaside special. Seriously – Rainbow Teapots at The Cherry Tree Cafe in Padstow!!!! Definitely a spot of PipsRainbow heaven going on!!!! We had a lovely lunch there and it is well worth a visit if you are in Padstow. They made the kids feel at home and my daughter reckoned her cake was the best she had tasted out!! As you can imagine, we go every year!!

And of course you can’t go to Cornwall without having a Cornish Cream Tea at the wonderful cafe at Bedruthen Steps.

The National Trust walk to the beach will definitely help you burn off some of that cream tea too!!!

But our one and only favourite place is Mother Ivy’s Bay and the wonderful Padstow Lifeboat Station. I don’t know what it is about this place, but it just seems to fill me with happiness. It seems magical somehow. It draws you into this seaside summery bliss. Everyone seems to relax into the holiday mode and the beach and waves call to us each morning to get up and play.

My daughter seems to have turned into a complete seaside fish or mermaid as she likes to put it. We couldn’t get her out of the water! Whether she was on her body board or just wave diving, she was in the water!! She kept diving under the waves and popping up like a little seal and then back under again!!! Funny!! And what was the activity she wanted to do when we got home, drum role please… we went swimming in our local pool!!! One little mermaid!!

My son on the other hand, being younger, got cold quite quickly, so was quite happy to paddle and play with his little boat. When I wrote this, I had him snuggled up in my arms in our beach tent. I think too many rock pools and waves had got the better of him.

I remember my daughter doing the exact same thing. She would just zonk out under a pile of towels in the tent and have a well earned nap and wake up slightly freaked out as to where she was, until she remembered. She used to do the same on her grandparents boat. Lie down in the cockpit, under a pile of towels and off she would go. Wish I could do that! Never been one for taking a nap just anywhere really!! My Mum used to say that I slept well as a baby and then it all went to pot when I was a child!! Not sure why. Maybe the fear of missing out and the call for adventure.

It’s funny when you go on holiday, as to what different things that everyone takes!! When my husband and I we’re wee nippers, we used to bring a whole bag of books that we would consume over the holiday. But alas, as I am sure that many parents will concur, I took one and opened it once. Funny. It’s all about the kiddies on holiday isn’t it. There definitely isn’t a moment to just sit and concentrate on a book. I know it will come, as the kids get older, but I definitely don’t want to wish this time away!!! So books seem to be a non starter for us at the minute.

I did however, manage to sneak a few crocheting projects with me into the beach bag each day. Most got covered in sand and possibly sun cream, but they seem to have survived.

It’s normal right to bring 4 projects on holiday with you isn’t it? Well I did and yes I did work on each of them. Some more than others!! I managed quite a lot on my silk infinity scarf. This was the silk yarn that I brought from the wonderful Abby at OrchideanYarns. It’s so utterly gorgeous.

It has the most incredible bluey/lilacy colours all intwined together with hints of forget me knot and periwinkle blue and even hydrangea. My Gran used to love these colours. I swear her whole bedroom was a shower of pale blues! So here’s how I am getting on. Can’t wait to share the pattern with you all.

Another of Abby wonderful yarns that found it’s way into our holiday bag was her beautiful Hydrangea Platinum Sock Yarn that was part of her monthly Ōilyarns Club.

My daughter managed to twist my arm and I ended up designing and making her a pair of socks. She had a grin from ear to ear when they found their way onto her feet one morning!! And I did think it was rather apt, that in Cornwall the one flower that you seem to be surrounded by each day, is the beautiful hydrangea!!

And of course I had to bring my Seaside shawl along!! This little lady has been following me around for a year or so now.

The only rule is as some of you may know is that I can only work on it when I am by the sea. It’s a bit of an issue though as I keep taking other projects with me when I we go away, so it doesn’t seem to get finished!

Heyho, I quite like the long process! I wonder how many holidays I can stretch it over!!

And finally my little cashmere number. This scrumptious little baby is just too good to be left behind. I brought it from the wonderful Wool Warehouse website. It wasn’t cheap, but by golly it’s soft and will be so so soft around ones neck. Hoping to get going with it more soon and share the pattern with you, as hoping it will keep my neck warm this winter!!!

So back to my Using Up Year and I couldn’t resist designing a little turtle. My husband and son have you some rather smart matching swim shorts that my mother in law bought for them. They are rather special and have a little friendly turtle all over them in the colours yellow, blue and green. Even though both of them brought different swim shorts, it was their matching pair that came out everyday and was washed every night ready for the next seaside adventure. Bless!!! Will share my little turtle pattern with you guys within a week or two.

Anyways, wishing you all a lovely rest of the week.

Here’s to all you holidays makers. May your holiday be a mix of fun, magic, love, family time and laughter. (And of course a spot of crocheting!!)

Happy hooking chaps!!

🌈Xx