Saturday 28 June 2008

H is for Holidays







I think real holidays aren't about the money you spend but the memories you make or relive and for me this blog and much of my home has been inspired by our lovely British coast.

My first memories of beaches were in the seventies when my parent drove us four children the 330 odd miles north to Berwick upon Tweed In Northumberland, to my grandparents house. Being short of cash each day was spent picnicking on the beaches, sandy sandwiches, wind so strong my hair blew over my glasses, climbing across the rocks after my bigger brother and sister bucket in hand, jelly shoes to protect my toes, searching for crabs and starfish and beach-combing for shells and driftwood.









Now that my grandparents are gone we take our children to the oyster shell strewn Monkey beach on Mersea Island,( just 90 mins away) and dangle crabbing wires off the jetty and buy fresh lobsters at the company shed for dinner (only £6!), after drinking wine in the pub garden watching the seagulls swooping for dropped chips.


And in May we take a quick cheap break with as many friends and we can to the wild and beautiful bays of the cornish coast, for surfing and scuba and sandcastles and barbeques in a tiny campsite all to ourselves, watching for basking sharks and seals from the headlands on long evening walks.


These are my true hollidays, quiet lazy days needing more wellies and wetsuits than Bikinis and filled with sad tender old memories and fresh experiences.

Places of interest........







The Ark, in Burnham Overy Staithe, near King’s Lynn, Norfolk is a hut built to float on the marshes, it's 50 years old and recently been valued at £60,000




Feather down farm days..........







(images from Featherdown farms)
Tented living in rural England this is my idea of camping! Featherdown farm is a new idea for eco conscious. But then I find Canvas Chic and I just adore the idea of a yurt in France


Though my only holiday this year will be Gorgeous Lake Garda, in North Italy-
E bello, non e vero?


(watercolour by Robert Kelsey)



Dedicated to the memory of My grandparents
F.C & Elsie Lee



8 comments:

jessica daisy said...

lovely, lovely, lovely!
Hope you have a lovely time at Lake Garda, when are you going?

Jessx

P.S. thanks for the award!

Anonymous said...

I just enjoyed a windy, cloudy weekend in Scheveningen. No hot, sunburn days at the beach for me either!

Twyla and Lindsey said...

Thanks for the heads-up on 'H'. I had been checking back daily to see if you had posted it. Ahhh holidays . . . wish I was going on one. Enjoy yours! Twyla

traci said...

I am glad that I found "H". I too thought it might have been skipped. Is Lake Garda near Lake Como? We went there on our honeymoon and I still dream about going back. I studied Italian in college and really need to return to Italy for some practice in the language, right? Gorgeous photos as usual. I grew up near the beach and we camped there every summer. I miss it now.

Millie said...

A wonderful post - I so enjoyed it! I loved the tribute to your grandparents, they obviously had a big impact on your subject choice for H.

I've also had the same issue with the order of posts. I managed to fix it by going into dashboard-posting-edit posts-tick edit on your original post-a small post options choice will appear on your original post on left corner-then manipulate the post date & time to show H above your G post. Good luck!!
Millie ^_^

Villa Anna said...

You paint such a pretty picture :)

I too have fond memories growing up and staying with my beloved grandparents on the coast for holidays with days filled with picnics and rock hopping.

This was a perfect choice for H!

Anna :)

mondocherry said...

What a great H blog. It brought back lots of memories. I used to love making dams in freezing cold steams on our caravan holidays in Wales and Cornwall - I usually fell in!
I love the look f that very posh tent!
Clare

TIG said...

Just lovely. Adored hearing about your childhood memories.