Monday, April 22, 2013

Low Tide

Sunshine
Warmth
Stolen Moments During Busy Times
Study Breaks
Packing Breaks
A Tasty Ice Cream
Fresh Ocean Air
Exposed Wet Sand
Bare Toes
Sea Weed
Sea Gulls
Rocks
Wellies










two bickering boys one minute and loving brothers the next





















Saturday, April 20, 2013

A Weekend With Boris

FINALLY
Many months back I was trying to plan a last little bit of fun for the family.  The boys and I would be headed to Canada while Michael finished up rotations and some exams here in the UK.  We have noticed on the southern coast of England many vintage VW buses.  Whenever the boys spot one they shout out "mom, mom your bus!!!!  I am not really sure why it has become known as "my bus" (maybe because the boys got me the lego version because I thought it was so cool).  So, in secret stealth mode I began investigating some possibilities.  We really wanted to visit Cornwall and do some surfing (at least try the cold water) and some Coasteering (swimming along the coast climbing cliffs and jumping off them) and this was the plan but the problem was the time it takes to drive there (in a VW van with max speed of 50 mph) takes a LONG time - something we are short of these days.  So the original plan was scrapped - maybe we will just visit an area closer??  Well of course then some rugby things came into play (the last home game for the first team and some proper good byes and thank you's to the boys, the team and coaches) and add in some work issues from Michaels corner and well we have chopped our time down a fair bit.  None the less I was not going to be stopped from surprising the boys with a little bit of weekend camper van fun.  We settled on the Jurassic Coast, a little camping spot outside of Weymouth called Sea Barn Farm.  We had no set plans except for Boris ( the VW's name) to be picked up early Saturday morning - surprise the boys and pack up.  We would stop at the Rugby Club for some fun in the rain and mud and then head on our way.



the boys with their coaches Mark and Neil and fellow team mate Harvey

On the road




looked up from the map to see this - dense fog, lots of rain and narrow English roads

the boys settled into their bunks with their headlamps


wishing for a tripod

our home for the weekend kept us warm and dry while we listened to the ocean waves crashing





we arrived after dark in rain with instructions to just find a spot not on any grass - we simply drove to the end of the camp ground and woke to an empty field and no one around - perfect


good morning


morning smiles





the view from our spot





we made our way into town for a little fun



Weymouth










the pheasant tried to race us




"Hey ladies, it's BINGO night!!!!" - Ronan

enjoying the view during games night

as we had to stay on pavement we had to be creative - our sleeping bags were warm enough to not use heat but we did need to charge the phone



chinese checkers


a wonderful second night falling asleep to crashing waves

we woke to fog and low clouds


some visitors



we stopped for brunch by the sea on the way home








 








a stop at Monkey World



Ronan made a connection

this one was so sweet and mischievous 









we could not imagine going 120 when the max was 50

a slow drive home in the sunshine


the weekend was exactly what we were looking for
sleeping in the cool night air
waking up to the sound of silence
quality family time
days with no plans
soaking up all that is around you
simplicity

Boris was a wonderful host
Camper van trips are something we could enjoy many times