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We drove across to Newquay today, a town that I'd holidayed in in the 90s and Catie had spent a bit of time in in the Noughties. I didn't recognise much.
After a tricky couple of months where I haven't got to spend so much time with the family, due to recovering from treatment and being in Edinburgh I am loving spending lots of time with everyone. I am a very patient parent and though occasionally even my patience is tested (whose idea was ti to buy Ernie a recorder at the Eden Project?), I am enjoying nearly all of it. After lunch and a quick visit to the beach we had an ice cream at Parlours and it was just perfect sitting down with my three favourite people and enjoying our treat. The Ernie tried to throw something away and got his finger caught in the bin and thought he'd broken it (he is nothing if not a drama queen). He then kicked the bin (as if this was the bin's fault) and his mum made him apologise to the woman serving the ice cream. She took it well. Ernie tried to explain the extenuating circumstances which was cute. The bin was luckily undamaged.
We looked in all the surf shops and I thought about recreating the motorcycle clothing shop sketch, but for surf wear in every one of them. We played the 2p machines in a couple of amusement arcades. I was surprised that 2p machines were still available to play. When you see one hundred 2p pieces coming out a change machine they look like some kind of archaic coin from the 1960s. Even though I'd won Tipping Point I could not defeat gravity. We fed in several pounds, very slowly and cheered if we received a 2p or two back. The most we got was maybe five in one go. Which was celebrated like an FA Cup goal, even though, by that point we needed maybe two hundred coins just to break even.
You can't really result the theft when it is so convoluted, takes so long and the thief is making so very little.
We got the Park and Ride bus back to the Park and Ride and sat at the front of the top deck and imagined we were on a rollercoaster. The driver went pretty fast downhill and crawled up the hills, but the bus also cracked against the trees overhanging the road. A double decker bus shape had been carved into all of them, but occasionally a branch would clatter the roof and make us jump. Everything is fun when you're on holiday, apart from Ernie playing the recorder and the simple stuff is the most fun. Would give this 5 stars on Tripadvisor. Plus I don't recommend trying to park in Newquay!
We passed through a brief heavy rain storm on the drive back and I listened to 5 Live hoping that York could equalise against Rotherham (which they did - 4 points from two matches in Division 2, which is a welcome start to this season after promotion).
So rilling (what some people call chillaxing, but I prefer my portmanteau) and enjoying life's simple pleasures. I sure love surfing, surfing around. Some people like swimming around in water, but I say why swim when you can ride around on a board instead. Whish whash. That's me moving my arms to make it go......
