Last day on the beach :(

The original plan had been clear - we would spend maybe one, possibly two days at the beach, and then we'd head for the mountains. Our holidays, after all, had always been about mountains - the camping, the scenery, the cows (ding-ding) and the sheep. The visits to the beach were supposed to be a sop for the children to soften them up so that they would make no fusses when huddled, freezing in the tent after another cold, wet day in the mountains. And yet, this time something had changed. Was it, Sian asked herself, a desire to be warm for the whole of a holiday? Perhaps, she mused, it was a reluctance to drive all that way on her own. Maybe, she thought, making friends and spending a part of every day in their company was not such a chore after all. It could, quite possibly be a combination of all those things. And not forgetting the fact that the Atlantic Ocean is just yards from the tent, with endless hours of fun and play to be had on those very shores, looking ever Westwards, towards adventure and mystery.

Since today was the last day, a decision had been made - we would all get up, have breakfast, and start as early as we were able. We wanted to visit the market one more time, and the children wanted to go to the rope activity. This is where a number of interesting routes had been hung in the trees, and you can navigate between trees either on steps, a tightrope, by pulling yourself hand over hand, a net, and finally a zipwire, to plunge you from the heady heights and finish off the tree-top trek. This went really well, except that Emma, as a 16 year old wasn't old enough to go on the adult course, so had to join the children on theirs. Sadly, this was rather tricky, as she's about twice the height of the girls, making some of the dismounts rather precarious. However, she persevered, and was successful in completing the course in both it's incarnations. After this, I said the girls could go on the Aerobounce - this is where you have a bungee attached to you, and you trampoline with your bungee ropes tight. This did leave the children stranded occasionally, but did not dampen any spirits.

Then after that it was over to the beach for a last afternoon. The surf was, again, very rough, giving me a quick glimpse of my own mortality - it can be quite scary if you get caught by a wave and then forget there's usually another following it closely.

We had crepes again this evening, and to Lottie and Emma's delight, they were able to get lemon and sugar crepes!

So, onwards to Normandy tomorrow...