Recent hot days

Tonight is so muggy, hot and sticky after a gorgeous summer's day where all the washing dried beautifully on the line and the sunflowers started to tilt their heads towards the burning rays. The tomatoes are growing bigger and the patio is blooming with all the flowers enjoying the heat, accompanied by my terrier who basks for a while until it gets far too warm and I shout him in.

On days like this we need to keep cool, particularly little ones, so I limit how long Little Bird is in the sun for although he's pretty good at staying out of the sunshine as the bright light can be bothersome for him. The dog however need reminding and I bring him in to cool off. I need a portable fan to help keep him cool whilst he is poorly, for he has cancer so keeping him stress free is important and I don't want to heat to start making him feel ill. I make sure he has fresh water at all times and there is plenty of shaded areas to lounge in. It's important to look out for any signs of sunstroke in pets, lots of panting and flopping down (damp their coat, bring your pet into shade and contact the vet) but making sure it doesn't get to this point by keeping him out of the sun aside from his small spell out by the plants - most of the time he realises himself and comes trotting back into the house. 

Meanwhile our day trips to the beach have helped during the hot weather. Sunscreen slapped on, walks not in the midday sun and plenty of cold drinks - maybe an ice cream too :) We went to North Wales, to Talacre beach, a popular spot for those from Cheshire to escape to for some sandy adventures on a summer's weekend. With feet paddling through the tidal pools, we cooled down along with the dogs. The beach is backed by extensive sand dunes that are designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the flora and fauna found there such as marram grass, natterjack toads and sand lizards. Behind the dunes is the Warren where the succession to scrub land/grassland occurs and you can walk through and explore.

The wide beach here is on the Dee Estuary/Irish Sea and you can see the Rhyl Flats Wind Farm out at sea. Part of the Welsh coastal path, this particular part is a mixture of heritage and industry with a lot of reminders of shipping and mining. The beach road has a few places to eat and drink so you can have a pleasant sunny day spent here. 

Dipping toes into the cool water we had fun just walking along, people watching and looking for shells - cockles and razor shells, drawing in the sand and watching boats come in. Eventually Little Bird was completely saturated and the tide was coming in so it was time for a huge portion of chips to share on the way back to the car. Always a cheerful beach trip from Cheshire on a hot day.
*Collaborative post

Post assignment perk me up

Hooray, I have now finished my first year of my post grad diploma in Parish Church Studies and I am absolutely shattered. In the last week I did a couple of almost all night study sessions where at 4-5am I thought, well I best get some sleep. Hence I look tired and my good friend remarked that I could perhaps carry my shopping with the the bags under my eyes. 
Hooray, I have now finished my first year of my post grad diploma in Parish Church Studies and I am absolutely shattered. In the last week I did a couple of almost all night study sessions where at 4-5am I thought, well I best get some sleep. Hence I look tired and my good friend remarked that I could perhaps carry my shopping with the the bags under my eyes.  So with summer ahead, what can I do to improve my well-being before the work all starts again in September?


Beach visits

Firstly I will be going off to the beaches of North Wales for some brisk walks and that feeling of freedom on wide expanses of sand. Saltyness on my cheeks and the thundering roar of the sea, well the Dee Estuary..... Flintshire is the nearest coastline to visit and is 25 miles long, of which my favourite beach is Talacre - flat sands, a forgotten lighthouse and a series of dunes for a nature walk. Offshore there are the wind turbines, this is an industrial coast but still it is a great spot to visit for some gathering of thoughts and recharging the batteries. When you have so much space around you it is somehow a great release of stress and all those tensions of finishing essays disappears for me. The beach is great for people watching which also helps with the unwind. 

Beauty Session
For some pampering and relaxation, perhaps a Mummy Makeover Package is required  since studying and being a mum is hard. Late nights revising and writing after a little one has gone to sleep really take their toll. dark circles, skin looking dull and excess weight from midnight snacking! So a trip for some beauty therapy would be utter bliss, from laser resurfacing of the skin for a more youthful look to toning up, removing toxins and improving circulation for firmer skin. I would like to feel better and less as if the years are catching up to me, some sleep and tlc would be most welcome.

Nature therapy
Just like going to the beach, immersing in the natural environment is a way I like to unwind. Living up the road from a huge forest is great and going on the trail works burns off calories and stress. The country park also is a place I like to visit and walking through the woodland at this time of year, listening to the birds and hearing the breeze rustle the leaves is so calming. I also like to try and identify the flowers that I come across, a challenge with identification book in hand and a sense of satisfaction at learning something new. The local conservation groups have id sessions where you can meet other nature lovers and it is great way to learn and enjoy being in nature at the same time. For the time I really need to relax, I find just sitting on a bench on a nature walk is a way I like to release any negative energy and feel at ease. Looking at the landscape around me, the colours of the grasses and the flowers, the mixture of textures and seeing the movement and rhythm of the flower heads is a free and easy way to feel at ease again.

Flying a kite

I remember my first kite. My father bought it me, it had a tail with red ribbons that trailed beneath its red and yellow diamond frame. I ran up a hill in the park and then ran down, desperate for it to take off and dance up in the clouds. You can pick kites up over summer in some of the budget supermarkets - it's an annual offer, look out for them. The best fun you can on a breezy day, as the kite soars and you control its movements, so do your worries fly away. Look out for kite festivals as their colourful array of fun kites, coastal towns often host these events.

Local pool
If I can't get to the beach and the sea then the town pool will be great. We have two in my town, one a paddling pool with a giant toadstool fountain and the other an outside pool in a park, swimming beneath great pines and oaks. Enchanting and freeing. There are many places in the UK to swim outdoors, wild swimming is popular and the tradition of lidos still mean you can find a unique pool to visit. Compared with swimming in a leisure centre and its echoes and smell of chlorine, outdoor swims are more opening to the senses, more inspiring for feeling within nature and a wild feeling for an exhilarating rush. My son loves our outdoor paddling pool, splashing away and I can relax knowing that he is happy. 

This summer will be a chance for me to get back to having some fun after the heavy workload. I'll still be reading for my course but the extra time will be well spent doing other things whilst the sun shines. 


*Collaborative post

Back in the sea fret of time

Late morning and the sea fret lingers on the coast of Northumberland, swirling around dog walkers who emerge from the cold dense air like apparitions in waterproofs and walking boots. 

The fishing hamlet of Low Hauxley may be accustomed to a few spectres since this area was an ancient burial place and excavations have found remains from the Bronze age under the dune system, marram grass anchoring secrets from thousands of years ago. An eroding coast of cairns and cists containing human bones and beakers decorated with incised markings.

The beach gradually appeared through the shroud of mist as I walked with my trusty terrier, pattering paws on flat sand rippled with patterns of coal dust. Crab pots left by rocks and a smattering of beach huts on the coastal road, today's inhabitants alongside their Neolithic neighbours.

Brighton wandering

 First time in this bright and interesting city of Brighton with pebbly beach and quirky lanes to explore. The iconic lights of the pier were amazing to see, Victorian magnificence and a truly British seaside.   We walked along the seafront by the Fishing Quarter where archways housed gift shops and places to eat alongside fishing boats and smoke houses - smoked with oak and applewood, hot mackerel or crab sandwiches. Not being too adventurous we opted for good old chips by the sea, could have had saveloy too - oi oi......  On the Lanes, a warren of lanes known as twittens in this area of the UK, we found the masters of chocolate - Choccywoccydoodah who sculpt choc into stunning cakes and opposite was a curious shop selling armour. This area is noted for its jewellery shops and antique emporiums. Old town buildings that were once fishing cottages.  Back to the sea front and Victorian grand buildings, views out to sea and sweet treats of ice creams or doughnuts. In the distance in the bottom picture you can see the remains of the West Pier that is fondly loved even if it now it's just some skeletal metal remains off the shore. That night it was to be illuminated as a celebration of its 150th anniversary. Looking on is the i360 viewing tower, modern meets vintage and I know which I prefer. 

Mysteries of Pendine Sands

A Limestone headland at Pendine, Carmarthenshire and a 6 mile long flat beach with heroic tales of attempted land speed records and tragedy - JG Parry Thomas died here attempting the land speed record in 1927 in Babs the car. The car was later buried in the sands here but then excavated and put into the Land Speed Museum.

Pendine in Welsh is Pentywyn, "end of the dunes" and the dune system edges the beach with drifts of sand and marram grass. Interesting geology to explore and fault lines in the area caused an earth tremor that registered at a magnitude of 5  in 1983. Follow the shore to the headland and below are caves, a mysterious place of chambers, rock pools of turquoise waters and sands of treasure. Bones and sharp pointed teeth have been found in them, antiquarian finds and the sounds of ghostly fiddler playing from inside the Green Bridge Cave. In 1603 there were reports of a mermaid seen here at Gilman's Point, frolicking and swimming

With the flatness of the sand it also meant that light aircraft could use the area as a runway and in 1933 aviator heroine Amy Johnson attempted an Atlantic flight from here to New York but unfortunately had to crash land in Connecticut. In World War II the MoD used the beach as a firing range and on parts of the beach there are still restrictions - be careful what you find.

Morecambe Vintage by the Sea

{restored Midland Hotel, a streamline moderne Art Deco style built in 1933}

{vintage folk all around Morecambe for Vintage by the Sea}

{old electricity substation Trip the light fantastic}

{A classic car rally}

{WWII Spitfire}

{Vintage ice cream by Kate Sundae, a creative lady that as well as icy treats did the urban murals around Morecambe}

{The old railway station in the background, now the tourist office and an arts venue}

{Neptune and Triton medallion by Eric Gill and is at the top of the circular staircase in the hotel’s central tower}

{A nice trip along the prom in one of the Ribble Vehicle Preservation’s Trust’s heritage buses}

 Morecambe is such a hive of art with so much to see, second visit this year and it's clear to see the magnitude of effort put in to ensuring that this seaside resort is not forgotten. Vintage by the Sea is just one of the many initiatives for the town has something on each month. With a beautiful shoreline too and views across the bay to the hills of Cumbria, Morecambe is perfect for a stroll and an ice cream.