A little trip to the seaside

The day after the schools broke up for the summer holiday we set off for a few days to beautiful Anglesey. After our recent visit (which I spoke about here) we just knew that we didn't want to wait too long before we dipped our toes in the gorgeous coastline around Anglesey. By the time the last few manic weeks of school term was over we were all very ready for a few days of chillaxing by the seaside.

What is it with pitching tents that brings out the 'man' in us all. It surely is a sure way to see who wears the trousers in the house, and when it comes to pitching the tent there sure is a tussle for the braces in our household! Needless to say this can lead to all sorts of dilemmas when the real testosterone kicks in and one knows when to step back jack! So yes apart from the sweltering heat and the fact that it really annoys me that men can just take their tops off whenever they are hot (not fair right?!), not to mention water the plants when they need to spend a penny and then get to take over when pitching the tent, it all went swimmingly well and by the time we were pitched, we were very sweaty and very ready for a dip in the freezing cold Atlantic and cool this hothead of mine! Fortunately for me I grew up swimming in the Cape, so these waters are pretty warm by comparison. I think if you can swim at Bloubergstrand in the Cape, you can swim pretty much anywhere.

We enjoyed lovely cups of teas, ice creams and food from this gorgeous little cafe on Lligwy Beach. For anyone on Instagram, you may very well be familiar with Cheryl's gorgeous feed (@thehouseonahill).  It was so lovely to meet her in person and to put a face to an Instagram account that I love. Our little furry friend, Bryn, joined us for our camping jolly and I have to say the boy was so so good!! I think he has fairly earned his camping badge and deserves a gold medal for being the best behaved dog in the campsite and on the beach! This could very possibly be because he felt at home, after all he is Welsh, hence the name Bryn. We all had a good few giggles at road names called after him.

Little E and myself enjoyed some morning yoga on our first morning followed by a lovely healthy breakfast. There's always something to forget when you go camping and this time it was the kettle!!! (yes OH NO! you heard her say), especially seeing that I am a gal who likes my teas no matter where I am. Fortunately I could use our coffee pot and our friends arrived with two kettles by mistake, I mean what are the chances?!

On our first evening there we enjoyed THE most spectacular sunset and this was the view from our tent. I mean how tiny and insignificant does this big sun make you feel, but doesn't it feel good to know that we are blessed to live in a world where are free to walk outside and enjoy the benefits that this beautiful star bring.

On day two friends joined us for the rest of our stay and it was just jolly nice to be in good company with like minded friends. We enjoyed a trip to the Beautiful Cable Bay, definitely one of my favourite beaches now, where we all just spent the day swimming, playing bats, badminton, frisbee, whilst enjoying lunch and cups of tea on the beach. Lets just say we did it in style (do we need an excuse? heck no!).

We did have a plan to enjoy fish and chips on the beach one night, but sadly it started to rain and we made it to a fish and chips shop where we could sit outside and enjoy our meal and I hasten to add that not only did they allow us to drink some wine, but I also enjoyed some GLUTEN free fish, I mean really, who would have thought! I honestly can't remember the last time I ate fish and chips, but one thing is for sure it was good. 

The rest of the time we just enjoyed Lligwy Bay, our local beach,  which was literally a three minute walk from the campsite. The kids built sandcastles, played in the water, played beach bats and frisbee, whilst us oldies joined in or just relaxed.

We were very lucky with the weather as it all changed on our last night there , which honestly I think was quite fun for the kids as we enjoyed a meal cooked in the tent, games and stories, it was a whole new experience for them.

I was a little unsure about how I was going to cope with camping for four nights, but honestly I can't believe how much I did physically. It was AMAZING!!!! We were all in bed by 11 and the kids were flat out till around 7.30 - 8am every morning (the above pic was the kids flat out till after 8.30 one morning!).  Lets not talk about the noisy birds (not me for once) as its a sore point with the other half! It just felt so so good to have a little taste of life again and especially seeing that we were always big on camping, it feels so good to have done something we both enjoy with our kids at an age they will most probably remember.

I feel that all the hard work I have put in this year is paying off. I swam in the sea, I even played beach bats and most of all I walked, yes I didn't use my wheels once, so it was such a massive breakthrough for me. I will add that I am feeling it this week, but then I can't expect it all to be good without any payback, that's just not the way Fibromyalgia or ME works, but I know that with rest and care it will get better. It is definitely a little trickier now that the kids are home, and despite the fact that we have a super busy week planned, I will do what I know works best, good food, yoga and a little down time.  I am still incredibly strict with my routine and diet and I am feeling all the much better for it. There is one word the keeps coming back to me over and over, if you are DISCIPLINED, you can achieve so much in life!

Leaving you with this sweet little sign, that pretty much sums up how I feel!

Wishing you all a wonderful week.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxoxo