Crazy Kids in Cornwall

I need sleep.

Saturday night/ Sunday morning (1 July) and we're up watching a DVD at 3am because of jet lag. After a fairly early awakening, and depositing Roh with Jay on the side of the road, mum and I headed off to Bude on Sunday. It took a while to get there, especially as we chose the cross country route from the M5 to Bude. Shame I needed to concentrate just as my sleep deprivation reared its ugly head.

Still, we arrived in one piece to a lovely house (Langfield Manor) just outside of Bude town. It was about 1 mile from the beach huts and a 3 minute walk into town. It was great to see Andy, Niamh and the kids again. Ellen is determined to be walking sooner rather than later and is very scrumptious. Leah is just out of a plaster cast and making the most of her mobility. As you can tell, it was a hectic week.

I was perhaps a bit of a rubbish aunty, refusing to get up at 6am with the wails of my nieces, prefering to surface at a more respectable hour of 8 (+). Still, I did eventually make it up to brave the cold weather with the family and revisit some old childhood family haunts.

Crooklets Beach (Summerleaze - yeuch!)

Some things about Bude, like the Triangle, Lansdowne Bakery, the Canal, pubs and general feel are completely the same. There have been some big cosmetic changes since we were last there (15+ years ago), like the removal of a whole row of beach huts - fantastic for "Stop the Bus" (no online rules, sorry) on a rainy Summer day - and removing of the old shop/ cafe and showers along the front. But it's still a lovely place to holiday, even in the p*****g rain.

Niamh and Ellen; Niamh, Leah (film star) and Mummy

Niamh and Leah trashing sandcastles;

Leah and Andy rock climbing. Family Tubb on their holidays

As you can see from the family pics, we braved the weather and made a trip to the seaside on more than one occasion. Sandcastles were made, and trashed, and rocks were climbed. Funnily enough it's not as far between Crooklets to Summerleaze (yeuch) Beaches as I remember from when I was a child. Perhaps my legs are longer or the rocks are smaller.

I remember, I remember... a small bout of 'when we's...' could fit in here but it's probably not a good idea. Like: when I fell in the weir, when Sarah was rescued twice by life guards, when we went mushrooming and muscle collecting...

We did have one indoor day while I was there but throughout the week the sun continualy threatend to shine and we made the most of it when it did.

Wednesday was a trip to the boats, Leah wanted to paddle but we distracted her with a fishing net and lots of green and purple monsters were trapped in the wilds of Bude Canal. Andy did a top job, ferrying us up and down the river until the need for a full stomach became more important than monster fishing.

Leah in her life jacket.

Thursday was my trip to Westonbirt to meet Roh (missed him) and the rest of his family, before our second wedding on the Friday. The weather was horrid and so we were crossing our fingers and hoping. But more of that when I have some pics...