Isle of Wight

We had a trip to Felixstowe with Dad and Shirley where Fish and Chips was consumed at FBI prior to a sojourn to the beach. The blue colour of the sea, caused by the refraction of sunlight by clear water, is mysteriously absent.

Whilst Nicole and Shirley indulge in a forced march up the shoreline, Dad and I skim stones for Eloise before driving up to Beach Hut Paradise where we sit on the beach some more and listen to the waves.

Continuing the seaside theme, we drive to the Isle of Wight to attend Maisie's birthday party. Originally intended as a beach party, then downgraded due to inclement weather forecasts to a trip to an adventure playground, the rain causes a further abrogation to a picnic. In Sam and Matthew's living room.

However the imagination of a 4-year-old child isn't to be trifled with and the 4 4-year-olds don't seem to mind that Maisie's birthday is occurring indoors. We adjourn to Space Island, an indoor adventure playground whose connection to Space is that there are cosmically-orientated pictures on the walls and whose connection to Islands is that it's on an Island. The playground itself is pretty good though, and the coffee is cheap.

Next day the rain goes away and the sun comes out. We go to Puckpoof Park (or something like that) and wander around on disused gun emplacements before a breakfast by the seaside with coffee and icecream.

Soon afterwards our demanding schedule requires that we retire to the mainland.

For a holiday.