Granny under instruction!

The boys didn’t get to sleep till gone 11 - the excuse was the room was too hot. They were no bother though - read their books then chatted. They slept till 7.

After breakfast they watched the football World Cup by which time I’d sorted out swim stuff, body-boards and a picnic etc for our day to Druridge bay.

We had an altercation with them about sun cream when we got there. The compromise was them getting into the wetsuits and having suncream on face and neck.

They started with the sand-boarding down the dunes but when they saw I was going for a dip in the North Sea (minus wetsuit) they decided they’d have a go at teaching me to bodyboard. I’m a scaredy cat in waves so wasn’t a very good pupil (see collage). I left them to it and they were in ages, till I could persuade them to come out to eat something at 1.45. (James had had 2 big bowls of my home made muesli and Thomas some weetabix for breakfast).

After more sand boarding it clouded over so they got dry and played a bit with the spades, making a Willy Wonka chocolate shop.

They are chilling out now and I’m off to cook a nice meal as #2 daughter is driving up to have a nice meal with us. She’ll stay the night and we might have a cocktail together.

It was #3 daughter’s 46th birthday yesterday so they all went out for a swanky lunch, and to the Alhambra Hotel in the evening for a drink. It’s good Ella and Nathaniel enjoy different food and are happy to sit and chat through courses. The boys like to gobble down whatever it is - the plainer the better so I’ve made them Jamie beef burgers for tonight. They wouldn’t touch Melanaze alla mozzarella. I need to use them up as Carol arrived last night with a trade for a cabbage and some courgettes .