Blame it on the sunshine and the good times

After the events of the previous 24 hours, what was absolutely needed today, for all of us, was uninterrupted time together and fresh air.

After a wonderful cuddle/lie-in this morning, we headed to the lounge to watch Despicable Me. Then we were joined by Mum and Rog for poached eggs, tea and toast, then a little more tv, a dressing session and then a decision to head to the beach for the afternoon.

Isabelle took it upon herself to make lunch for us all. Sandwiches made and packed into our own little parcels, she pulled together crisps, drinks and fruit and placed it all ready to go by the door with no prompting and almost no help from me.

The weather today was simply beautiful. Not too cold, bright winter's day, sun sitting low in the sky and literally not a cloud in sight.

We picnicked on the beach. We sat on our coats in a mini circle, drinks propped upright in our man-made pebble cupholders and with sandwiches in our laps. Emilio threw stones occasionally, Isabelle sat people watching and I watched them.

After lunch, we put the picnic items back in the car and set off on our beach adventure. Starting at the Sovereign Light Cafe (the subject of the Keane song from last year) and with the tide out, we plodded through stones and over the exposed rocks for about 2 miles. We stopped and gazed into rock pools, we threw stones into water channels dredged out through years of movement and battering, we lay down for rests and tickled each other, we cuddled and we shared the most precious thing of all: Laughter.

Isabelle slipped in first. Knee down into a shallow pool. Emilio was next, a shoe slightly submerged after a minor loss of footing. And then me. Slipping and sinking my entire right foot into a pool as we were climbing off the rocks for the last time!

We turned around at the first of the 96 beach huts (counted on a short walk last week) and strolled slowly back along the prom to Di Paolo's for ice cream.

The ice cream in that place is amazing, but you always leave feeling the service could have been better.

Two and a half hours and about 4 miles after departure, we got back to the car, not tired, just weary, but all of us grateful for that time together, for the air and for the laughter.

During this walk, I captured around 30 images, 10 or 12 of which would have been my blip on any other day. But the one I opted for I chose simply because I don't believe I have ever taken a more beautiful photo. This is not edited, it's direct off the iPhone camera and I will have a giant version of this in my home within days.