Birthday Blues

I announced to Steve today that, all being well, I planned on having another 50 or so birthdays.  The poor man looked quite worried and who can blame him when my approach to birthdays hasn't changed much since I was 6 - I still find them hugely exciting even though I feel as if I must be talking about someone else when I give my age.  Surely someone of these advanced years would be a bit more grown up by now?

We started by trying and failing to book a couple of boat trips (wrong type of tide) so took a walk along the beach to Beadnell instead.  Having spent 30 seconds or so exploring all Beadnell had to offer we decided to head back to Seahouses.  It was hot & muggy so I stopped to check bus times - there was one due in 8 minutes but, having no idea where the bus stop was we did what any other normal, sane, individuals would do and ran 2 laps of the nearby village green in a blind panic before leaping out in front of a rather startled looking bus driver.

Back in Seahouses lunch beckoned and we found a gorgeous beer garden with perfect sea views & polished off scampi and chips in short order.  I've never really been too sure what a scampi actually is but it looks like the sort of thing that would most likely be very healthy to eat if we didn't insist on smothering them in breadcrumbs and deep frying them.

Following a game of crazy golf on one of the best courses we've seen in a long time - The Bunker, opposite the harbour, all home made and a flurry of local landmarks to navigate - we went for a long stroll along the beach and that's when the birthday blues hit.  The sea and the sky were spectacular - the crispest and clearest of blues and perfectly complemented by the miles of golden sandy beaches with Bamburgh Castle away in the distance.  With the tide out the space stretched all around us so although there were other people around it still felt deserted if that makes any sense at all.

Poetic interlude over it was back to Delores for a quick change before meeting my big bruv and sis-in-law for dinner.  Having no idea where we were headed we set off & followed the first pub sign we saw which thankfully took us to The Joiners Arms in High Newtown by the Sea.   The food and service was utterly superb with an imaginative and varied menu all cooked to perfection - I really cannot praise or recommend them highly enough.

In fact the only thing I can possibly fault them on was the lack of blue foam for my Cookie Monster milkshake (see previous comment re not being grown up) but they did make me an albino one instead.  Another birthday over and if the next 50 or so are as blue as this one I won't be disappointed at all.

Birthday cheer(s)!

Crazy golf through Bamburgh Castle.

Blue...

Spectacular fish and chips!

Albino cookie monster milkshake.

The sun has got his hat on...

Incoming!

...and that's probably a wise move if he's planning on visiting the Farne Islands anytime soon.  I thought Walney Island was scary but it has NOTHING on this!  "wear a hat" they said "there's nesting birds" they said.  What they should have said is take a hard hat and a mace and know how to use it.

Arctic Terns take no prisoners - they dive bomb you from the moment you arrive and don't stop until you've safely on the boat home.  And who can really blame them?  If your wife & kids were under threat from hat wearing giants you'd be pretty peeved too.

We'd visited the Farne Islands once before but long after nesting season was done.  This time we came to see the puffins but have been utterly delighted with all the other birds we've seen along the way.  We've also learned another important thing about giant nesting colonies - they stink!  The scent of several thousand birds & their combined "leavings" hits you a few hundred yards out to sea and lingers in your nostrils long after the medicinal effects of 2 large G&Ts wears off.

Last boat of the day!

You'll also be pleased to hear that we didn't get locked in anywhere today but we did manage to miss our ferry from Farne and had to sneak onboard the last boat of the day- and sneaking aboard anything is never easy when you have bright pink hair.

Aside from having holes pecked in my head and stowing away on tourist boats we spent the rest of the day wandering along the beach watching some rather better behaved birds and trying to figure out how old we are.  I kid you not.  It's my birthday tomorrow (18th) and I thought I was going to be a year older than I actually am - it wasn't until we did the maths from my date of birth that I finally twigged.  Lord knows when I got confused but I must confess to being rather pleased at the result - just so long as no one expects me to start acting my age we'll be just fine.

Tomorrow the sun is meant to be out all day again and we're off back to the beach  There's bound to be paddling & hopefully some fish & chips in Beadnell.  I may be wierd, occasionally unconventional and blissfully unaware of my real age, but I am a very cheap date. :-)

Longstone Lighthouse & seals

Not sure what he's saying. Pretty sure it's rude.

Pppppp pick up a Puffin!

Funky flyer!

Yyeeeesss...?

Shag.  I think.  They're the ones without the white bit, right?

Very cleverly balanced stones. (Not by us!)

R and aaahhhh...

Time to take this blog back to its origins I think - daily posts about a bit of an adventure.

This morning didn't start so well if I'm honest - work has been so manic lately and I was so tired that although I very much wanted to go away I also very much didn't want to pack or drive.  By 11am Steve's steely glare finally convinced me it was time to ditch the PJs and leap into action.  Well I say leap, it was still 2pm before I was ready to leave...

North to Carlisle, stop for fuel & booze at Asda then Steve headed back to Delores while I nipped to the loo & then bought a giant pizza so I didn't have to cook. Don't judge me - it's been a long week. Plus it turns out the pizza is too big for the oven. That'll teach me.

It wasn't long before we were in Seahouses.  The campsite is fab except for the fact we're on a grass pitch which is now somewhat churned plus we're in the shade of the barn.  On the upside we have swallows buzzing around the van and we're just over the road from the stunning Beadnell Bay.

So far we've explored the bay, been for a paddle and bumped into the skipper of one of the boats to the Farne Islands we want to hop on this week.  Most fortunate as he gave us some useful pointers.

This may sound silly but I absolutely love the fact that I can now spot different birds - tonight wasn't too taxing - Black Headed Gulls, Oyster Catchers, Herons and Herring Gulls - but a few years back I would have been oblivious.

Anyway, that's pretty much it for now - not much excitement really - apart from cutting the giant pizza in two so we can cook it...

Annstead Bay

Aaaaannd relax...