Walton on the Naze

Yesterday we made the most of the sunshine and had a family day out to Walton on the Naze, apart from Rachel, who came here on a geography field trip last year, none of us had been before. As we drove up the A12 we seemed to leave the warmth of the sunshine behind us and by the time we arrived in Walton it was a little overcast and rather blustery. We parked on the sea front and walked into town.

Walton, for the those of you that don't know, is a small seaside town in north Essex. It was a little like stepping back in time and even Rachel commented on how it felt like being in the 60's!

The town itself is a bit run down, which is a shame, but I'm sure in the height of the summer it is bustling with people enjoying the beach.

We headed straight for Yate's fish and chip shop, which Paul had read about on Trip Advisor, we weren't disappointed, the fish and chips were freshly cooked and delicious! Needless to say we tucked in rather swiftly which is why there isn't a photograph!

After lunch we headed back to the sea front where we were hoping to spend a little time on the beach but it was almost high tide and there wasn't much beach left....

The seagulls enjoyed someones leftover crusts,

and Tomas was determined to get as close to the water as possible....he did eventually end up with wet socks!

There were lots of photo opportunities with the crashing waves.

and although it was cold the water was still very tempting.

 Eventually we find a bit more beach to explore,

Tomas and I found lots of sea glass amongst the pebbles and shells

we were quite pleased with our treasures but the others were getting a bit wind swept and chilly so it was time to head back to the car and make our way up the coast to the Naze.

The Naze is a headland just a mile north of the town and is home The Naze Tower and a small nature reserve. We headed down these steps to the seawall and walked along the cliff defences, the cliff are eroding rapidly and without the defences the Tower would end up falling into the sea.

 

It was a great place for wave photographs.

Tomas was a little disappointed as this is supposed to be THE place for finding sharks teeth and fossils but with high tide at it's peak we weren't able to get onto the beach.

We headed back up the cliff steps and were lucky to find that The Naze Tower was open and that we could climb to the top.

There is a tiny tea room at the bottom of the tower and 111 steps to climb, with platforms at regular intervals showcasing the work of local artists. Tomas clambered up the narrow spiral staircase as only a six year old can, I on the other hand could have done with a rest about three quarters of the way up but Tomas was determined to get to the top.

It was definitely worth the climb as the 360 degree views were spectacular.

Rachel and Jack decided to head back down and Tomas and I waited to see them as they headed back to the car.

The flag at the top of the tower has taken a bit of a battering since it was hoisted a bit like my hair by the end of the day which felt wonderfully salty and windswept.

The climb back down the staircase was a more leisurely affair, with time to stop and look at the artwork

and look out of the windows,

before reaching ground level and heading home.

We had a fabulous day out and will definitely be returning to find those illusive sharks teeth.

P.S Today is the last day to put your name down for the cracker swap in my last post. 

The month of May.......

The month of May has been a busy one for us and this had left little time for blogging but I'm hoping that as things settle down I will have more time to write.

May started with a big celebration as our daughter Rachel celebrated her 16th birthday on the 1st.

Followed by a tea party and fun in the garden the next day 

before heading off to youth group with her friends. 

Tomas needed an explorer jacket for a jungle day at school so I made this reversible jacket with some fabric that I had originally intended to use for Jack's safari themed bedroom and never got round to!!!

He is now nearly 15 so I don't think it will get used.

The following week was Rachel's last day at school as she went on study leave before her exams started. This is a big day at her school and it is tradition to arrive in some sort of fancy dress and strange transportation. It also meant I had to make three alien headbands.

I went along and watched as flash cars, buses, land trains, skateboards, bikes and even a steam engine arrived, cheered on by the rest of the school and watched by us parents.

Rachel's group of friends decided on a Toy Story theme as Buzz Lightyear had been their mascot since year 7. The school then put on a Leaver's Breakfast for the students where old photos are shown and both teachers and students perform on stage and certificates are handed out. It was all over by midday and then it was off to Pizza Hut for a celebratory lunch before getting back home to crack on with revision as exams started on the Monday!

Rachel has been working hard and is already half way through her exams as I write but it does mean she has monopoly of the computer and blog writing on my phone isn't great.

Probably like the rest of the country we did get a glimpse of the sun and had a lovely few days where we even had the sprinkler out

but unfortunately this half term week has been quite grey and miserable so there have been lots of lazy days at home although we did enjoy feeding the ducks at Writtle yesterday.

For some unknown reason a man at the pond decided to catch and pick up one of the ducks and the big goose at the top of my photos tried to protect it and all the ducklings on the grass, served him right as it just seemed like a senseless thing to do!

After a good feed, of breads, rolls and croissants, this duck decided it was time for a bath.

It was a lovely way to spend a hour and gave Rachel a bit of peace and quiet at home for her revision.

Jack has had a nasty cough this week and paired with the bad weather this has meant quite a bit of time has been spent talking to and playing with friends on the playstation. For those of you with teenage boys how do you balance the time spent on these games? I'm not a big fan so have a tendency to call time on it but I do appreciate that these games aren't a quick thing either???

Finally, it's not often you find photos of me here on my blog and after about 100 attempts at a selfie (!!**???) I think I finally managed it.

Here is me sporting my new hair do. 

Family Tree

Just before Christmas Chris over at Chrissys4Cards posted about her expensive mistake of buying the wrong tree die during a bit of online shopping.

I really liked the tree die cut and asked Chris if she would make me a family tree picture as a present for Paul for Christmas.

I had seen a lovely quote about a family tree on Pinterest (I think) and thought it could be incorporated somehow along with our names and this is what Chris came up with.

I love it and so did Paul, it now sits beautifully on the windowsill in our orangery.

Thanks Chris xx