Happiness is always a coincidence

Unbelievable.

a) It is a warm sunny day. 25 C (or 77 F for centigrade challenged).

b) No wind.

c) It's school holidays.

d) I took today as a holiday!!

Milla and I went to the beach.

Blanket, water, strawberries, crispy bat wings, sweet cherries, Ploughman's sandwich, bread sticks, Cadbury creme egg, board shorts, vests, Crocs, sunglasses, Harry Potter, Daily Mail. No sunscreen, in my opinion we are too far North and need all exposure to sun-light we can get, so as not to cause rickets.

I still cannot get over the fact that the sun was shining and we actually managed to get there, spend 4 hours there, it did not rain, I did not have to leave Milla at childminder's and be stuck in the office.

The trick with Shields beach is to get there early-ish. Those locals that one would want to avoid emerge after noon, just as the wind starts to pick up, and the tide comes in after 2 pm, compressing population. I cannot cope successfully with wind, tide and juvenile delinquency all in one go, but  we've had a lovely 3 hours paddling in clear water that was actually above freezing, Milla building sandcastle mill ('D'you geddit Mam - mill - Milla?'), and we finished off with some chips.

A day off doesn't get better than this. I know I need to appreciate every moment, not just the good ones, but the goods ones make me happy.