The Beach

Firstly, thanks so much to everybody who kindly welcomed me to the world of blogging and wished me all the best. Your encouragement has made my week – no my year – and I confess I’ve logged on again and again to read it over and over!

I can’t send you all flowers individually so I thought I’d send you all a picture of my Christmas lilies as a thank-you substitute.

Once, when I logged on to check out your comments AGAIN, I had a double heart flutter because within 24-hours of opening my Etsy shop, I made my first sale! Can you believe it! Small occurrences in such a large world I know, but grand-scale events in the land of Teddy and Tottie!

Even “The Committee” (a.k.a. my very hard-working hubby) – got reasonably excited about my first sale and approved the continuation of my dream-following endeavours!

Teddy and Tottie took time out from constructing an indoor tent (!) to see what all the excitement was about. They were very happy for me, if somewhat unsure about all the fuss I was making – and then promptly went back to raiding the cupboard for large blankets for their tent’s walls.

No, this isn’t the result of Tottie and Teddy’s creative play, but rather our old beach holiday accommodation. Bessie the tent was a trial to put up and down and a little uncomfortable for my liking, but she was responsible for many years of happy seaside memories.

The Committee and Teddy and Tottie would have camped in her until the end of days, but I felt, having camped in a tent from when I was a small child, that it was time for an upgrade – I know, I’m an unashamed luxury seeker!

Enter  my unspeakably generous Mum and Dad (forever after known here as “The Givers”) and their amazing offer to take their caravan to our December 2012 holiday destination – set it up for us (Christmas decorations and all!) and then come back and mind our house, our zoo and our garden while we enjoy two weeks of South Australian seaside holiday bliss.

After seeing their caravan, Tottie immediately christened the debonair old chap – Eduardo – and it stuck! I got fined a dollar for every time I sat in Eduardo’s cosy kitchen and said “Isn’t this just grand!”, “Isn’t this luxurious?”, “Hands up who loves Eduardo”.

The Committee promptly took his chair outside to chat to others who may have something else to say, Teddy and Tottie took off to the playground to make friends and I looked around my laminated-wall palace one more time, relaxed into its cosy couch, took out my crochet and whispered one more time, “Just Grand!!”

After an hour or so of crafting bliss, it was beach time!

The next hour was spent lathering on sunscreen, putting on hats, rash vests, sunglasses, packing the sun shelter and stressing the importance of being sun smart – then off we go!

The Committee, so hard-working throughout the year, doesn’t even get to rest at the beach because Teddy is obsessed with beach cricket.

The competition between the two to see who can make the most runs begins on day one and continues every day through searing heat, the occasional sand storm and regular rising tides until the final seconds of our holiday.

Meanwhile, Tottie and I escape the heat with long swims.

Then, on land, this past holiday we created Horsetopia! with Tottie’s most prized possessions -her Schleich horses.

While Tottie perfects her cartwheel and handstand techniques, I relax in the shade and quietly contemplate my surrounds or immerse myself in a glossy home magazine.

Then fish and chips!

AAAhhhhh! the high life!

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