After much deliberation and debate (and ultimately being kept in England by airlines not wanting to fly pregnant ladies), we decided to book an end of summer trip to Cornwall. We picked Mawgan Porth again because we enjoyed it so much last year, but this time we stayed at a family friendly hotel instead of in a cabin. Some of the perks included breakfast and dinner every day for all of us (with a special kid's dinner for Evie), Kids Club, so that Jim and I could have a few hours to do things on our own in the morning, lots of kid focused activities, easy access to the beach (well, down along some cliffs and a long flight of stairs. Fun coming back up again!), indoor pool and heated outdoor pool, a spa and generally just the chance to relax as much as possible for an entire week. We really needed it!
Another perk of this year's Cornwall adventures was that Jim got his UK license. I refuse to drive here after last year's Cornwall trip (nothing like your husband gasping in the seat next to you to really increase your confidence when it comes to driving on the other side of the road) so Jim was forced to take action. I can report that he is a fantastic UK driver...and a legal one!
September in England isn't exactly beach weather and our first couple of days were kind of rainy, but there was so much to do that we were able to make the best of it. Jim and Evie immediately checked out one of the many playgrounds at the hotel. Jim is teaching Evie to drive in the UK, too:
I am fundamentally against trampolines, but Jim isn't, so he and Evie had a little jump with me supervising:
Jim and Evie also deemed our bed--which was big enough for about six people--as satisfactory. Evie spent several middle of the night hours in bed with us and it was almost like she wasn't there until she kicked me in the back or poked me in the face. We were staying in a villa that had a separate area, where her crib and a couple of bunk beds were. It was a little hard for her to settle down in the evenings, because the only division between us was a thin door and a straw shade that we pulled down (which she could see through), but we all managed to get sleep, despite the excitement of all being essentially in a room together. It was definitely an improvement on our Scotland trip, where we eventually had to put Evie in the bathroom to get her to go to sleep.
The view from our patio. Last year we all hiked along those cliffs to Watergate Bay. This year, hiking was minimal for obvious reasons, but we still did a few short walks. Cornwall is breathtakingly beautiful whether you are just hiking for an hour or you're doing a 10 mile trek in the sleet:
A soft play area was a great hit with Evie and Jim, who crawled through with her. I also crawled through once or twice, but that was about as much as I could handle. Mostly I just sat in the balls.
Our first attempt to go to the beach ended in a sudden downpour half way down the cliffs, so we tried again later and...success!
Last summer, Evie was only six months old and really wasn't into the beach. She hated the sun and the sand and she got cold when we put her feet in the water. She wasn't crawling yet so there wasn't a lot she could do besides get sand in her eyes, etc. This year was another story completely. After a brief moment checking out the scene, Evie ran straight into the biggest puddle of her life. She was so happy, even though she wasn't in her bathing suit and it wasn't very warm.
Jim and Evie on the way down to the beach (note sun):
Sitting in the sand:
Splashing around. I should also mention that Jim and Evie seem to not feel the cold. In that they are more English than I! They both frolicked on the beach and in what I considered to be pretty cold water all week long, while I sat on the sand with my jeans and sweater on. When there are fun things to be done, Jim is always a good dad to have around. I stand by with snacks and towels but I promised them both that when we go to the beach someplace where it's warm, I will be in the water, too!
One of Evie's favorite phrases is "That way!" When we headed back up the cliff to the hotel, she was very vocal about going back to the beach.
On one of the days that Evie was in Kids Club, we decided to hop in the car and head down the road to Bedruthan Steps. There are a lot of steps down to the beach, so we assumed that was why it was called Bedruthan Steps, but, in fact Bedruthan was a mythical giant and he used the 'islands' (giant rocks) on the beach as steps to get across the water.
Jim, on the first set of steps down to the beach:
Looking down onto the beach (with very good posture):
The final set of steps were extremely steep and daunting and it didn't help that there were warning signs about falling rocks posted all around. Luckily, we made it down without any casualties or injuries and tried not to think about the fact that we were going to have to go back up again at some point.
All of the islands on the beach were covered with these mollusks (or something. I have a history of misnaming shellfish that look like mussels or oysters or clams). When we stood next to the rocks, we could hear all of the mollusk-like shellfish making clicking noises. I dedicate this picture to Kate.
Jim posed next to his favorite 'pointy' rock:
Jim also posed in a cave:
Back at the top of the cliffs again, we sat down to take in the view from above. Sadly, the view was slightly marred when Jim put his hand in dog poop. Dog owners, pick up after your dogs!!!
After collecting Evie from Kid's club and a couple of hours of nap time, we headed down to the beach again. This time we were prepared with bathing suits, towels, extra clothes and diapers, sun hat, etc. Happy Evie had a great time playing in the sand and surf with her Dad.
Then, noting her bluish skin tone, I ruined it all by making her wrap up in a towel and change into dry clothes ("No, That way, Mama!!!).
The stairs up to our hotel and a little further down the beach at almost high tide:
To be continued over the weekend...
Bowling while pregnant is no easy feat! I started out with two near strikes, but quickly descended into my usual bowling style and lost the first round by a pretty large margin. Then I spent our next round mostly gabbing and letting the pros bowl for me. My score improved dramatically! Jim and David, it turns out, were both on bowling teams when they were kids. I think I knew this, but I'm not sure...
The whole birthday bowling crew (plus two opportunity seeking guys in the background).
The beer goggles made the rounds. Jackie still looked pretty wearing them.
David was very excited to wear the birthday bowling outfit:
We finished the evening off with tasty tapas on Charlotte Street. Yum!
Jim, of course, couldn't resist the opportunity to wear his bouffant on the tube. We still haven't figured out how to deflate it an I'm sure it will end up on Evie's head at some point in the not too distant future. Happy Birthday, Jim!
