Pirates and sandcastles

Wake at seven, whilst Norman sleeps on, when I feel his nose it is warm and he leaves his breakfast, which is most unusual. I make smoked salmon and cream cheese Ryvita crackers and a pot of coffee, which I take into the Garden Room and eat whilst listening to the news. After showering and dressing, I pack my coffee, filter and papers to take to Leslie's and, leaving the garden door open for Normy, drive to church. I arrive, as usual, ten minutes before mass and quieten and prepare myself for the service. Monsiegnor Coughlan is conducting the service again, so there is no sung Latin this week, but what he lacks in energy and mental agility due to his advancing years, is more than made up for in the gentleness and radiant kindness of his personality. This happens with some people as they age, the body and mind might weaken but the soul becomes more radiant. Johnny Cash's American series of records, produced by Rick Rubin, are a great example of this, he was nearly dying when he made them but the sincerity and emotional content in his voice is transcendental. After Mass I call at Sarah's and arrange to collect Louis at half past twelve and take him to Bridlington. Then I drive the half mile to Leslie's house and make coffee for us both. He says his muscle problem is much better and he is certainly moving better but I can't rule out the possibility that a trip to Scarborough for a morning concert may have just been to much for him. I leave the invitation open for another day but will leave it to him to initiate things. We have a nice chat for an hour and then I drive home to check on Norman and to take him out for a walk. When I get in he has eaten his breakfast, but his nose is still a little warm, so I only walk him to the farm and back. He is glad to head for home and jumps straight back in his basket when we get in. I change into some old shorts for the beach, pack a sweater and then make sure there is plenty of water for the dog, before picking Louis up from Sarah's. We park at South Shore and get the little train that runs down the promenade to take us to our first destination, the large paddling pool. The train stops a couple of hundred yards beyond it and after we get off, Louis runs ahead and strips off his sandals, shorts and tea shirt and jumps in the water. He had put on his costume before he left. I retrieve his wet clothes from where he left them on the soaking concrete, and sit in the warm sun with the other adults and watch the kids play. Although Louis is only just turned five he is as big as most seven or eight year olds and this can cause problems. Today two boys of about this age are playing with a large inner tube in the water, taking turns to sit in it and be pushed along. Louis grabs it and is quickly and very firmly shoved out of the way. I have to explain to him that he must ask first and accept the fact that people are allowed to say no. He returns to the two boys and asks if he might play with them and is told no. A young mother takes pity on him and let's him ride on her daughter's inflatable dolphin. After ten minutes the boys with the inner tube ask him if he would like to swap and after a while he agrees. I keep an eye on the dolphin to ensure it doesn't go astray. After an hour he gets hungry and we move to the beach and I buy him a hot dog and myself a tea from the busy cafe on the promenade. We then select a place on the beach to set up camp, Louis wants to dig a sandcastle, so we find some firm sand that's not too wet to sit on and start work. First we inscribe a big circle in the sand and then dig a trench around it that will become the moat. The sand we excavate is piled in the middle, and when there is enough, we will sculpt this into the castle. Louis helps for a while and then goes to the sea, about twenty metres away, to wash the sand from his hands. When he comes back he occupies himself collecting shells and pebbles for decorations. After a while a little girl asks if she can help and of course we let her. She only looks about three but is very friendly and chatty, when I ask her how old she is, it turns out that she is only three weeks younger than Louis. The contrast in size is enormous, the difference in mentality, minimal. If anything she is more sensible than he is, but then little girls usually are. We have a happy couple of hours digging the sandcastle and the little girl's mum buys me a tea for keeping her amused all afternoon. We call it a day around four o'clock as it becomes chilly as the clouds roll in and the onshore breeze stiffens. Before we leave the kids jump all over the castle, shrieking with glee as they demolish it. Louis and I make our way to the harbour, where a fishing coble has been decked out as a pirate ship and a ten minute trip into the bay can be had for a pound. ( Good value compared to his donkey ride which cost two.) As we arrive, the boat embarks, so we buy fish and chips from Baynhams stall, the best in the harbour, and eat them sat on a bench surrounded by predatory seagulls. Louis, who is going through a dinosaur phase, asks if they are pterodactyls? Not dissimilar I tell him. The pirate ship returns, we pay our pounds and enjoy the short ride on a choppy sea. The more the boat bobs up and down as it breasts the waves, the more Louis laughs, he is an adrenalin junkie. After we get our land legs back, we make our way back to the little train stop and join about half a dozen people sat on the little wooden platform. It is ten minutes before they tell us that they are watching their children on the boating pool and that the last train left just before we arrived. It is only a mile back to the car and it is a pleasant and easy walk along the promenade. I drop Louis off in Beverley at a quarter to seven, tired and happy, Sarah and Richard have been to watch Hull FC beat the Catalan Dragons at the KC stadium. I arrive home at seven, Norman is asleep but when I check his nose, it is cold again and he eats his dinner with gusto. Afterwards we walk as far as the little bridge before returning home. I mix up some more oaties, and then marinade some stewing lamb, I bought on Friday, in chile, ginger, garlic and coriander Tomorrow I will make a Lamb Kahari with it. It is now nine O'clock and I feel tired but my energy levels seem back to normal and I have had a lovely day. Long may the good health continue.