Making the most of some down time

It's a good job we didn't come away on holiday with the intention of lounging around on the beach all week! We've had two days of warm sunshine - warm being the operative word - with the rest of the time being a bit dull and overcast. (The rain on our first morning here thankfully didn't really come to much.) The fact is that we wouldn't normally manage a holiday away from it all at this time of year at all so we're determined to make the very most of it, no matter the weather.

 

So far we've done a fair bit of exploring by bike and by car and today Alex's away doing some more exploring on a boat. There's a marina right opposite our hotel and the big sign that says 'Deep Sea Fishing Trips' has been shouting out to him ever since we arrived. He did take a bit of persuading to go though: 'Ocht, that would be rotten; leaving you here all on your own while I go away on a big boat with a big bunch of men with big fishing rods and big crates of beer to catch some big fish. I mean, what would you do all day...?'

 

It's not been easy, of course, but I've just about managed to keep myself occupied...



...having a boring time eating a stodgy American breakfast smothered in maple syrup, drinking lots of coffee and a reading a good book...

 

...then walking along the beach with only the birds and a family of playful dolphins for company (the dolphins are out there somewhere, honest! I just wasn't quick enough with the camera!)... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and finally sitting here reading, writing and watching the world go by while I wait for Alex's boat to dock...

 Yup, it's been a really tough one dear, but somehow I've just about managed to keep myself busy and ended up feeling really good today...!

Being by the beach

We spent seventeen hours travelling yesterday - resulting in a bit of a wonky body clock and being bright eyed and bushy tailed just now while I should be sleeping - but I have a feeling it will all have been worth it. We're spending the best part of a week in Virginia before driving up north to visit our son Ross, who's doing a semester in Pennsylvania as part of his University course. However, as this:

was the first place we stumbled upon as we wandered along the Boardwalk last night, I'm guessing there might be a wee story or two from a saddle in the States before we leave Virginia Beach!

Being on holiday always makes me feel good, though this is a strange one for both me and Alex because we've come off on a 'proper' holiday on our own. We've done the City Break and long-weekend type of thing without the kids in years gone by, but this is different because we're at the beach. For the past 22 years we've always had kids with us anytime we've gone on holiday to the beach, or gone on a 'vacation' kind of holiday. We've not always had all of the kids with us as they've got older, but there are usually at least one, two or three of them with us when we head off on our holidays. It's just another sign of the passing of time and the moving through the stages of them being all grown up. And, although it brings a bit of a lump to my throat as I'm writing this, it makes me feel so very good that we can come away and do this on our own (and cycle while we're here!! Hooray!!) safe in the knowledge that our kids are all happily and capably doing their own thing too. Our visit to Ross is very much going to be just that; a visit. When we meet up with him we'll be fitting in to his schedule and not expecting him to fit in to ours.

I think that one of the greatest gifts you can give your kids is the freedom and confidence to make their own choices and allow them to be who they really want to be. To let them go. Our youngest son, Gordon, has recently decided that it's time for him to find a place of his own and, as much as I can't help feeling sad about him leaving home, I'm extremely proud and happy that he feels ready to step out and give 'looking after myself and doing my own thing' a go. Of course, our kids always know that they've got their old maw and paw to fall back on for morale support, encouragement or simply just a hug, and hopefully that's part of what makes it easier for them to take - then make the most of - those first big steps out of the door. It won't always be easy for them; tough stuff will be thrown at them and they'll make plenty of mistakes along the way, but that's all part of living a full life. And finding their own ways of working through the hard stuff will hopefully make them more able to make the very most of all the good stuff.

It was strangely comforting yesterday to be leaving from the country that Gordon is in (Scotland) then - albeit briefly while waiting on a connecting flight - spend a bit of time in the country that Gemma is in (England) then finally land in the country that Ross is in (USA). It felt like a wee whirlwind tour of the places where the Milne crew are settled at the moment. And that really did make me feel good.

As I'm typing this, Alex is opening the curtains and telling me that it's raining! At the beach!! On our holidays...!!! Ocht well, what was that I was saying again about making the most of the bad stuff? So, I think I might be heading off now to have some fun cycling through some big fat American puddles...