Preparation Day.

After a night of heavy rain today's weather has been most pleasant. Not blazing hot but the wind has been warm and the beach has been full of happy holiday makers.

Since I've been busy today the rest of the photos are from Sunday's walk.

I've have a few frustrations today but I'm learning to focus on the positive aspects first. Mind you I'm generally a lot more upbeat when the sun is shining. I've just had a lovely half hour sitting outside in the sun watching the sea as my early evening painkillers kick in (always a good time of day). Looking back on the day my irritations, very minor in the scheme of things, despite my tendency to be a grumpy old woman, have all been solvable.

My plan was to spend the day quietly making sure everything was ready for tomorrow's carnival. Our costumes were more or less done, just a bit of chain to be found and sewn with fastenings onto a faux fur scarf for Pete. He had set his heart on having a Viking beard with beads but that did not go so well. Both the ideas I had only left him looking like an out of place Santa but eventually I cobbled together a small goatee type beard (with one plait and bead) which he hopes to fix on with double sided tape.

Next I wanted to check the bubble gun with which we hope to shoot bubbles out of the dragon's mouth. Yikes, that needed batteries and when at last our rechargeable batteries were ready we could not get the gun to work.  There was nothing to be done but drive to Argos in town to get a replacement. I took along a screwdriver and pliers and although the staff were very helpful between us we couldn't get the bubble gun or the replacement one they had to work. I was beginning to think it was the batteries even though we'd checked each one. That would have been really silly. However when we tried the batteries in a slightly bigger model everything worked though it took us a while to work out how to stop the motor running. So that is what we shall be using.

After all that and as Argos is next door to Lidl there was nothing for it but to go in to replenish my ice cream stocks. Not only is their ice-cream much nicer than the other supermarkets' but it works out at less than 50p for the equivalent of a Magnum.  

The bull in the footpath gate.  It must have known how to work the swing gate because the next minute it was in the other field.

The stone circle.

While I sat outside enjoying the warm evening I came up with yet another idea to make a pouch for my camera from the last of the faux leather coat. That way I can carry my camera in the carnival without it looking incongruous. So that's what I shall do now.