Farewell Dawlish, You’ve Done Us Proud

It’s been a pretty wonderful, if not extremely inclement, few days in Dawlish Warren for Lulu, Iris, Bertie and Nigel………

…… but as with all good things, they must all, sadly, come to an end.

Time for just one last paddle of hypothermic intensity ………

….. before heading home and a return to “real life”.

Will they return again this time next year to what has been a tempest tossed beach  ……..

…… or are there perhaps other caravans, beaches and arcades waiting to be plundered, who can tell, but it’s been a blast  ………….

 As for Nigel, will this his final, long, lingering embrace of his beloved sea for 2023, or will there be yet another adventure of a marine type nature should one be proffered ….. we shall indeed see!

Entertainment Passes Ahoy!

Nigel says that the entertainment in the Starlight Bar on The Welcome site is not to be found wanting …….

Iris is insistent that they are all ready, brandishing their entertainment passes for 6.30 so that she be there in prime position for the start of all the club dances …..

…… with Dougie Dog, Myrtle The Turtle and Mr Poodlebum etc……

Then, while Iris and Bertie move on to the pleasures of Dougie’s Den, Nigel and Lulu are not averse to a cheeky line of two of bingo, if they have a spooky feeling in their waters, however, despite said feelings, so far it seems that Lady Luck has only afforded them a very wide berth …….

…… but hope springs eternal, even if it is on the 2p machines in the arcade, after Nigel eventually admits defeat, and puts his obviously “cursed” dabber down, to live for another night. What is he like?

The climax of the evening is always “The Show”, they’ve been treated to the delights of The Little Shop of Horrors, Back to The Future and Movies, Madness and Musicals, where a starry eyed Iris wheedles her way down to the front, to sit totally mesmerised and star struck ……..

…….. taking in all the numbers to sing all over again on the short walk back to their caravan before it’s lights out, priceless!  

Happy days …… with equally happy nights and so many, many wonderful memories, Dawlish just keeps on delivering year after year!

Nigel Enjoys The Pleasures Of Sootyland …………..

While in Devon, Little Miss Iris and Young Master Bertie has set their hearts on the pleasures of Sootyland (at Crealy Theme Park) ………. 

…….. after Tom The Scientist introduced them to the old programmes he found on YouTube, that he used to watch and had fond memories of when he was little.

Auntie Lulu had all of the puppets right until she/we moved until we put them on eBay, so they are still hopefully around somewhere and probably now classed as vintage/retro. 

Needless to say they are now totally love all the characters, both having a lovely, innocent sense of humour, getting all the jokes and silliness!

All the old stage sets and props were just too wonderful for words and bought about many oooooo ahhhhh moments.  Lulu wondered at the bathroom set most, where Sweep got his toe stuck in the tap, everything really was real!

Then, there was the show in the big top, with MUCH audience participation, where Nigel was just as excited and involved as Lulu and their young charges!

Being a theme park there were also lots of rides, on which, after a while, poor Nigel began to regret having such a hearty holiday breakfast, but says somehow, though he doesn’t quite know how he did it, managed to keep hold of it for fear of spoiling his beloved niece and nephew’s much anticipated and planned day out.

The highlight of the whole day however was undoubtedly the Sooty meet and greet …..

…..let’s just say it was EMOTIONAL, very emotional ………

……. Nigel says he doesn’t know how he kept it together, a bit like his breakfast!

And then, before they left, there was naturally the obligatory visit to the gift shop to spend their pocket money …….

When they came away, Tom the Scientist had made Nigel promise, NO more soft toys ……….

….. which, in all the excitement, just happened to slip his mind …….. oooooops! What is Uncle Nigel like? Hopefully, questions will not have to be asked in Parliament!

Beachcombing Of A Dawlish Warren Type Nature

With the weather currently sooooooo inclement at Dawlish Warren …..

…… Nigel, his beloved niece, nephew and Auntie Lulu have had the whole beach almost to themselves to go beachcombing ……..

So, a holey stone for Uncle Darrell was duly found, but sadly any sea glass for his proposed Christmas sea glass wreath proved impossible to find.

And then ………

……. there were a couple of stones with faces ……..

…….. for Nigel’s growing collection.

……. and then a very special heart that Iris was positive had been left for us to find by Grandy Andy in Heaven

Memories made and happy, if not very, very, very wet, days …………

Crabbing In The Rain ……..

It has to be said, with the inclement weather currently hanging over Dawlish at the moment, Nigel and his beloved niece and nephew have had the beach almost to themselves which is almost too romantic for words ……..

…… to go crabbing, gloriously unfettered by the company (wanted or otherwise) of others. 

Iris spotted the south claw hermit crabs first, as identified by Auntie Lulu, by their big left claws and the more they looked, the more they found, being brought in, they think, by the tide.

And they didn't need any lines, hooks, nets or scraps of bacon to catch them as Iris was simply able to pluck them out gently, with her bare fingers from the waves and put them in her bucket ……….

….. to then transfer them into what must be the worlds smallest paddling pool (as sold by Poundland), once Nigel had managed to gather up enough puff to blow it up.

It was, in Nigel’s words “ all very emotional” ……..

……. wonderful, happy memories were made and laid down, and if it rained, who really cared …….

 

 ……. being with his beloved Iris and Bertie catching crabs was all that mattered.