Oh, I Do Love To Be Beside The Seaside!

Well, here we are in sunny Paignton at the end of our first week on holiday. Sitting outside my beach hut, with a mug of tea and several layers of clothing to keep me warm, most of my time has been spent "people watching"!. Watching people out of their natural habitat is fascinating. For instance, if you're not a size 10 at home, then what makes you think those shorts will fit you on the beach? And why oh why do British holidaymakers build their own little fortress out of wind breaks and sun parasols, just in case someone along the two mile stretch of coastline decides to set foot in their two-metre-square empire?

I've loved watching my two children playing on the beach. With the sea, sand and rockpools (and the occasional trip to the ice cream kiosk) I've decided that children really don't care whether they're in Devon or the Costa del Sol. Apparently indifferent to the wind and rain, they've been quite happy investigating rockpools or capsizing their dinghy. Picnics on the beach have given a whole new meaning to the word "SANDwiches" but even crunchy ham sandwiches and slightly melted chocolate biscuits haven't spoilt the fun.

Maybe the next time we contemplate a getaway break in the sun, with its cost to our purse and the planet, we should stop and ask ourselves why. After this week's holiday I know what my children's answer would be.