Summer in Swansea

We have now been back in Hyderabad for five weeks, and our long summer holiday in Swansea feels like it was a lifetime ago.

Apart from a few days in Plymouth with the Hartley's, the remainder of our 8 week holiday was spent in Swansea. Lots of visitors; The Axes from France, The Burtons from South Africa, The Webbs from Birmingham, The Hartleys from Plymouth and of course, John from India.

The weather was unpredictable and mostly wet, but we decided that we would get out whatever the weather and make the most of what Swansea has to offer, the walks, the cycling, the sea etc, all of which we do not have access to in India. Full wet suits were purchased so that the kids could enjoy themselves in the sea without any limbs becoming so numb amputation may be a possibility. Boogie boarding and skim boarding were favourite activities, and if it rained it didn't really matter when you were wet anyway.

Being able to walk to the beach from the house is something that I love being able to do, even if it does mean being like a pack horse carrying the picnic, toys, chairs, and other paraphernalia required. John's view is that you only take the minimum amount of stuff and that everyone has to be responsible for carrying their own things, so when he takes the kids, they take a towel each, and wear anything else they may need. I like this idea but I also like my chair, my tea, my food, my book, and spades to keep the kids busy with digging (so we can stay for longer).



We love being in Swansea, seeing the immediate family and all the others like Aunties, Uncles and cousins. Now there are so many kids and everyone has such busy lives we do not get to see each other very often. So, when we were home in April I set a date in July when we would have a family gathering and not sit back to wait for the next wedding before everyone was in the same venue together. It was great to have everyone together. Bill, Joan, Ian and Trish were down from Birmingham to join in the festivities. Of course, the weather was terrible and we were all inside but it didn't seem to matter. There was about 60 people including loads of kids. Will definitely have to make this an annual event.