Scribblings from the Mitchy Side

By all the weather forecasts I looked at last week, Saturday was predicted to be hot and sunny so I planned another beach visit. I considered exploring another beach but decided to head back to Westbrook Bay. What can I say, I've fallen in love :)

Despite not getting to sleep until 3am (baseball continually ruins my sleep patterns), I was out of the house by 7.30 and on my way! A lightning stop at Tesco's for supplies, and I was on the motorway, keeping my fingers crossed that I'd missed any potential coastal rush around the M25. I did :D It was a very painless journey, I did it in 2 hours flat, which is damn good going.

By 9.30 I was sitting outside my new favourite beach cafe, slurping excellent tea, scoffing a tasty bacon sarnie and reading my book in the early morning sunshine, while seagulls squawked overhead and the smell of the sea wafted under my nose.

There may have been contented purring :D

The beach was much busier this time around, as I suspected it would be, but not so crowded that you couldn't find plenty of room to settle down in. I picked my spot, settled in with my rented deckchair and read happily. Then I stretched out on the sand and snoozed happily - this proved my undoing. I was a smidge lax with the sunscreen and missed a strip just above my knees, thinking it was protected by my shorts. Wrong. When I surfaced properly, I realised that I'd definitely been burned there and it was starting to hurt.

I'd wanted to stay much longer (it was just past 2pm) and make sandcastles and splash in the sea, but I decided that it would be best if I got myself out of the sun and cooled off. Also, I needed aloe vera for the burn and the sooner the better, so after pausing for ice cream at the cafe, I reluctantly headed off. I drove to Westgate where I knew there was a pharmacy and bought after sun supplies. Then, very reluctantly, I drove home.

Next time I go to the beach, I gotta get more organised. Better sunscreen for a start (suspect even without missing the strip, I probably need a higher sun factor), get myself a sunshade and a windbreak and maybe invest in a deckchair or a recliner. I don't like lugging lots of stuff around - those that travel with me can vouch for this - but I could do with the basics at least. Hell, until this weekend, I didn't even have a beach towel to lie on!


Got back in time to see Dr Who - I got a lil' bored during the middle bit of the episode, but I thought the whole issue of depression and its effects was very well handled. This series is not wowing me though, it's not on my "OMG MUST WATCH RIGHTTHISSECONDNOW" list any more. But I still make sure I see it every week so it's keeping me hanging in there, just :)

Sunday I went to see "The Losers" at the cinema. I've been looking forward to this movie a lot but I can only give it a B-. I know several of my flist want to see this movie so I'll say nothing more here but I'll post a spoiler review under a cut later, as this post is long enough already! I will say though that Jeffery Dean Morgan is a tiny, yummy God :D

From the cinema, I went to Tesco's and stocked up and then headed home, where there was loafing in front of cookery programmes and more reading. I also watched the Mets claw back and actually snatch a win for a change, which added to the happy squeakings.

All in all a lovely weekend. The sunburn no longer actively hurts, the aloe vera did its job splendidly, and the rest of me is going a pleasing shade of brown. Given that my usual summer complexion is "cave-dweller pasty white", I'm absurdly pleased with this!

And now I'm at work and already bored enough to be typing this out (in notepad, so I'm not online!). Only good thing is boss isn't in until this afternoon :)

*yawns and goes to find more tea*