Sun, Sand and Steam Trains.

I am back from my annual holiday in Bournemouth and it was BLISS.

 The weather was gorgeous, I ate my bodyweight in chips, I sampled a new ice cream flavour and went on a steam train for the first time in my life.
Thursday we just mooched and did the shops and ate dinner at the Harvester on the beach, it has great views so is always rampacked full of people. I am glad to report Himself did not find a beach chair to bring home with us when we left it this time!
 
Friday we were hoping to catch a boat from the pier in Bournemouth to Swanage to go on the steam train but it doesn't sail on Fridays so we caught the bus instead. As it turns out the bus goes on a ferry over Poole harbour, which was a pretty novel experience seeing as it was a double decker!
The views were fantastic from the top deck though. 

We arrived bought our train tickets and a bottle of pop (Himself) nipped to the toilet (Me, the excitement was getting to me clearly!) and jumped on the train to Corfe Castle. Going out we travelled in the standard class section.

Travelling back we managed to nab a seat in the first class car.

I was just itching for Poirot to appear! Isn't it lovely? I have about 5000 pictures but I will restrain myself from posting them all.

 I have been to Corfe Castle before but many years ago now, it's a very beautiful little village so we decided to wander around rather than pay £8.50 to look at the ruins.
I got very excited because there is a Enid Blyton shop, which as it turns out was tiny and had an alarmingly large amount of merchandise with gollys on it for such a small establishment. I bought a Famous Five badge.

 We ambled about and couldn't resist the children's playpark as it had proper old school play equipment. We were having a great time until the sky did this

So instead of getting wet we decided to do this

until it was time to catch the train back to Swanage.

I was in absolute heaven at the period detail at all the stations along the line. I would have quite happily have taken all the cases home with me!

                                                        First class view darling!

Back in Swanage we had an hour or so to amble around until it was time to catch the bus back. I had to resist the siren call of the charity shops because Himself was with me and he is allergic to them, but we did do a couple of 'souvenir' (ie; tat shops) the best where Himself got told of for mocking the display of resin meercats!

Back in Bournemouth we chilled at the beach with a cheeky bottle of wine and a huge bag of marshmallows.

                        At this point I had given up trying to sort the hair out, too damn windy.

Like we hadn't had enough excitement for the day we decided to walk to Boscombe and back.

Another fortifying drink watching the sun set over Bournemouth and chips from Harry Ramsden's and I was feeling no pain.

Saturday dawned hot, hot. HOT. I went to meet my friend Alison for our annual get together. This time we went to Boscombe and walked until the heat got the better of us. After a refreshing cold drink in a lovely little cliff top cafe (where somehow we both resisted the amazing looking cakes ) She drove us to Southbourne. It's another little seaside town with just one high street full of interesting little shops. We ate lunch in the Ludo Lounge and I am ashamed to say that even though I was 'oohing and ahhing ' over the decor we were so busy yapping I forgot to take any pictures!?!
I borrowed this one off the internets.

I desperately wanted to take home the luscious deco leather armchair at our table, I had to settle for stroking it lovingly instead. The walls are decorated with loads of mirros and glass light shades from various eras and we had a happy time chosing which ones we would steal if we could.

The food was lovely too by the way.

We then had a gentle stroll up and down the high street diving into every charity shop and any where else that took our fancy. I bought a cute green blouse for £3 and some Acorn and Will earrings. I fell in love with a pair of earrings in a craft shop that were little Fab lollys but they were a heartstopping price so I put them back!
Nearly bought Vix an awesome lurex catsuit but on closer inspection it was pretty battered with a lot of pulls so I put it back too.
After Alison dropped me back at the hotel it was time for a quick change and then we walked to Westbourne to meet a friend of Himself's and her husband in The Hogshead. They not only had Newcastle Brown but it was less that £3.50 a bottle so it would have been rude not too.
We had a lovely night, I think we finally got in at 1am, not good when you have to be up for breakfast at 8am!

Sunday we checked out of the hotel and walked to the East Overcliff as I wanted to see the memorial to FLT Jon Eggings, the Red Arrows pilot who lost his life bravely steering his crippled plane away from houses and people.
It is beautiful, like a stained glass window in sculptural form. It looks different from all sides.

We then went and sat in the park where I people watched to my hearts content until it was time to get the train home, and now I am back at work ....bah.