After the week and a half we've just had - we were more than grateful to get away for a couple of days! The sickness bug lasted much too long for my liking - and a trip to see my Dad was just what we needed. Dad lives off the Kent coast on the Isle of Sheppey, he's been there a couple of years now.
I have to admit when I was at school I presumed the Isle of Sheppey was in Scotland (doh!), but it's only about a 50 minute drive from our home.
Sheppey gets a lot of unfair press about being an island full of chavs - *chuckles*, they call the natives "Swampies". In all fairness which town doesn't have it's fair share of chavs?! I can't say it's anywhere I'd want to move to - but the beaches are clean, and full of shellfish and Minster has a lovely row of pastel coloured beach huts - and it's quiet!
Not far towards Sheerness is Bartons Point, which has a little boat house, a lake and a cool sandy adventure playground, and most of the coastal towns have arcades with the two pence slot machines that the kids love.
The sun was shining and the blossom was in bloom - there's something about being by the sea which I find very relaxing, and we came home on Friday feeling very refreshed - and we found a cool skeleton on the beach, Uncle Paul checked it out and seems to be the pelvic bone of a Puffin!