Beside the Seaside

There is a bit of a nautical theme to today's post. We had a very lovely day out in Portsmouth  yesterday with the children and my parents. We walked along the seafront and watched the boats come and go. We saw helicopters, ferries, sailing boats, hovercrafts (Bella called them "hobbycrafts"). Portsmouth is not a very pretty or picturesque place, I'll admit. But it has that air of old English seaside which is charming, even in the winter.

I don't know who was more excited when we saw this Naval Destroyer, Angus or my Dad. It was magnificent. The picture doesn't really convey how big she is or how fast she moved, but we all stood, mesmerized, watching her turn into the sun. You could just make out the crew, standing on the deck, saluting.

Then a trip up Spinnaker Tower.

We were so lucky with the weather. Clear and sunny. You could see for miles. Bella said "the world is very big, isn't it."

The tower has a section of reinforced glass floor which you are encouraged to walk on. Under Bella's striped socks is, well, a big drop then some water. I didn't fancy it really.

We had fun. And the children had the opportunity to do and see things that are exciting and different, a world away from land-locked Leeds, without spending us spending a fortune on a half term holiday.