Sunday 27th July 2008
We've arranged to meet some friends who we met here in Tokyo and have since moved back to the UK.
For some reason we decided that Lyme Regis was a good place to meet. They had a heck of a journey to reach this beautiful town, but were very happy to do so. It took a few phone calls when we got here to actually find them but we were soon reunited. They have two delightful children and Rhiannon had a fantastic time with them.
I adore Lyme Regis with its wonderfully pebbly beach, interesting shops and, of course, the fossils. Although a very uncomfortable beech to sit on, I can spend many a happy hour there finding stones. I have a bit of an obsession with rocks and stones and have quite a collection from around the world. Which is a subject of much complaint when it comes to moving house… yes, I'm peculiar, but I don't care.
With my new, better quality camera I sat taking hundreds of candid shots of the children. Some of my favourite photos of Rhiannon are from this single day.
We were incredibly lucky with the weather and it stayed glorious all day.
Lunch was taken in a café on the seafront and right in the middle of it some sort of fun-run took place. Competitors of all ages took part, even children. It was great to watch and cheer them on.
Wandering along the promenade I was suddenly transfixed by a man balancing stones on top of other stones in amazing, gravity-defying natural sculptures. This was the famous Adrian Gray and I will hopefully see his incredible work again someday. I wasn't allowed to take photos of his creations, which is fair enough as he finances himself by selling his own pictures. One day I hope to own one. The others didn't share my enthrallment and dragged me away to the other end of town. They wanted to go to the fossil museum which I have visited many times before, so, in order to save on the entrance fees, I wandered around the back streets where I found shops selling jewellery made from fossils.
After finding a lovely pub for a typical British pub dinner (fish and chips all round!), we walked back along the sea front to a small sandy bay.
Once sunset neared, the sea settled into a mirror-like state and I got my camera out again. I must make the effort to take this camera out more often – the picture quality is worth it. But my standard one is more portable.
We all had a wonderful day out with good friends in a stunning town enjoying perfect weather.
It doesn't get much better than that.
