One of the things I love about this blog is that I can look back at all the memories we have created as a family. I don’t keep a diary, so this blog is a nice way of remembering what we have done.
We recently made a family trip to see Blackpool Illuminations. We made this same pilgrimage last year (read about it here), so it was nice to look back and see how Ebony had changed over the past 12 months. Though mostly what I noticed was that it’s probably about time Ebony got a new hat, and that Laurie is in desperate need of a new winter coat.
This year’s visit wasn’t as well planned as the last. It was a last minute decision, and we had to get ready quickly so that we could set off before it was too late. It’s usually just over an hour’s drive, but this time Laurie accidentally drove all the way to Lancaster and had to turn around, so it took a bit longer this year.
It was dark when we arrived, but we were all wrapped up warm in preparation for the notorious Blackpool weather. The weather forecast said dry, which turned out to be wrong, but I hadn’t planned for the wind at all. I didn’t have anything to tie my hair up with, so I mostly looked like a giant flailing hair ball as I made my way blindly down the promenade.
We didn’t go all the way into Blackpool this time, so my exposure to stag and hen parties was at an all time low. We just stayed around the big illuminations, rather than making our way to the piers. If we’d had more time, we would definitely have ventured further, but as time was limited, we kept things simple. We started off with chips, of course, eaten outside because I can’t think of anything worse than trying to eat food whilst surrounded by the smell of chip shop sausages. Vom. It was, I must admit, a bit windy for eating outside, but we persevered.
Once we’d eaten, we headed to the illuminations. This year, Ebony recognised more of the TV characters (a sure sign of a demise of our parenting skills) and was more interested in trying to get as close as possible to the illuminations. It was really windy, I managed to catch Ebony’s hat a couple of times when it blew off, but Ebony was knocked onto her bum by a particularly strong gust. Mr Teddy Bear came with us, and was lucky enough to be held high for the duration of the illuminations so he wouldn't miss a single one.
Ebony's favourite illumination was the one with the mummies, I have no idea why but each time we passed it she informed us she needed to watch that one lots and lots of times. She also liked the illumination with the boulder that moves to reveal treasure, it has a sign saying ‘OPEN SESAME’. We all said it a few times, and then noticed that Ebony was actually saying “OPEN SESAME SEED.”
After strolling past the illuminations, and stocking up on Blackpool junk food at the shop, we decided it was time to head home. Ebony looked exhausted, though not too tired to notice the man selling flashing lights, so we ended up with yet another plastic flashing sword destined for landfill. Sword clasped tightly in her palm, Ebony slept the whole way home.
The one photograph of me and Ebony is blurry because, well, Laurie took it.
