Last day of fun

Unfortunately Disneyland took its toll: either germs from the thousands there or the seafood pasta caused Kevin to be quite unwell when he woke up. So sadly he stayed in bed while Jemima and I headed off for some more fun with my uncle and aunt.

They picked us up at the hotel and took us to Laguna Beach, not far down the freeway. The Shake Shack was perched on the hill overlooking the beach, a small building with a lovely shaded outdoor terrace. After we'd introduced Aunty Margaret to Ants in Your Pants (still a restaurant favourite), we had a delicious Californian lunch (burger, grilled cheese, ahi tuna sandwich, fries, beer - perfect). Then a walk down the cliff steps for a play on the beach before returning to the Shake Shack for an ice cream with a view, and driving on to the next door beach where we could park for longer.

It turned out David and Margaret had come prepared - a ball, a kite, towels, a picnic blanket, chairs and beer - we were in the hands of experienced beachgoers. We loaded up, waded through the ankle-deep water in the tunnel under the freeway, and emerged onto a beautiful stretch of sand. The wind was still quite fresh, and the sea was freezing, but the sun had real warmth in it, and plenty of people were enjoying themselves. 

Jemima stripped down to her new beach outfit (thanks to Elizabeth), and ran in and out of the small waves, as ever, thoroughly at home with the sea and the sand. David and Margaret took it in turns to play with Jemima and chat to me (Margaret was a football whizz, while Jemima and David had a fun game drawing in the sand then pouring sea water on the pictures, although Jemima wasn't that impressed by David's artistic skills, saying his person looked like a beetroot). The sun shone, the sea sparkled, it was another lovely day with our American family. And then it was time to go home.

On the drive back, all the excitement caught up with Jemima and she got fractious, but we managed to get to the hotel before it went too horribly wrong. Some more final goodbyes, then back to the room to find Kevin better, but still not right. So the last night of our trip was spent in our hotel room, with room service for Jemima and I, three in a bed watching Sing (an animation about an American Idol-style singing competition). Not exactly glamorous but what we all needed. Then off to sleep, to dream of going home.