Oh, that pesky rain!

15 May 2018

That bloody thunderstorm!  I feel as if I barely slept a wink last night.  First it was the coffee, then the storm and the wind, then at 5am, I hear Cornelia crying out for me, and the van door opening.  She is naked but for her nappy, and struggling to open the zip of the tent, but getting furious with me for trying to open it for her.  She manages to get into the tent, before sobbing at me “Mummy, I wanted you to sleep in the roof of the van last night, but when I woke up you weren’t there!”  I explain that the roof had been closed because rain was coming in through the roof vents (does anyone know if that’s even supposed to be able to happen?!) and that I was sleeping in the tent like I always did.  She came to join us in there, and before I knew it, she was fast asleep and jauntily-angled on my pillow, so I had to lie at a 45 degree angle squished into the door of the tent.  But I found myself enjoying that “awake time”, gazing at my amazing little girl, full of awe and wonder, and gratitude.

I did finally fall asleep at about 08:30, and was only disturbed when Ian got up half an hour later.  Cornelia was fast asleep and stayed asleep until 09:30.  I’m glad she found my bed so comfortable….!

Cornelia has discovered a love of porridge, so had a bowl of that this morning.  At last, she likes porridge!!! After a very lazy start to the day, we were feeling a bit uninspired, and decided to just hang around the campsite.  I needed to do some studying, so before lunch I took myself off to the internet cafe here and did some work, while Ian did some more cycling practice with her.  By the time they came to collect me at lunchtime, she had mastered it, and was pedalling by herself up and down the slopes!  I know every parent experiences that “first time” moment, but I was so ridiculously excited, and am now dreading the first time she has a bad fall.

After lunch in the van again, we took Cornelia up to the kids’ club that we have found is open every day from 10:30 – 13:00, and then from 14:00 – 17:00.  Yahoooooo!  It is free, and she LOVED it!  She wants to go back again tomorrow, so BOOM, she’s going!  Ian and I couldn’t decide whether to go to a bar and have a couple of beers, or out for a bike ride, but our sensible heads won, and we headed out around the headland on our bikes to check out a restaurant that has good reviews for supper tonight.  I’m glad we did check, because it’s closed on a Tuesday!

The Croatians are investing heavily in their infrastructure and there are loads of roadworks taking place.  On our bike ride we encountered a long section of half-built new road, which was hellish on a road bike, but then a lovely smooth brand new road, which was delightfully smooth to ride.

We picked up Bugsy from kids’ club, and Ian and I tag-teamed going out for a run before dinner.  I am trying to get in at least a 20 minute run every day (or most days, anyway), and it’s a great way to explore the immediate local area, even if (in my case today) it involves a long hill in the strong afternoon sunshine!

We showered and were then ready for dinner, with Cornelia choosing the little restaurant very near to our tent.  Neither Ian nor I were sure about it, but as it was her choice tonight, we went along with it! It was very quiet, and overlooked the sea, so we had super views.  The waiter was incredibly friendly, especially (obviously) towards Cornelia, and we all ate well again.  She had earned herself a chocolate ice cream, although she subsequently lost a bedtime story afterwards, as the sugar high kicked in.  She’ll learn!! (And so will we…chocolate ice cream needs to be a lunchtime treat, not an evening treat!!)

There was a brilliant thunderstorm out at sea, and we caught some of the rain on the dash back to our tents, but the wind has completely died down, so tonight, we shall fall asleep (hopefully) to the gentle pitter-patter of raindrops, as opposed to worrying about the tent being destroyed!  We have decided to stay here for another three nights, as we’re happy with our pitch and the campsite generally (although, bizarrely, there was no water from 08:00 until 16:00 today available anywhere on site!), and the weather looks as if it’s going to cheer up a bit.  It’s safe here, the kids’ club is terrific for Cornelia (who needs some interaction with other children) and the other facilities are good.  As I close the post now, there is another rumble of thunder in the distance, so it’s time to crawl into the safety of our inner tent!!