And just like that my 4 years as organiser of Wharfedale Clandestine Cake Club were over...


 Chocolate Crunchie Cake

We started the day with a lazy morning then headed off to Arromanches for a spot of lunch and some time on the beach. Unfortunately it wasn't the warmest of days but it was dry and Ethan loved running around and digging in the sand.We did take him at the beach last year but he was only 5 months old so didn't really get it. This time he was running around like a loon while digging up sand and chucking it everywhere.

Tom picked up a kite in Aldi a few weeks back and decided to try and fly it. I would like to say it was a success but in reality it was a bit of a disaster. The stunt kites were the same price as the normal ones so of course he picked the stunt one. We spent more time picking the kite up off the sand and detangling it than actually flying it. Nonetheless, it still gave us a few giggles.




After a couple of hours we headed up to Omaha beach and to visit the American cemetery. It's a shame that we didn't spend time on the beach itself but the weather was a bit cooler and it was getting close to a certain little man's tea time. That was one thing we learned on this holiday - be flexible to an extent but don't veer too much from routine either.

Now, I'm not in to war stuff, that's Tom's interest but it was still humbling to see all of those graves of so many young men that gave up their lives for our freedom. It was rows upon rows of crosses and I dread to think how many men were buried there. While we were at the cemetery the clock struck 5pm and we were able to watch as the flags were taken down from the flagpoles. I almost lifted the camera at that point to record it then decided against it. It was one of those times where it felt distasteful to start photographing or filming. Instead we stopped what we were doing and watched as each flag was brought down, folded up and put away.

After an hour of walking round, admiring the sea views yet at the same time feeling saddened at the volume of victims of the War we headed back to our apartment.I'll be honest though, I had to detach myself from the sadness of it all. If I let myself truly dwell on it I would be an emotional mess and no use to anyone. The cemetery though was in a lovely location - looking out at the sea it was a constant reminder that there is a wonderful world out there, one that we need to explore and love, not to be torn apart by war.

It was a great first day, a mix of beach time (for Ethan and I) and some history for Tom. I'll  be back soon with Part 2 of our trip to Normandy.