Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

Working in retail I don't get weekends off too often so I'd said to myself that when I next had a Sunday off I was going to do typical Sunday things! So yesterday I did just that, I'd even bought bacon specifically for the occasion. I knew that my Sunday plan involved going for a walk and I decided on Saturday night that I would venture to Portobello beach. The weather yesterday was absolutely amazing, making my day the perfect stress-less Sunday.

So, as I mentioned, I started my day with a cuppa and a bacon sandwich, accompanied by Friends on the telly. A nice relaxing morning.

Then I got myself ready; leather jacket on (only the second time this year I've been able to wear it and not had to wear my huge winter coat), my comfy boots for the few mile walk to the beach and my sunglasses even made their first appearance in a pretty long time! Ben Howard's album on my iPod and I was all set.

I love the seaside and living in the centre of town it's almost like I forget that the sea is so close. Portobello is a very nostalgic place for me and it was partly this that made me want to go and explore it again. My Grandma and Grandpa lived in Portobello, just a 2 minute walk from the promenade, when I was younger and so I spent a lot of time here if I was spending the day or staying with them. It was a nostalgic and quite a satisfying feeling to see the little play park that I used to enjoy being enjoyed by children now. There's a big concrete circle (I guess it once upon a time had something on top of it!?) that I used to get up and dance on when I was a child, and yesterday it made me smile to see some little children running about on it exactly like I would have done one day. There are lots of memories for me there. I'll never forget about the time that I was walking along the wall on the prom when I was about 5 and I spotted a boat in the distance, pointed and shouted 'Look Grandpa there's a boat' just as I fell off the wall onto the sand! Apparently my Grandpa had never moved so fast as he jumped over the wall to get me!! Ahh the memories! So walking along the prom today was a trip down memory lane for me and stirred a very nostalgic feeling in my tummy! My Grandpa and Grandpa moved from here closer to us which was lovely but I'll always miss when they lived here!

After walking along the length of the prom and then back again along the sand, I headed to The Beach House for a coffee. It was my dad and my sister that introduced me to this little gem on the prom after they'd stumbled across it one day a few years ago. I have been there before yesterday for lunch once and from what I can recall their food menu was really nice (I think I had falafels!) but yesterday was just a coffee and cake affair! As I expected on such a gorgeous day the place was very busy but I managed to grab a seat to enjoy my cappuccino and banana loaf! As reviews go, this place is amazing! A lovely food menu, perfect setting with the view of the sea, beautiful beach hut style interiors, gorgeous cakes, great coffee and friendly staff! What more could you want? I recommend that if you are going to Portobello beach then this is the best destination for a coffee break, and even if you weren't planning on going to Portobello, The Beach House is well worth a visit.

I really NEVER ever take self shots but I think the sunny skies yesterday put me a such a good mood that I just thought what the hell!! So here's the Instagram photo of me just before I left for my walk to Portobello!