Seaside Strolling

With winter daylight at a premium, I love making the most of the Christmas break with a chance to visit the beach for a seaside stroll. The fresh air and churning sea is the best refreshment I know, and you never know what you might find washed up.

The sea was particularly choppy today and the winds had blown lots of seaweed onto the beach.

Possibly Egg Wrack seaweed - dark green with little parcels

Thongweed - long and stringy seaweed

With the seaweed came lots of tiny jellyfish and velella velella which I've never seen before. These cute blue creatures are cousins of the jelly fish family and travel where the wind takes then using their little fins. Cute!

Velella velella

Small pink jellyfish 

Small orange jellyfish

The perfect way to end a winters day.

Saturday morning SUP

This weekend I made the most of a sunny moment in the British summer to go stand up paddle boarding (SUP). There's a new surf hire place on Branksome beach called Shaka Surf which I've passed by a few times just waiting for the right conditions to get out on the water.

Saturday morning's forecast was good all week, and when I woke up the sun was already up and shining through a cloudless Dorset sky. We zipped down to the beach just a mile away and within minutes I was out on the water as Mark relaxed on the shoreline with a book.

It was my first time paddle boarding solo, but it was an amazing feeling. The slight breeze kept me on my knees as I paddled out towards the large yellow buoys which dotted the beach. It's surprising how much of a good workout paddling is, especially for the arms and core as they fight to stabilise yourself. I was certainly working off the BBQ and beers we enjoyed the night before!

As I rounded the first buoy I glanced down, and to my surprise found that in the green water loads of large white jellyfish were swimming beneath me. Not just one or two, but a consistent stream, and enough to put me off practicing my stood-up paddling skills for fear of falling in. Jelly fish are not my friends.

Instead I decided to relax for a few minutes, and laid down flat on my board briefly closing my eyes and enjoying the gentle rocking of the ocean as a jet-ski zipped past and a vintage airplane flew above en route to the air show.

Riding the wind to the next buoy I was amazed at the number of jelly fish, all appearing out of the green sea like mysterious marshmallows and passing me by without a care in the world. Excitedly, I wondered if I might see a turtle - apparently they've been spotted off the Dorset coast, attracted by the jellyfish which they eat.

Before I knew it I was getting the signal it was nearly time to go, and I practiced my paddling in the jelly fish free safety of the shallows, before we headed home.

What a way to spend a morning!

An insiders guide to Bournemouth

I'm lucky enough that I live in a UK holiday hot spot. Bournemouth is blessed with some of the best of England's weather and beaches which can turn an average weekend a mini break in an instant.

But stained with a reputation for stag and hen groups, nightclubs and nastiness, it's easy to see how you could overlook a town with so much to offer.

Here, I'll take you on a tour of some of my favourite things to do, eat and drink whilst weekending in my Bournemouth.

Art Deco styling at Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre

Beaches

With 7 miles of golden beaches (4 miles in Bournmeouth and 3 in Poole) along one great stretch its easy to plan a wonderful day by the sea. Families can find parking and mini golf in Sandbanks and Alum Chine, whilst day-trippers and holiday makers flood the piers at Bournemouth and Boscombe. Stretch yourself a little further and you'll find a local crowd at the quieter end in Southbourne.

LV= operate a kids safe zone on certain parts of the beach for a little extra piece of mind, and a land train connects Alum Chine to Bournemouth Pier, and Bournemouth Pier to Boscombe Pier.

Beach huts are available to rent from the council, and some owners also rent their huts on sites like gumtree. Expect to spend upwards of £25 per day.

Views of Poole Bay from Overcliff Drive

Cafes

When it's time to seek some shade, there are some great places to grab a snack or sit down to lunch. One of my all time favourite spots is Delice de Champs opposite the Arcade on Westover Road. This french fancy is great for grabbing a croque monsieur and cafe to go, or for a delicious baguette or salad in the french themed interior.

If you're coming straight off the beach, Urban Reef in Boscombe has a small deli for hot drinks and cafes, plus a decked seating area offering a great range of light bites and drinks overlooking the sea. Grab a seat on the decked upper level and watch the world go by.

Afterwards, treat yourself to some of the UK's favourite gelato at Giggi's Gelataria. Recently expanded, Giggi is famous for their award winning gelato and authentic flavours delivered from from Italy.

Lunch Al Fresco at Urban Reef

Dining

Some say the dining options in Bournemouth are limited, but I don't agree. Bournemouth has an excellent selection of restaurants outside of the town centre, which mostly has chain's. Turtle Bay is a recent addition to the town centre scene, and it's Caribbean flair has taken off!

Outside of The Square are the tapas twins Lolitas and Koh Thai in the Triangle (the top of Commercial Road). Lolitas is a staple to Bournemouth and excellent fun if you don't mind a little 'Spanish hospitality'. Koh Thai is part of an expanding empire in the south, serving thai tapas, and proper sized meals in beautiful surroundings.

Towards Westbourne pizza lovers will be split between the authentically Italian and family run Da Mario's and the hipster friendly Baffi (Italian for moustache). Da Mario's started as a take away and has been serving the best pizza in Bournemouth for some time. They've recently expanded adding more tables. New kids on the block Baffi have outlets in Westbourne, Canford Cliffs and Southbourne and are becoming a town favourite with imported beers and a laid back vibe.

Pizza at Baffi with a glass of red.

Nightlife

Bournemouth isn't just a stag and hen mecca; there's plenty of places to enjoy a few drinks or a dance without being hit it the face by a blow up whatever. 1812, within the Royal Exeter Hotel has a good bar and happy hour. Live music is on most weekends and it counts as your daily slice of history as The Exeter Hotel encompasses the building which founded Bournemouth in 1812.

Gay bars are to be found in the Triangle, along with not-specifically-gay Smokin Aces, with a team of talented barmen and women who'll mix you just about anything you like with style and expert knowledge.

Back in Westbourne, recently opened Renoufs offers cheese, charcuterie and wine flights to anyone lucky enough to get a seat. The wine flights are a particular favourite of mine, allowing you to try 3 wines at a time in smaller doses.

Happy Hour at Smokin Aces

Entertainment

The Pavillion and BIC are the resident concert and exhibition centres and an Odeon and ABC cinema run on Westover Road. On summer evenings you can enjoy candle lighting in the gardens (Wednesdays in August) and Family Fiestas and Fireworks on Fridays (July and August).

The Oceanarium is perfect for a cooler day with the kids. The ticket lasts all day and you can meet the new penguins, coo over the otters and watch the turtles being fed.

Happy feet at the Oceanarium

No matter how you decide to spend the day in Bournemouth, I hope you have a wonderful time, and please share your favourite spots with me.

Rise and shine!

I've actually used a desk like this!

It’s been a very busy few weeks what with moving house, leaving my job and selling all my possessions to move abroad.

I’d be forgiven from letting a few things slip down my priorities list.

One such thing is the fact that I’m about to start a new career as a teacher.

But, on Tuesday morning Mark and I were lucky enough to be welcomed to the Bournemouth School of English for a morning of observations.

Late last year I decided that observations would be a great way of seeing a real class in action with teachers who didn’t speak the native language of their students. I emailed about 20 different schools in the area (Bournemouth is a popular place for language students) and of the replies, the Bournemouth School of English best suited our needs.

The timing couldn’t have been better. We’d just watched a documentary on the coffee industry in Vietnam that didn’t paint the best picture of the country, so we needed a little boost to get us back on track.

So, suited and booted we made our way to the school. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we were greeted warmly, given the options of which classes we would each watch and introduced to the staff.

My first observation was a group of intermediates learning about colloquial idioms. These students already had a good knowledge of the language, but it was funny to hear what they thought “When the penny dropped, I went bananas” meant during the warm-up exercise. It reminded me that I really do love our language, and the nuances we hardly ever notice ourselves as native speakers.

My second class was a group of advanced students. Binomials (a new word even for me) was the subject matter; two words that are often found together e.g. fish and chips, death and taxes. It was a much smaller class, but the teacher more than made up for it in personality and reminded me of some of my favourite teachers from school. He had built a great relationship with his students, much like I’d hope to do in Vietnam.

At the end of the morning I left feeling excited again about my new career, which is one half of a massive change we are going through, but has slipped from my mind now the initial training is over.

4 weeks to go!!