Up early, by holiday standards, today and downstairs to try out the hotel breakfast. We had the full works, and it got thumbs up from Jake. As the sun was shining we decided that we would head for Sandown. We noticed that the aircraft carrier was on the move along the Solent as we left the hotel, and spotted it again from Sandown later on.
Dad will be pleased to know that I took the left turn before Sandown and went in through Yaverland. However, we didn't park at the zoo, but found a spot on the road only a few yards from the pier. The pier was our first destination, and we tried out their crazy golf course. Jake won.
After a stroll on the pier we purchased a ball from a beachfront store and went onto the beach. Rather than jumpers for goalposts, we used shoes. It was warming up nicely by this time. I was almost tempted to take off my cardigan!
We earned a cold drink from all of our running around on the beach, and for our next sporting challenge we walked along to Browns golf course (stopping for a game of hover hockey in the arcade on the way). As we walked past, I pointed out to Jake the (now defunct) boating lake. If memory serves, Bec had a go at canoeing, but I wasn't brave enough.
There were lots of courses to choose from at Browns, and we plumper for Blue, which was the longest for the putting courses. I was in charge of scoring, but wasn't keeping a running total. Jake did the adding up at the end and we were exactly level. We retired to the19th hole, the Browns cafe, and awarded ourselves a slice of cake and a drink.
On the way back to the car, Jake returned to the cafe he'd spotted on our way to golf, as they were offering bubble gum flavor ice cream. As I type this I've just asked him to stick his tongue out. It's not blue any more.
Our next stop was Godshill, where there were two places we wanted to visit - the chocolate shop, where we could watch the chocolate being made, and where choosing what to buy was extremely difficult, and secondly, obviously, the model village. All of the traditional photos were taken, the church with the real church behind it, the model of the model (of the model ...), and the picture leaning on the blue teapot. Helpfully they've painted the year onto the side of the teapot! (Another photo archive scanning challenge will be to track down the photo of me at the same age, or possibly younger, than Jake is now, stood with the famous teapot.)
We came back to our hotel for a well-earned rest, and had dinner downstairs in the bar (cod and chips). Then for our after dinner stroll we wandered along to Appley. There the sad news seems to be that the pitch and putt is no more, and a quick Google search seems to indicate that it has shut down from 2011 onwards. Fighting back the tears here - may have to start a petition.
We are now tucked up in bed, and the plan for tomorrow is to head way out west. Needles here we come.