We can’t ever come to IoW without taking the kids to Blackgang Chine and “Dinoland,” as Rufus calls it. This year Ma and Pa came along too and thoroughly enjoyed watching the boys thoroughly enjoying themselves. It’s got a few new bits this year too. Family of four is £120 and luckily under 4’s are free (and over 4’s if they fit in a pushchair and are willing to keep quiet and have a dummy stuffed in their mouth for a few minutes). Great half day out for the smalls.

Nige has reached new heights this year and somehow burnt his hands! He looks like he’s had his hands transplanted and his body is rejecting them. They are shiny, puffy and glowing red. How he manages to burn like this (with sun cream on) is a mystery. I wonder if salted caramel syrup (from his coffees) is escaping through his pores and turning to molten sugar in the sun?

Spent Day 5 evening at the IoW Distillery, The Mermaid, with Pa and Ma. Love, love, LOVE this place. Fantastic all round and mountains of food to eat and lots of Mermaid gin to sample! My fave place to eat so far. They now have eco pods in the fields below for holiday accommodation.

Beth and her boys have returned home, (I can’t stand watching the boys go), so today, Day 6, Nige and I went to Alum Bay and The Needles. Don’t bother. The needles are jagged rocks, but the tourist trap nearby is awful. We walked in and immediately back out after seeing the queues and motorway service style cafes. We then went to Yarmouth (not to be confused with Great Yarmouth) which is small, but we had a nice lunch at The Terrace Restaurant, overlooking the sea. Next stop, Harvey Brown’s in Arreton. It’s a new, beautifully constructed shop, full of great local produce and also a good selection of delights from elsewhere. It’s huge cafe reminded me very much of the ABBA venue – loads of wood, high vaulted ceilings, light and airy with a very organic feel. It was lovely filling my Red Riding Hood basket with IoW fruit and veg, cheeses and figgy and beetrooty things.