Ice cream for lunch

Tempting as it may sound, I opted not to go for dog ice cream settling for a Mr Whippy 99 from the pier cafe instead. 

A baby gannet was sitting outside the new lifeboat-house on the pier. I assume it was lost/injured/confused as it just sat there. Somebody called the RSPCA and we were pleased to see the inspector complete with net and large box heading to the rescue.

The RNLI is an amazing organisation funded only by donations from the public. The men - apart from the cox - are all volunteers and put their own lives in danger going to the rescue of ships and swimmers lost at sea. Mumbles has had three lifeboat disasters in its history, in 1883 (four dead), 1903 (six dead), and 1947 (whole crew of eight dead).

But on a lighter note they've a fun machine in the lifeboat station allowing people to 'be' lifeboatmen for a moment. And in complete safety and warmth.

For the first time in 61 and a half years

I was born in Mumbles and have lived for most of my life in Swansea but never once had I walked out to the lighthouse. Never until yesterday.

Once a manned station where families lived - and at times a troop of soldiers - it's now on automatic and is maintained by Trinity House. It can be accessed only when the tide is out and, although it's not far, you have to keep an eye out for the tide coming in. 

'You must have gone out there when you were a child,' Husband said.

'No, we wouldn't go there because of the rats.'

'What made you think there were rats there?'

'Auntie Gay told me.' 

Like she told me, when I was scared to go on the pier, that it was strong enough to carry the Queen Mary. Although it wasn't the strength of it that concerned me as much as being able to see the sea through the planks.

Not looking quite so strong these days but now the new lifeboat station has been built at the end I'm assuming there will be some rebuilding going on. You usually have to pay to go on the pier but currently it's free, probably because of the danger you put yourself in walking on some very dubious looking planks.

Then, as we were walking that way and it was past lunchtime,

we had to stop at Verdi's for an ice cream - my second in two days!