The Ladybird Book Obsession

I went on my first real camping holiday this weekend (festivals not included). Myself, my boyfriend Steve and our friends Ivona and Dean embarked on a road trip to Norfolk - the region where most of my childhood holidays were spent. We stayed on a lovely campsite on a farm and lit a camp fire every evening. Last night the sky became really clear so we could see lots of stars, and I tried to look for some constellations. I'm no expert, but I think I spotted The Big Dipper.

Over the weekend, we visited a few different costal towns, including Cromer, Sheringham and Wells-next-the-sea. There were so many bric-n-brac and record fairs, charity shops and second hand book stores. I discovered that Norfolk is definitely the place to head to if you are a collector of Ladybird books, like myself. I came home with this collection...

I started talking to a lady while we were both rummaging through the large cardboard box of Ladybird books outside one store. She asked me why I loved them so much, and I explained how they reminded me of my childhood and how I think the illustrations are beautiful, and so much better than the photographs that they often place inside childrens books now. She told me that she works with children, and that often if a child is struggling with their literacy, she will sneak some Ladybird books in to help them. However the reason she sneaks them in is because apparently Ladybird books are 'frowned upon'. I can't help but think that this is ridiculous. I read these books as a child, and I came away with an A* in my English Language GCSE!

We visited a little bric-n-brac fair in a church village hall in Cromer, where I brought some of my Ladybird books from. We also stopped for a piece of cake which had been made by some of the elderly ladies from the Church. I opted for a piece of coffee cake, and it was delicious! I also made it compulsory that we sat at the table with the most alluring tablecloth...

Down the street, we found a small bookstore, where we spent ages perusing the shelves and boxes. Steve found a set of drawers, each with different items inside. I started rooting through the cards drawer, when I found this dainty card for only 50p. I fell in love with the little bird illustrations on the front, and just knew I had to buy it!

This morning, we visited a tiny, secluded beach which was really beautiful, although incredibly windy! I could have spent hours watching the waves crashing against the beach from the top of the cliffs.

I love the seaside.