theDIBB - Scottishnellies 5th Element 2019. Day 3- AMI, Sunrise, Beer Can Island, Starfish Co, And An Absent S

I was asleep by 10:30 last night and woke at 6:15 - result! I had googled the time of sunrise which was 6:37 so I decided to get up and go to the bay to watch it.

Kevin stirred and decided he was coming too. He was a nightmare though - couldn't find his flip flops, telling Kieran (who had just woke up himself) we we're going to watch the sunset, to wake the kids (I assume he meant the girls) and tell them where we were. I think Kevin was still half asleep. I had to explain to kieran we were actually going to see the sunRISE, and not to wake the girls but just tell them where we are if they do get up.

Then I had to get Kevin to hurry up or we were going to miss the bloomin thing!

We only need to walk 2 mins to the bay. As we turn the corner at the end of our block we reach this

And that's the bay

When we got onto the beach there was one fisherman and a group of 5 ladies about my age waiting. It was so quiet and peaceful and the air was just lukewarm. Very pleasant.

Sat down and watched it unfold. It was stunning. Really beautiful, I was surprised how quickly it came up to be honest! And it was so quiet. Nobody spoke and all you could hear were the waves lapping up. I put a wee video on my Facebook for those of you who have me on there.

We wandered back to the house and had our coffees. Kevin then went back to bed for a nap.

By 8am Caitlin was up and she and I stretched out on the sun loungers on the top deck which gets the sun before the pool.

Then when Hannah and Kevin got up at 9 I moved to the pool loungers with him while the girls had the deck. This works well as the girls play their music up there and for us down below it's mellow enough to be relaxing.

And that was the morning really, pool, kindle, pool, kindle...

I caught up with a Facebook post I'd put on an Anna Maria island group asking about mossie protection as we are still being eaten alive. I'm on 17 bites now, Kevin slightly less and Hannah slightly less again. Kieran and Caitlin are unscathed. Discovered it's not mossies but noseeums that are biting us and took some suggestions of what to get.

At 1pm we got ready and headed south to Beer Can Island which was on my 'possible things to do' list.

We followed the directions I had got from a lady on an AMI group on Facebook. At first we couldn't get parked at the beach access but we doubled back, down a side street called Joy Lane and found another beach access car park down there. Then headed into the beach

this beach is just beautiful. We walked right along it around the tip by longboat key bridge. Stunning

when done here we headed over the Cortez bridge to visit starfish co for lunch. To be honest nobody else was hungry but I wanted one of those crab cakes I had been dreaming about since last year.

This place is right on the dock, behind a very non descript building.

They take your name when you order, it cash only, then bring your food out in a cardboard box with a plastic fork. But oh my lord, the food is YUM.

I was not disappointed. Still the best crab cakes I have ever eaten. No dough, no potato, no filler. Just 100% crab meat with a bit of lemon and chilli running through it. Delicious. I didn't get a receipt but you can see the prices here.

We left here and popped along to Aldi for coffee pods since it was just along the road. Then we picked up some ice cream for me and some 40% deet stuff from Walmart to try to stop the bites. Then headed home.

Dinner was the 2 big pizzas we bought the other day, out on the upstairs deck again.

Then I relaxed with my kindle and Seagrams til it was time for a wander to the beach for sunset.

We left the house at 8 to walk down to Bean Point which is about an 8min walk straight up the road. As we approached the sun was a lovely big clear ball and I'm thinking 'ooh this is going to be good'

walked through the beach access into the beach and could see from all the fresh rose petals that someone had just got married

Onto the beach and put out our wee chairs. The beach was gorgeous and there was a lovely cool breeze. So peaceful.

The sun started to go down

then... pfffft!

it just disappeared behind a big wall of haze! Nothing. Nada. Gone!

I felt so sorry for the bride who was now at the waters edge having her supposed sunset photos taken.

to be fair it was still a beautiful view and we ended up sitting on another 20mins or so just enjoying how peaceful it was. But as sunsets go it was pants. I've seen better in Largs!

We carried our chairs back home and settled for the night. Amazing how tired we all are. It's not even 10pm and we are just about lights out. Such a lovely day we've had though.