After days of peering out of the kitchen window at grey clouds heavy with rain and desperately praying for signs of a change in the weather, at the first glimpse of last weekend's blue skies, I loaded up the Redgrave charabanc and headed for the north Norfolk coast.

I couldn't persuade our eldest to come with us – he now has the demands of a weekend job to get him out of family excursions, plus his girlfriend's company has far greater attractions. But our two younger boys were enthusiastic and we spent two glorious days on the beach.

I really enjoy our family trips to the coast. My husband is not so
keen, so he often comes independently (a great excuse to give his little sports car an outing), stays for a few hours and makes his own way home.

He finds sitting on the beach uncomfortable and, if he's honest, a couple of hours of doing very little other than a leisurely stroll at the water's edge with the dog in tow is not really his thing. Sitting on a deckchair is, in his opinion, best done in the comfort of your own garden.

But I love it – sheltering behind the obligatory striped windbreak, breathing in that fantastically refreshing sea air, flask of tea and picnic at the ready and a good book to read, while the boys are in and out of the water surfing on their body boards, running around in the dunes or digging the most enormous hole in the sand as they burrow their way towards Australia – and of course, we have to be the last off the beach in the evening.

The Redgraves can stick it out way beyond every other family on the beach – in fact it's a matter of honour to stay as long as we possibly can.

This year has been the first time our eldest has not been with us even once on these trips, and I am dreading the day when the other two get to that age when they won't want to come either.

I know they love it as I do, but there are cooler things to do once you are a teenager and sitting behind a windbreak with your mum isn't one of them!