The weather is scorching and the ice-cream is being consumed by the gallon so the whole Magory family make their way to the beach to cool off. Johnny, Lily-May and Ruairi, all lathered in sun cream, have a ball making sandcastles, the best Ireland has ever seen, pretending they are Olympian long-jumpers in the sand and surfing down sand-dunes meeting lots of sea life along the way from hermit crabs to chilled out barnacles. When it’s time for lunch, obligatory sand-sandwiches are consumed with Ruairi on guard for the pesky seagulls. Johnny then rushes off to the sea only to be told he must wait an hour after eating or he’ll get a stitch. In his most daring move to date, he tiptoes into the sea anyways. When Lily-May and Ruairi rescue him, (from water that’s only knee height!) he wonders which is worse, the fright he got or the possible lecture from the lifeguard, Mammy and Daddy!
