A Day at the Beach!

A Day at the Beach! is a magazine story.

Plot
It was a hot weekend in May and everyone wanted to spend the day at the beach, sunbathing and swimming. Stephen and Bridget had come over from the Mainland to spend some time with their grandparents. They wanted to go fishing with a new net that was given to them by their grandfather, the Fat Controller.

Thomas took Stephen, Bridget and the Fat Controller to the seaside. Once there, Bridget is amazed to see a donkey giving children rides. Both the children had a ride, but the Fat Controller didn't; he joked that the donkey's were not big enough to carry him! Next, Stephen and Bridget invited another group of children to play football with them. Bridget scored a goal which annoyed Stephen who was the goalkeeper. The Fat Controller tells Stephen not to be such a bad loser as it's just a game. Stephen has to agree.

After the game, they went paddling in the sea. This time, the Fat Controller did join in. He removed his shoes and socks, rolled up his trousers and followed his grandchildren into the sea. None of them stayed in the freezing cold water for long! Then, they all sat down to eat their picnic that Lady Hatt had prepared for them. Bridget was not happy; their sandwiches had sand in them! As they were inedible, the Fat Controller treats them to fish and chips.

Later, they sat on a rock overlooking the sea trying to catch some fish with their new net. It was not long before Stephen began to get bored, but the Fat Controller urged him to keep at it. Just then, Stephen pulls up his net and there, staring straight back at him, was a large crab. The crab climbed out of the net and hopped back into the sea. Finally, they went back to the station and waited for Thomas to collect them. They had had a great day.

Characters

 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Stephen Hatt
 * Bridget Hatt
 * Thomas (does not speak)
 * Annie (does not speak)
 * Clarabel (mentioned)
 * Lady Hatt (mentioned)

Trivia

 * Lady Hatt is referred to as Lady Topham Hatt.