Growing up in the Midlands I spent my life wishing I could live by the sea. I only ever saw the ocean on our summer holidays where we spent several hours driving to the coast, three of us packed into the back of our car like sardines with mum reading the AA directions off a little note pad (who remembers them?) which she had to send off for about two weeks before the planned journey. No phones, sat navs or Google maps to print off in those days. We crammed as much seaside time as we possibly could into two weeks then drove back again with the trusty AA notepad now working in reverse. I often found the sea mesmorising and loved nothing more than to while away several hours on the beach, splashing in and out of the waves, building sand castles and eating one of the many packed lunches mum had made and dad had carted down to the beach in the brown cool box.
Now my childhood dream has been realised, and I see the sea constantly as I can view the beach from my sitting room and kitchen window and I’m lucky enough to work in a library (another childhood dream) which looks right out onto the harbour from both upstairs and down stairs. When I moved here I vowed never to take it for granted and I never do. Sometimes I stand outside the front door in the dark just to hear the waves, and even now after almost 8 years when I hear a seagull I am instantly transported back to my childhood and I get a buzz that makes me think I’m on holiday again.
Today when I drove home past the beach that is visible from my house, the waves were white and the tide high. There was a lot of sea on and the camera on my phone doesn’t really do it justice. The wind was freezing and my fingers were numb within minutes so I had to abandon waiting for the really high waves in the end and head home. I can still see them daily from my house and I will continue to watch with a thankful heart.
Until the next time and thank you for reading.
White waves
The view from the library window.
Norq From Ork 