Video by Bakhtiyor Sayakulov from Pixabay
This is my idea of a peaceful Sunday… pity there was no sound though…
video
Jaye’s Days… My Perfect Moment…
After what has seemed like a very long time, I have found my perfect moment.
I finally managed to get to the sea, and the sun was shining. A strong breeze from the water created some medium-sized but beautiful waves.
We had visited this beach the week before, but the weather was atrocious that day, and we nearly froze. The weather report was more favourable yesterday, so we made the journey again.
I have been trying to snatch a few precious moments to get my sea fix, and it was beginning to look like it might never happen.
The sea is my soul mate and very special to me. I need to commune with the spirits of the deep regularly.
Seeing how my health seems to be slowly deteriorating, I need to keep my soul happy, or I may give up. So yesterday was invaluable for several reasons.
Once on the seafront, the family were busy fussing about coffee or something to eat, but the sea was calling me, and I wandered slowly down the shingle beach and headed for the water. Almost immediately, the deafening sound of the waves beaching and the sweeter sound of the water filtering through the shingle lifted me out of this world. A world where I was completely at home.
I wanted to sit down, stay awhile, and enjoy the moment, but the shingle was wet, so I perched on a breakwater, mesmerised by the crashing waves.
I managed to film my perfect long-awaited moment on my phone, so I could share the moment with you…
Silent Sunday…
A Very Different Day Out!
Our day out had been planned for weeks and was the only time that fitted with the family members involved. It was also the first time we were officially allowed to be together!
The weather report for our area sounded awful, howling gales, torrential downpours, and low temperatures. We should have called it off, but we all needed some time out, rain or no rain. And it couldn’t be that windy, could it?
We were headed for Worthing on the south coast, just a normal seaside town but one we hadn’t visited before. Part of our idea of visiting new places.
The journey by car would take an hour, at least it would have done if the traffic hadn’t built up around Chichester, adding another thirty minutes.
None of us mentioned the fact that the wind was trying its best to shove the car off the road and we arrived in good spirits, probably because it wasn’t raining.
The only trouble with visiting new places, is you never know where anything is or how much walking is involved. This is more important than ever these days, what with my arthritic knees and Anita’s heart condition.
Once out of the car, we were at the mercy of the wind, which was seriously trying to remove our clothes. It was bitterly cold too, and as we were all starving, we looked for somewhere to have lunch. This lead to another problem.
Lockdown might be over, according to the government, but the shops in Worthing obviously hadn’t heard about that and were still operating a strict policy of facemasks and limited admission to all shops.
It was at this point in the day that I think most of us wanted to go home, but malnutrition was setting in, and at least two of us desperately needed to sit down, so we renewed our search for a suitable eatery with a little more enthusiasm.
After lunch, we made our way to the sea front, eager to see the ocean in all its glory. Not that we could see very well at all, the wind so strong it was trying to push us over and was inverting our eyelashes, but what I could see of it was outstanding. There is nothing quite like an angry sea, huge waves building out to sea then careering towards us before crashing down on the beach. Even over the sound of the wind the noise of the water was deafening!
As days out go, this one was certainly different. Despite the weather, or maybe because of it, we all had a good time and haven’t laughed so much in months…
Jaye’s Week… Growing old Disgracefully…
I am not fond of the house we live in.
It is a vast improvement to where we lived before, and why we moved.
But… life here is getting harder. The stairs are a struggle for my arthritic knees. It gets too hot in the summer because the insulation in the loft is ancient. We freeze in the winter because we only have a few ancient storage heaters. Parking is another nightmare because we live on a busy and noisy main road!
Just lately, I am feeling an infinity with the place as it starts to show its age. Which leads me to wonder how much longer we can live here. I long to live near woods or water, preferably both…
Serious cracks are appearing on walls and ceilings, and ominous creaks follow me up and down the stairs, and not just from my knees!
The chimney stack on the roof is supported by steel bands, but chunks of brickwork rain down into our yard on a regular basis.
Doors swing closed all by themselves and the bathroom floor slopes like the Swiss alps.
This house was built in 1887, which makes it 134 years old. So, how old is too old for a domestic domicile?
I suppose there will come a time when the cost of repairs or renovation will become a bridge too far. A bit like me?
I take vitamins, fish oil, turmeric and as healthy a diet as I can manage, and attempt yoga every day, but am I doing any good? And when did I switch from being a silver surfer into a mouldy golden oldie?
How long before I get condemned, along with the house?
What a difference a day makes…
I didn’t care that it was raining, or that the wind was so strong it nearly blew me off my feet. I had finally made it to my favourite healing place and that was all that mattered.
I had wanted to come to the island today, to defy the weather and stand on the path overlooking the sea. To climb over the old wooden breakwater and cross the shingle beach and stand at the water’s edge like I always did.
The last time I was here seemed like a lifetime ago now. So much has happened since then, so much misery and heartache, worry and sadness and not much better now if the truth be told.
This was what today’s visit was all about. Time to find some of the peace I always found by the sea, to help make sense of the turmoil in my heart and head. I watched the waves form out to sea, the white horses riding the waves as they galloped to the shore. They crashed down in a roar as the water met the shingle, and I felt myself relax for the first time in weeks.
I watched each wave reach further up the beach before it became swallowed by the one coming up behind. The sight and sound enthralled me as it always had, soothing my soul into acceptance. I tried to ignore the wind that was numbing my face and the rest of the pain, disappointment and anger slowly faded away and the tears began to fall, as salty as the sea I loved so much…
The Next day…
The following day we were invited on a trip. This time to Southsea on the south coast, just twenty miles away.
After the battering I received yesterday, I wasn’t keen to go out again, but the sun was shining and the only clouds in the sky were soft, fluffy, snow-white creations, promising a lovely day.
On the way, the view of these clouds through the car windows was mesmerising. Against the clear crystal blue of the sky, the clouds seemed to glow, and the formations were amazing.
The day couldn’t have been more different to the freezing gale lashing of yesterday.
While we ate our lunch outside in the fresh air, we were visited by a crowd of starlings. Such beautiful birds with their iridescent plumage and intelligent chatter. They waited patiently for any morsels we felt like offering and made excellent luncheon companions.
When this huge seagull landed among them, we watched to see what the starlings would do but they simply ignored him, and he soon flew away.
After lunch, we were lucky enough to witness the departure of Southsea’s Hovercraft, a huge noisy beast of a machine and we were all sprayed with seawater as it fired up and took off.
I watched it travel across the Solent towards the Isle of Wight, leaving a trail of froth in its wake, gleaming in the sunshine.
This was a short visit, but we all agreed it had been well worth it. It had been a lovely few hours, where we laughed together and enjoyed one another’s company for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime…
Still… #Poetry
I stand close enough to turn the tide
Arms open wide
I throw my words on to the wind
The fall like sand through open fingers
The tsunami came and went, unnoticed
The land stood still…
©anitadawes 2020
Anita Dawes and Jaye Marie 