Away To The Beach....

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Now that the weather is supposedly getting warmer and Summer is well on its way, people are going to be flocking to the beach. The Londoners will get into their cars and red, double decker buses and travel roughly fifty miles to Brighton to spend a day on the beach and the pier there. Brighton is quite a popular place for visitors and I can see a couple of reasons why, but having lived there for over eighteen years, I had seen enough. The Pavilion is interesting and very attractive and there are a couple of good parks if you know where to find them, but I like the seafront early in the morning, when it's quiet and deserted. The younger set are going to work and the older set are not yet up and ready to come out, so, at 8.30 in the morning, I liked to arrive at the seafront. The sun was low in the sky, and not too strong yet, and the air fresh. The pier and the promenade entertained no more than about fifteen people apiece. So, I'd meet up with a friend, and take coffee and a bacon sandwich, outside the arches, under the pavement above and just relax for a while, taking in the sea air, and people watching. Then, we'd wander along the beach if the tide was out, collecting shells and pebble which were unusual, and perhaps taking a paddle at the edge of the waves, holding our skirts up or rolling up our jeans to avoid getting them wet. Then we'd go onto the pier, and walk to the end, watching the fisherman at the farthest point, to see what the caught. Leaning over the railings, we'd watch the swirling water below, and the patterns the surf and bubbles made, seagulls screeching overhead. Whoooooooosh, the power boat would come hurtling under the pier and out the other side towards the marina. Then we'd sit awhile, before wandering back, taking an ice cream or some crepes or donuts on the way. The air wafted the aroma of donuts and crepes past your nose, and you just had to have one or the other! lol. Seagulls would swoop down and peck at your donut whilst it was in your hand, only to get a clout on the beak from us! Pesky thieves... did they go off fish, or something? By this time, it's late morning and getting a bit hot, so we'd make our way to a nice pub, where we could sit outside and have some lunch a bit later and decide what to do in the afternoon, because the beach is crowded now. So, will you go to the seaside this Summer and if so, what will you do there? Will you build sandcastles (impossible at Brighton, the beach is pebbles), or will you fly a kite, or will you bathe either in the sun or the water? What do you like to do at the seaside?