My First Beach
It's the first beach you see that sets the standard for all the other beaches in your life.
If your first beach is in the Caribbean with golden sands, hot sunshine and palm trees, that's how you'll judge all other beaches in the future.
If your first beach is somewhere in European Tourist Land, with many people and lots of high-rise hotels, then that, in your belief, is a beach.
If, on the other hand, your first beach is in Barrow-in-Furness, with a freezing wind, icy water and lots of rounded stones and pebbles, then that's what you think a beach should be like.
Guess which mine was?
Here's the beach on Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness. There are always good big waves to swim in, because there's always a breeze there. Sometimes it's more of a gale.
Although it's sandy when the tide's out, the top of the beach is mostly pebbles, and teetering along these is my first remembered experience of walking. My feet fitted nicely on the little stones and I remember being very confused on a subsequent visit when my growing feet no longer fitted.
There are also lots of shells to collect, and very often some interesting things to find on the tideline.
And that, to me, is a beach. Oh yes, and it can have rock pools too.
But that's it. That's all it should have. There shouldn't be any people, either, unless they're with me.
Sorry if that sounds selfish. These early childhood experiences really do set the pattern for life.
If your first beach is in the Caribbean with golden sands, hot sunshine and palm trees, that's how you'll judge all other beaches in the future.
If your first beach is somewhere in European Tourist Land, with many people and lots of high-rise hotels, then that, in your belief, is a beach.
If, on the other hand, your first beach is in Barrow-in-Furness, with a freezing wind, icy water and lots of rounded stones and pebbles, then that's what you think a beach should be like.
Guess which mine was?
Here's the beach on Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness. There are always good big waves to swim in, because there's always a breeze there. Sometimes it's more of a gale.Although it's sandy when the tide's out, the top of the beach is mostly pebbles, and teetering along these is my first remembered experience of walking. My feet fitted nicely on the little stones and I remember being very confused on a subsequent visit when my growing feet no longer fitted.
There are also lots of shells to collect, and very often some interesting things to find on the tideline.And that, to me, is a beach. Oh yes, and it can have rock pools too.
But that's it. That's all it should have. There shouldn't be any people, either, unless they're with me.
Sorry if that sounds selfish. These early childhood experiences really do set the pattern for life.
posted by Daphne at 5:53 pm
3 Comments:
well, next time you go you must collect up the pebbles and arrange them in order of size and colour, take a photograph of the whole beach, you collecting pebbles and the finished collection and slap it onto the World Beach Project
whitley bay, northumbria.
we used to find tiny pink fingernail shells and round glass balls from the inside of old bottles weathered by the sea,egg sandwhiches packed by mum with hot mily tea from a flask: bliss. And yes, stony, grey, freezing to boot.
Good idea, John - - though it might take a while to collect up ALL the pebbles.
Honey, that sounds like my idea of a Beach. Wonderful.
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