I do like to be beside the seaside

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The beach, West Wittering

After our northern exposure, we landed back in leafy Surrey, had a quiet day and then enjoyed another English cultural experience: the football match.  Woking vs Halifax in the National League.  Professional football, good quality, good entertainment, especially as it ended 3-2, unfortunately to Halifax. That was Saturday. Sunday we had a lovely walk by the canal with the Gardners, beer and snacks at the pub (a recurring theme?), and a bbq back at their new place in Woking.  

Woking vs Halifax 

A canal boat

By some fate of the gods (and no doubt some behind the scenes niceness by our Hambledon hosts), we were offered Rosie's godmother's beach house for a few days.  The house is beautiful and is situated right on the beach in West Wittering.  As I write at the kitchen table, all I can see is sea and sky (and a few large commercial shipping vessels on the horizon).  We're overlooking the English Channel, which the French refer to, rather more diplomatically, as la Manche.  It's the sort of place where I just don't want to leave, for anything.  I love being by the water, and especially the sea.  The space, the wildness, the sounds and smells.  Relaxing doesn't always come easy to me, but it comes easiest in places like this.  We did make the cross country drive to visit my Aunt, and my Mum's grave (appropriately on her birthday) in Dorset, which was a great day out but tiring.  Now we have two more days here.  

A bedroom with a view

Visiting Grandma Sarah's resting place, Tarrant Rushton, Dorset

Delf woods with Auntie Anne and Meg the sprocker

Hard at work on the blog

Today was perfect: a gentle run along the beachfront, breakfast with a view, reading with a view, a short trip into the village, more reading with a view, and a stroll to the fisherman's hut for some fresh mackerel for dinner.  Tomorrow's ambitions stop at a walk to Billy's beachfront cafe for brunch.  

Grocery shopping

Catch of the day

Billy's brunch

Even Billy's brunch can't keep you warm in this water

In my last post, I waxed lyrical about the Lake District and the mountain world.  Well now the seaside gets its turn.  I'm almost equally passionate about both environments, but I think the mountains win out for the range of activities, and the Lake District is right on the coast so it gets a tick/check in both boxes.  But for now, there is nowhere else I would rather be.        

  

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