Down To The Sea.

"I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky"

That is the first line from the poem "Sea Fever" by English poet, John Masefield. Now, i'm not in any way a big poetry fan. But, that line just came to me as i sat down to write this blog post.

Why?, you ask.
Well, i've just been down for a walk by "the lonely sea and the sky" & felt compelled to write something about it. Isn't that what blogs are all about, after all?

I'm very lucky in that i can see the sea from my bedroom window. Ok, i have to look out of the window at just the right angle. But, if i was trying to sell the house, the words "sea view" would no doubt appear in the description. As it happens, if i lean out of my rear bedroom window i can see Hastings castle (built in the 1080's, by the Normans) Well, what remains of it. But, that's another story...

I have lived in Hastings & close to the sea, for over 20 years now & in that time the sea has never lost any of it's initial appeal. I think you naturally feel that after you've lived by the sea for a while, you would get used to it & maybe not notice it quite so much. I know that this does happen for many people. But, in the case of my wife & i, that has not happened. If anything, i think i appreciate the sea more & more as time goes on. The fact that the sea front is so close to my home may have a bearing on that. As might the fact that i wasn't born here & moved here purposely to be near the sea, amongst other reasons.
I have got so used to living by the sea now, that i'm not sure that i would ever want to move away from it & i know that my wife feels exactly the same way.

Anyone who has ever walked by the sea, or on the beach, especially in relative solitude, would understand the calming effect that that walk can have & that was primarily the reason for my walk today.

I am currently going through one of those life changing periods that occur in most peoples lives, more of which at a later date & having the sea so close at hand has been of great benefit to my peace of mind.

I was out walking along the beach the other day, with the sand beneath my feet & between my toes & i thought to myself "I really ought to try & get out for a walk by the sea far more often".
It was one of those great summer afternoons. The tide was out, the sand was exposed & i was able to walk along a, relatively, deserted beach in my bare feet, with my feet in the water & all  in the warm sunshine too.
It's at moments like that that you realise how lucky you are & that life could be a whole lot worse.

I have a feeling that there will be many more walks down to the sea to come in the near future.
I can't wait.