{Deal Beach}
As the nights draw in and the evenings become chillier I am slowly but surely releasing my grip on the beauty that was Summer 2019. It was a good one, right? Sure, there was no three month long heatwave but I think we did ok. For the first time in a long time I had no plans to escape to sunnier climes. A lack of funds and a need to concentrate on what’s going on in front of me meant that this Summer was all about finding fun in this fair isle.
It wasn’t so hard to do when I put my mind to it. When I checked my bank balance, packed up a picnic and booked a train ticket in advance. There were the beautiful beaches in Kent where barely a soul passed me by. I devoured book after book and dipped in and out of the calm waters to cool off.
There was the discovery of Mermaid Bay in Folkstone that felt more like an afternoon in the Mediterranean. It boasts a rocky coastline adorned with similar foliage to that of Crete or Cyprus. Also a sky so clear and blue we almost wished for a faint cloud to pass the sun and give us a respite.
{Folkstone & Deal}
Friends heading to the South of France offered me a housesit in Brighton. For a week I pottered around a whole house that came with a garden in tow. A garden to eat breakfast in and tend to is a rare luxury you don’t realise you need until you leave your dirty metropolis with it’s stark balcony overlooking the South circular. I watered the tomatoes and hung my wet cossie on the line then sat in the last light of the day drinking wine whilst listening to the neighbours. My days priorities were write, swim, read.
When the weather got wild I walked the seafront from Hove to Brighton with the waves crashing violently. The strong winds pushed me forward into long overdue catch ups with friends. They involved good food, lots of wine and a feeling that we had seen each other just the week before.
{Brighton//On the way to Hampstead ponds//train journey to Deal}
When I was confined to the city I made sure I was up when the rest of London was still a little sleepy. I worked until the heat of the day took me in search of water. Sweaty afternoons trekking through Hampstead heath led to the shimmering Ladies pond. After a refreshing dip I would join the topless eden of women that adorn the waters edge. An experience so surreal it has to be experienced to be understood. As we toasted our sweet titties in the sun we marvelled at the fact that we were in zone 2. To be surrounded by such brilliant blues and vibrant greens whilst still in London felt almost wrong.
There was also the discovery of Cornwall with it’s winding roads and rugged coastline. The family BBQ’s in a beautiful, flower filled, suntrap of a garden. There was rigorous Wedding dancing, nerve wracking speeches and the addition of a new family member.
{Deal with famalam}
As my limbs grew browner and my hair lighter I stopped wishing I was heading off on a plane. I didn’t need the Summer vacation that light lacking February makes us believe we have to have. Everything I wanted was right here on my doorstop. I didn’t need a car, a villa or a big adventure. I simply needed a book, my swimsuit and little sun to warm my body.
Thank you Summer 2019. You’ve been the bomb…
Click here to see how I’m ready for Autumn…but my clothes say otherwise…