Thursday, September 09, 2010
Lovely day
Today was the very best that my life can be.
How often can we say that?
I banished my wobbly brain and enjoyed life.
We have been to the Ford car boot sale, had breakfast in Littlehampton, walked in the sunshine by the river and on the beach, enjoyed conversations with people, taken lots of photographs and relished exploring new views.
I love the Thursday car boot sale at Ford - very relaxed and with plenty to browse amongst.
I guess I didn't really buy much for selling on. I did buy a goodly pile of Marks and Spencers blouses and a brand new embroidered denim long pinafore dress.
People have more time for talking at the Thursday sale - quite intimate little interludes.
One woman told me of her husband, aged 73 who has been ill for some years. "I don't know how long he will last" she said...."I wake every morning and look to see if he is still alive".
Another elderly man wanted to tell us of his days with the gas board and his time on National Service.
We breakfasted in Wetherspoons - very busy this morning.
There were groups of women and push chairs, the men with their pints and their racing pages, a 65th birthday group in best clothes....and then in came a familiar figure - the elderly old man who walks with the aid of two white sticks.
I have taken pictures of him dozing on a bench by the river before.
Today he slumped down in a chair and dozed in Wetherspoons - didn't buy a drink.
We popped into a couple of charity shops and I found a pair of shoes for £3 and a book called "Cooking for Blokes"
Today we decided to explore the other side of the river.
The town is on the East side of the River Arun.
Here is the Wendy Ann again.
With the tide so high, the river seemed very wide.
Down there, on the right, is The Balaton - our other breakfast venue sometimes.
The occasional huge waves also disturbed the turnstones as they looked under pebbles for titbits.
The west beach is completely unspoilt - a long expanse of natural coastline.
The west beach is backed by dunes.
The estuary has long had military defences.
The last rose of summer - on the river bank.
Also on the river bank.
We stopped for a drink at the one little cafe by the estuary on the west bank.
old man's beard.
How often can we say that?
I banished my wobbly brain and enjoyed life.
We have been to the Ford car boot sale, had breakfast in Littlehampton, walked in the sunshine by the river and on the beach, enjoyed conversations with people, taken lots of photographs and relished exploring new views.
I love the Thursday car boot sale at Ford - very relaxed and with plenty to browse amongst.
I guess I didn't really buy much for selling on. I did buy a goodly pile of Marks and Spencers blouses and a brand new embroidered denim long pinafore dress.
People have more time for talking at the Thursday sale - quite intimate little interludes.
One woman told me of her husband, aged 73 who has been ill for some years. "I don't know how long he will last" she said...."I wake every morning and look to see if he is still alive".
Another elderly man wanted to tell us of his days with the gas board and his time on National Service.
We breakfasted in Wetherspoons - very busy this morning.
There were groups of women and push chairs, the men with their pints and their racing pages, a 65th birthday group in best clothes....and then in came a familiar figure - the elderly old man who walks with the aid of two white sticks.
I have taken pictures of him dozing on a bench by the river before.
Today he slumped down in a chair and dozed in Wetherspoons - didn't buy a drink.
We popped into a couple of charity shops and I found a pair of shoes for £3 and a book called "Cooking for Blokes"
Today we decided to explore the other side of the river.
The town is on the East side of the River Arun.
We looked across towards the old barge or tug - once we were over there it became part of our lives.
Here is the Wendy Ann again.
Now we knew who owned it and how he was doing it up as somewhere to live.
We were chatting to a girlfriend who told us that Seb had already pulled out the engine and was converting that space into his new kitchen.
She was intending to join him - but couldn't. The tide was extremely high and the pathway she had intended to take was well under water.
Later her parents came along - commenting that the tide was the highest they had seen it.
With the tide so high, the river seemed very wide.
Down there, on the right, is The Balaton - our other breakfast venue sometimes.
The breakwater gives a little protection to the Arun estuary.
It didn't give protection to me - I found myself paddling in quite deep water when a huge wave powered up the beach.
The occasional huge waves also disturbed the turnstones as they looked under pebbles for titbits.
The west beach is completely unspoilt - a long expanse of natural coastline.
As the tide recedes a wide flat sandy beach will appear.
The west beach is backed by dunes.
Bill and I used to spend many Sundays in our youth on the beach here and amongst the dunes.
The estuary has long had military defences.
This ruin is the most recent, dating from the 1850s.
The last rose of summer - on the river bank.
Also on the river bank.
We stopped for a drink at the one little cafe by the estuary on the west bank.
There was some student art on the walls.
old man's beard.
A great day - certainly demonstrating all that my life means to me.
Labels: Sussex
