The Spring arrived all of a sudden, dazzling blue skies scrubbed clean with bracing north-easterly winds. The foliage along the shore started to grow again, green fronds of alexanders and fennel, drifts of pretty blue grape hyacinth and wind-tattered daffodils. Unfortunately, it arrived in tandem with you-know-what.
The three weeks of lockdown have given tantalising glimpses, one hour a day, of the natural world unfolding outside the window. I’m trying hard not to mind all the hours spent inside, while the sun warms the pebbles and the sea sparkles. There’s that precious hour to feel the breeze in my hair, the sun on my face, to hear the waves hissing over the beach. I’ve been alternating a morning run with an afternoon walk, or a bike ride that means I can go just that little bit further in the time allowed.
I’ve been getting to know our surroundings more intimately. A slightly different route, a new road or path to explore, brings new value when you can’t go further afield. I’ve noticed that the pebbles are smaller and more even when I walk close to the waves a little further south along the shore. I’ve noticed the sea cabbage starting to grow again (and wondered what it tastes like, in case of emergency).
Inland, the lambs in the field by Walmer Castle are growing up fast, almost as big as their mothers. A cycle ride towards Sandwich took me past a field of doe-eyed calves, cuddled up peacefully with their mothers. I’ve found a little-used path around a field, through a thicket of blackthorn, fragrant with tiny white blossom, drowsy with bees.
Then there was the amazing morning when we looked out of the window and saw a pair of sleek black shapes cavorting in the waves. Expecting seals, we got the binoculars and saw fins! We grabbed the camera and ran to the shore, where we managed a couple of shots of what we think are porpoises, playing in the early dawn light.
Best of all, the sun has warmed the sea just enough to make a quick dip pleasurable (although not for long). There’s nothing more refreshing after a run than wading into the sea. In recent days, the waves have been gentle. The rising sun blazes a golden path across the surface, inviting you into the silky water. And emerging into the sun, cold but glistening, makes me feel like there’s nothing I can’t handle today.
Bloomsbury Bluestocking 