Head Space Daily Words...

The British seaside, don’t you just love it? Full of nostalgia, with one foot firmly planted in a by gone era of sepia tinted, kiss me quick, knotted hanky memories. It is a timeless link between the past, present and future. Marty McFly would have been in his element and wouldn’t even have needed a souped up DeLorean and all that nasty plutonium. My grandparents used to send us a postcard from their annual trip to Skegness, with pictures of neatly arranged, prim and proper flowerbeds in full bloom. Hastings had identical flowerbeds lining the seafront promenade – the prom, prom, prom – with its art deco sheltered seating and designated cycle track, upon which cyclists who you hadn’t seen approaching, would suddenly appear at your shoulder, with frustrated frowns.

Classy art deco shelter in Hastings...

We have recently returned from a family break in Hastings. There was my wife and kids, my wife’s brother and family, who are over from Brazil and my in laws. The youngest amongst us was nearly three-years-old, the eldest, seventy-three. Three generations in one house, overlooking the sea, which is the common holiday factor that crosses generation gaps. The ocean holds a fascination, a sense of excitement and has a calming influence. I could stare at the sea all day long as the world passes by. It is hard to take your eyes off it. The brown murkiness, close to the shore, gives way to a light turquoise, the sun shimmering on the deep blue, before turning into a fearsome darkness. On second thoughts, staring at the sea probably isn’t the best idea!!

Especially when there are the flashing lights and electronic buzzing and bells of the amusement arcades. Lets get on the penny slots!! Or two penny slots as they are these days. Those large copper-plated steel coins teetering on the edge, about to come crashing down, bringing that crisp five pound note with them. Let me hear the rattling of coins!! I used to feel the excitement when I was a kid and so I let my boys enjoy wasting a fiver each, before telling them that amusement arcades are like the government. They give you the impression that you could be better off, before leaving you with the realisation that you are actually being taken for a ride. Amusement arcades though are admittedly much more fun than the government.

The illusion of riches...

This Summer, seagulls have dominated the news and they are indeed big, fearless creatures that can easily beat you in a staring contest. They love a chip, or any food they can get their big yellow, pesky beaks on but you can’t blame them. They are, after all, animals, who want to survive and if that means nicking your chips, then so be it. A gull’s gotta do what a gull’s gotta do!! Seagulls have been around since the year dot, they are still around now and in the future, according particularly to one witness of recent seagull antics, who compared them in a newspaper article to the birds in Hitchcock's movie The Birds, they will become demon creatures of the coast. If Tippi Hedren unwittingly starts keeping a couple of seagulls in a cage, we should be very concerned.

Demon Gulls...

During our five days away, other timeless and essential seaside pastimes were undertaken, including fish and chips on the beach, sticks of rock for the kids, an expert round of crazy golf and the simple pleasure of throwing stones into the sea (see HSD Image.)

Whenever I visit a coastal town I often have a feeling of the world passing it by, coupled with a sense of disrepair and the place slightly falling apart at the seams. In St Leonard’s, just down the road from Hastings, a vast, old, regal building looks down from a hill, disused and boarded up, like a haunted house from Scooby Doo. The white paint peels away from an apartment block on the walk into Hastings. On entering the main shopping area of Hastings, junkies hang around outside Boots the Chemist, waiting to cash in their prescriptions, whilst on neighbouring streets, new shops, cafes and a cinema are trying to become established and move things forward.

In need of a paint job...

The new always replaces the old and the house in which we were stopping in St.Leonard’s, in a perfect location, had been bought and renovated by a lady from London. You hear of a lot of Londoners buying up properties on the coast, as an investment or a new or second home. It makes me wonder where the local residents go. Perhaps the future will see coastal locals developing gills and being pushed out into the ocean to live like Kevin Costner in Waterworld. Until that happens, I will keep myself content with the fact that three generations of one family lived happily together for a week, English and Brazilian, side by side, looking out to the ocean...