Longsands Beach, Tynemouth

There's something for anyone happy to entertain themselves on a beach at Longsands.

[Image description: view of the beach at time of writing;

from live-cam, © & courtesy tynemouth.org.uk]

Parking is very limited here. The pathway and roadway from the road to the beach and beach-café is very steep. If one cannot park near the bottom, I would not want to be wheeled down in my wheelchair and I certainly could not self-wheel down the steep gradient.

We were lucky to stake claim to a parking-slot. My chum & I sat on the verandah of the beach-café and observed my companion teaching and helping her son fly a kite. That kept them occupied for a good hour. Occasionally needing to avoid the one other kite-flyer.

There are rocks to explore and plenty of golden sand for castle-construction. Many locals use this particular stretch of sea for surfing. Others play soccer matches in livery or simple kick-about in casual clothing. Still others just stroll from one end to t'other some with dogs by their sides. There were lots and lots of folk using the beach for one thing or another the day I visited, despite a cold wind blowing onshore.

Looking forward to returning. I know the lad wants to fly his kite again. %)

postcards (from Málaga)

[Image description: the Mediterranean from Málaga]

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postcards (from Málaga)


wish you were here:
          on the Paseo del Parque
          sitting on this bench
          colour bleached
          olive, satin green, bare wood
          sun-drenched;
          watching the red and black ladybird
          crawl up the leg of my jeans;
          pigeons herding by
          on the white marble plain
          dappled with guano
          stained by age
          and accidents' cracks;
your hand on my thigh.

wish you were here:
          an unblemished azure sky;
          the salt-air of a calm sea
          cerulean and aquamarine
          bejewelled with gems
          of coruscating sun
          the chanting wavelets
          lap the honeyed sand gently;
          mid-distance fishermen
          trawl for their morning catch;
          while hirsute joggers limp past -
          here, they do not run -
          ectomorphic flesh
          posturing machismo
          mesomorphs are prized so dear;
          palm trees rasp against the breeze
          shivering in the unwelcome chill;
you come to mind, and
I horripilate to the thrill.

wish you were here:
          in the Alcazabar ruins
          fragments of Roman lore
          Moorish exotica restored;
          setting for nuptial reminiscences;
          literally breath-taking panoramas
          of this Legoland city
          from towers and look-out points,
          and timeless vistas
          quite unexpectedly
          tell of half-remembered historias;
          lunching on a marble tombstone
          unpeeling my oranges
          as those spectres once did
          savouring the thirst-quenching liquid
          trickling down my throat
          my fingers all sticky
          from this self-indulgent fest;
          in the future I believe Hope, lest…
but you are there, my very own.

wish you were here:
          on the mountainside
          in the fir and rowan woodland;
          the fresh scent of pine
          absorbing my nostrils
          in olfactory delight;
          the harsh glare of the sun
          defused and blurred and softened;
          calming tones
          of clover, sage and unripe lemons
          an intoxicating verdure;
          marred by the detritus
          of trysts and assignations
          of the echo of al fresco coitus
          and juvenile masturbations;
and I want you, need you now
of that I am so sure.

wish you were here:
          at the El Telón bar;
          the wondrous aroma of coffee
          its unique woodiness
          its heady spiciness;
          perhaps the only
          proof of God's existence;
          every time I pass a café
          experiencing a spiritual epiphany;
          and my prayers
          turn to
          are for
You
          x