Let's talk about HOLIDAYS!

On a very cold morning here in the North-West of England, in an attempt to warm up my mind at least, my thoughts wander down the holiday trail. I remember holidays from years past, spent mostly at Bournemouth in Hampshire when I was a boy. Along with my parents and with usually at least five of us siblings, off we would go every August to stay in an hotel. In between times spent building sandcastles on the beach or dashing in and out of the water we would do the occasional Day-Trip or go off to visit relatives, several of whom lived in the vicinity. Of course, all those holidays are remembered as happy times, for what child would not be happy playing on the golden sands?

The beaches would usually be packed as tight as sardines in a tin during the weeks of July and August when the sun was blazing in the sky almost every day, and even when it rained the rain felt warm!

Nowadays, rather than building sandcastles, and too wise to go into the sea, I much prefer a deck-chair if I spend time on the beach anywhere!

How well I remember the happy hours spent with a child's fishing net and bucket, looking for small crabs and prawns along the edges of the groynes. Built as part of the coastal defences and to protect the beaches from being washed away, these groynes provided a sanctuary for a myriad small creatures and a playground for generations of inquisitive children.

A favourite place to go was Fisherman's Walk at Southbourne, where we would often see and feed Red Squirrels. At night they looked very special with all the lights.


When darkness fell the lights and their reflections made a very dramatic picture, as this photograph of Bournemouth Pier shows.

I hope that you enjoyed this little wander down the Memory Lane of my childhood holiday times, dear reader, and that it brought a little sunshine and warmth into your life on a cold day.