Life’s a Beach

By Marianne Sheppard

As a Libran water baby it’s no surprise that I’m drawn to water. One of my earliest childhood memories of the African beaches of Mombasa is the rushing blue foam of the Indian Ocean meeting miles of golden sand strewn with coconuts and the balmy breeze brushing my young face. That sense of openness and freedom has never left me. Fast forward to the contrast of a cold and grey Manchester which we moved back to when I was six. I missed the warmth and the sea air of the Kenyan coast but the charms of a vibrant and buzzing metropolis became home, and made me the city slicker that I am at heart. Contrary to popular belief, the sun DOES shine in Manchester in more ways than one, although I did become fond of its characteristic rain if truth be told. We did however, escape the hustle and bustle to spend most of our summers in Normandy with my French family where the ferry trip from Newhaven to Dieppe signalled the start of six weeks of building sand castles, catching crabs in rock pools and feeling that mix of sun and salt on the skin aahhh!! But whatever the weather, come rain or shine, I was always in the sea. That wouldn’t happen now; I tried the North Sea once and never again. It’s a kid thing not feeling the cold – why is that? Moving to Newcastle nearly twenty years ago provided the best of both worlds for this city girl who loves the sea. The essence of being in a city is vital to keeping me feeling connected to a rapidly changing world which inspires and depresses in equal measure, but a walk on the beach at Longsands, Ross or Bamburgh, and breathing in that fresh air, blows away the cobwebs of life.