RIPPLE – Beach bake brownies & canned peach sorbet. Art from the ocean. Veg bed posies & fig leaf prints. Good well hunting. Front garden flower farms. Sunset swim picnic. How gossip helps. Swimwear in brief & breezy dresses. Hibiscus margaritas. Modern Punch & Judy. How to run a campsite. Going solo. Pina Colada cake. Whether we’re in it, on it, or alongside it, water makes us feel good. It both soothes and stimulates, humbles and opens our horizons. And this has a ripple effect, sending calming waves into our minds and bodies – maybe these rejuvenating properties are why we’re drawn to the ocean’s edge for our holidays. By the water there’s time to notice the small stuff; rock dwellers at the foot of a sea cliff, glistening seaweed, paper boats set sail on a still pool. Of course, in August we’re unlikely to have a beach to ourselves, unless we head for a picnic as the sun sets, or are passing through on a long-distance walk. Early mornings reveal flotsam and jetsam left by the overnight tide, offering artistic inspiration and food for thought. Living on an island, where the coast is no more than a day trip away, we can all enjoy that quintessentially high summer moment of savouring a cool ice cream while wearing a jolly cossie or a breezy dress. The simple things really are the best.
