Headland

I’m spending bank holiday weekend in Cyprus with one of my oldest and closest friends. I had thought we might get a photo adventure at some point – find some quiet beaches and spectacular headlands for some creative fun. Turns out that quiet beaches are something of a thing of the past in Cyprus and sneaking off anywhere when you have an energetic and effervescent seven-year-old in tow is impossible. Still, where there’s a will there’s a way and although today’s beach was four deep with sun-loungers and teeming with families it didn’t stop me wandering down to its far reaches where the sand turned to a rocky headland and sneaking a quick holiday snap.

Bottomly Bay

When I told Exhibit A that @19syllables and I were off on a photo adventure to Botany Bay he quipped: “Well I hope the post is going to be called Bottomly Bay.” Last week’s post was all about the legs but I made sure we got one that could carry his title!

Flotsam and Jetsam

Carved by time and tide,

Every pebble a sculpture,

Assuredly whole.

@19syllables

Missing Treasure

The wonderful thing about beaches is they accommodate so many interests. Whether you want to run, sleep, read, build sand castles, picnic or swim, there’s enough space and freedom to accommodate everyone.

Some people visit them to take nude photographs, others visit them to hunt for treasure. The thing is, some people are so absorbed in their own interest they miss the treasure right under their nose…

Night Fall

“The sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night.” Haruki Murakami

I might be more excited about posting this photo than any photo I’ve done yet. This is my amazing friend of almost three decades, looking out to sea in the North Wales town where we grew up. She had two vodkas before and about five afterwards, but how amazing does she look?! 

This photo has obviously had the colour and contrast pushed in the edit, but not quite as much as you might imagine. The clouds were moody and the sky a deep inky blue with just the faintest patches of light left. The real luck was that the beachside fishing tackle shop had forgotten to turn its fluorescent strip light off and the light through an open window was bright enough to light my friend from behind. 

In the sand dunes

On Friday I took a walk along the South West Coastal Path from where I was staying to an area of sand dunes that I’d read were popular with naked sunbathers. It was a long and occasionally precarious walk which didn’t always play that well with my fear of heights and vertigo; at one point I was stuck rigid to the spot with the cliff dropping away to my left, unable to move until a couple appeared from the opposite direct and pride forced me to take a deep breath and move on. 

But when I got to the beach and found my hidden corner of the sand dunes the view made it all seem worthwhile. It was my first naked sunbathing experience away from my own garden and I’m sure it won’t be my last. I did get the train back though!

Sunrise

“There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.”

Bernard Williams