Living in England, a small island North of the land mass known as Europe and, of course, a part of Europe, I am lucky enough to be able to see the sea without travelling very far.  Nine miles actually.
After some pleasantly warm weather though we’ve been plunged back into miserable below seasonal average temperatures and, yes, it has rained. It is at times like this, I think of the 19th Century English poet, Matthew Arnold. Maybe there’a a hidden Victorian in me but I have always loved Arnold’s poetry.  I can’t look at the English Channel, especially on a day like today without thinking of his hauntingly beautiful 1867 poem, Dover Beach. Today, after an epic writing session, I thought, instead of writing a blog,  I’d record myself reading this, one of my favourite poems. Well it saved any more typing and also gives me a chance to put up one of my photographs of Seaford, the nearest beach to my place.  I hope you enjoy it – if not, then just indulge me – it’s been one of those days.

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I live just a few miles away from the sea in Sussex, UK,  and yesterday, New Year’s Day, I went to get a restorative dose of our English coastline. Here in the little seaside town of Seaford, the town itself might be less than exciting but I keep my back to the land and my eyes out to sea. I returned to Lewes suitably reinvigorated after my week of indoor festivities.

The little fishing boats were lying idle on the shingle but the sea itself was feeling far from lazy. It put on a different face every time I blinked. The year 2013 arrived in splendid form for us Sussex folk.

The English composer Benjamin Britten knew just how to express this seascape in music in those gloriously evocative pieces the Sea interludes from his opera Peter Grimes. If you weren’t lucky enough to have joined me looking at the English channel yesterday, listen to this – it’s the next best thing.

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The Sussex seaside town of Seaford may not be the most beautiful place in England but, yesterday, in the rain, it had a seedy charm and a sense of the sea’s power. I suspect i was not the only one standing there that day seeing the calm waters but thinking tsunami.

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It was a cold and sunny Sunday here in Sussex yesterday so I went to the small seaside town of Seaford – a short journey from my hometown of Lewes. There was just enough of a tide to add an edge of excitement and just enough sunshine to make enduring the winter almost worthwhile. It was inspiring to see people of all ages out mesmerised by maritime beauty and if I was observing them, then I was being watched too by various inquisitive birds – gulls and crows.

Seaford seemed quintessentially English yesterday with folk out in the freezing cold having fun and forming queues for icecream and reviving cups of tea. I took some photographs in an attempt to capture the atmosphere.

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My home town Lewes, here in Sussex, England, lies between the two ranges of downland hills in the distance,  on the left of the picture above. I was walking over the Sussex Downs at Firle Beacon over the New Year bank holidays and, as the afternoon progressed, cloud cover gave way to the insistent January sun creating a mood of expectation in the bold contrasts of light.

The sheep were expecting too – in February, by the look of those swollen bellies, there will be early spring lambs frolicking in these fields.

As the light began to fade, I walked along the shore-line at nearby Seaford and believed what the landscape has been telling me……

… the new year promises interesting times.

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