Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Blast



You know, for someone who has lived in London so long, I do still miss the sea. I miss that extraordinary tarty-salty ozone BLAST you get when it's rough, cold, blustery, sharp - winter: when I used to walk a lot down there by the shore in dark, dark Devon - lonely and dreaming of other places and this girl I might meet and when my life might.....begin.

I’ve been down to North Marine Drive
A road curling round by your sea

A sea that matches all of your moods

A place where we always agree.


And I’ve been down to North Marine Drive

Where I have scratched our names in the sand
And watched the sea take them away
Two names scratched in every spray.


And I’ve been on a desolate cliff
Where once a great castle had been
And stood, with the wind in my mouth
On a wall so the sea could be seen
And here a chapel once stood
But now, just a handful of stones.

But we, we are building it up
Ours as we stand here alone.


Ben Watt - 'North Marine Drive' (1983)

8 comments:

  1. I have similar memories of wandering by the sea in Scotland. Quite looking forward to doing that again when i'm back there over the holiday period. I did cycle down the coast in Devon last weekend and it was lovely to see and smell the sea :)

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  2. I live 2 minutes walk from the sea and it is nice, I have to say. I used to travel from Asia to Europe every day via boat and I really miss it.

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  3. I still leave by the sea (Sarfend)but there's not much romance about the Canvey refineries to the west, Kent's cement towers opposite and the MOD development in the east - but Old Leigh about 10 mins away is secret gem.

    I really must do the ol' grockle run again.. Croyde Bay was always a fave..

    Lovely tune by the way - what a joy that nylon string sound is

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  4. But your sea-needs change with age don't they. Back then for me it was all about lonely headlands and windswept desolation; now I think that's all very well, but can we get a nice cup of tea somewhere?

    Oh yes, the Ben's a gem.

    First comment prize to Alistair, by the way.

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  5. Never lived near the sea, but the wife's family has a caravan at Ardnarmurchan, the most westerly point on the uk mainland. It's pretty bleak up there but when sitting on the beach and staring out to sea a sort of calmness descends (christ, I sound like some tree hugging hippy)and all is well with the world for a wee while, can't beat that feeling.

    Entrailicus - "I used to travel from Asia to Europe every day via boat" - how cool does that sound.

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  6. Oh and i forgot after the all is well with the world bit . . . And then some smart fucker in a Tornado decides to scare the shit out of you by flying past at about 250 miles an hour, 50 feet above your head and the spell is broken.

    Drew

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  7. Ha! Mind you, just saying 'Ardnarmurchan' evokes salt spray and malt whisky.

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  8. no matter how much i adore this beautiful city there are days i can see myself with a beach to walk a dog on every morning. what is it about the sea huh? the desert does it too. i just can't tear myself away. maybe it's the sand not the sea. but i don't think so
    x

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