In a good place ...

When my children were small and all the world was young, we used to spend afternoons like today's at Ardentinny beach, on the opposite side of Loch Long from Britain's nuclear submarines. There were little trees lining the beach to provide some shade if necessary, there was some decent sand to play on, and the sea was decently shallow at the water's edge. There was even a delightful and well-maintained public toilet in a wooden shed that smelled of fresh wood, just behind the car park. And we would share the beach with other families - not too many, a mixture of local and visitors - and stay there till the sun sank towards the hills and the beach began to empty. We would all swim, even if in my wilder imaginings I thought we'd all end up glowing green with radioactivity from the subs.

Nowadays, and especially last year and this, we've avoided that lovely beach. The trees are taller now, and you can't get near them or their shaded picnic tables for parked vans on the grass, tents, barbecues ... and the beach too, with great parties of people, canvas chairs (we used to sit on the sand), dogs and discarded bottles. This afternoon there was also loud music from a group whose car was on the grass, whose tent was between the trees - all this despite several signs welcoming camper vans with their own toilets, between 6pm and 10am, one night only, asking that only parking bays be used and that consideration might extend to not playing loud music. [Rant over]

We wandered up the track behind the bay, into the mixed forest (mainly silver birch) and sat on a low wall in the sun. Then we made our way back to the lesser beach on the other side of the Finart burn and ploughtered along parallel to the path so that I could have a paddle. The tide had gone out considerably while we'd been up the hill, but the sand/silt was soft underfoot and hilly with worm casts. Himself took the photo of me in water so still that you can't see where my legs end and the reflection begins.

I've added an extra of the field beside where we'd parked the car. I don't know what it's used for; perhaps someone takes grass off it for silage. But I thought it made a lovely contrast to the blue views of the shore. And despite my grumps about the people swarming all over the beach, I realise we do live in a good place, especially in this weather. 

And although I hate them, I'm glad we're not giving up on masks in public places. I would love to be allowed to have choir practices again, though - without masks!