Friday 23 November 2007

Weekend whimsy



Ever since I was a little girl I have found it very hard to imagine that the weather anywhere else in the world could be different to ours. Whilst we were suffering grey, dreary interminable winters it was very difficult to picture people on the other side of the world basking in golden, unbroken sunshine. The other day a comment left by Louise on my post reminded me of this. Whilst we'd been holed up because of the rain, she'd written that her family had been doing much the same, but taking refuge from the heat and sun rather than the cold wintry storms.



Another Louise has been sharing her beautiful, atmospheric seaside photos with us. I love windswept, deserted beaches in the winter almost as much as when they are sun drenched in the summer. Living on the coast I think I prefer visiting ours in the winter, when the crowds have gone and the wind has picked up and you can really hear the waves crashing along the shore. M and I used to walk down to the beach every Christmas Day before we had children, it was exhilarating and romantic. Summers at home find us driving a little further along the coast to more deserted, quieter spots to enjoy.
Inspired by the two Louises I had a rummage in my evergrowing vintage postcard collection and found some images to share.


This is a Victorian postcard showing one of our favourite beaches in France, a solitary figure walks along the beaches, shielded from the sun by her parasol.


I wonder what she would have made of this little creature?! Same beach, same spot, a century apart. A solitary figure taking her first very tentative steps on soft, silky, sinking sand. This is little sister when she was just a year old.



It took a while for her to get the hang of the feel of the sand on her feet and she would just drop down in a puddle of seawater, jump up and resume walking, her nappy getting heavier and droopier with every little sitdown!



Another bundle here of Nice 1923, looking nothing like I remember it! Sidmouth in Devon and another one of our favourite beaches - Blackpool Sands in South Devon. We use to go there a lot for summer holidays when Big Sister was a toddler. Come rain (usually rain) or shine we would be down on that beach playing. Lovely, lovely memories.
I have also been keeping some vintage linen that had some lovely seaside images on it. I decided this week to put the two together. Lavender sachets made from the seaside fabric coupled with some of the postcards - little bundles of seaside nostalgia in my Etsy shop.



I hope you all have a great weekend, whatever the weather (Now I think I'm sounding a bit like Gardener's World!). Bye

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Definetly my favourite time to be at the sea is in the winter, long deserted beaches, crashing waves, freezing cold. We used to go every Boxing Day with a picnic, now the kids are all teenagers they claim to hate it! Just wait until they have children of their own I'm sure it will all change.

ShabbyInTheCity said...

Baby sister is so precious! I had to click and enlarge her...oh those cheeks!!! Sweet baby. And to live by the ocean is such a wonderful dream.

Anonymous said...

I love the beach in winter, cold, empty and beautiful. We once spent a Christmas in a little cottage near Alnwick ( pre children)and it was really cold and icy, the beach was so atmospheric.
What a sweet sister!

Garden Girl said...

Ohh...now you are making me wish even harder that our anniversary holiday to St Ives in Cornwall would come even quicker..8 sleeps to go! My absolute favourite place in the whole world is St Ives in winter, walking along the beaches, eating breakfast looking out across the sea, exploring the winding cobbled streets..sigh. Your lavender bags have arrived, and are kindly being looked after at the post office..I can't wait til tomorrow when I can go and collect them!(although I now want the seasidey ones for the bathroom!) We discovered Blackpool Sands for the first time last year, its a lovely place.Have a great weekend.x

Heidi said...

You do sound like Gardener's World. :) I love the photos of your little sister on the beach. I wish you a wonderful weekend too Kim! We are heading out the door now to Cranberry Cottage.

~~ Heidi ~~

Tracy x said...

what a beautiful post x
have a great weekend.
tracy x

Mary said...

LOve the seaside reminders that one day it will be summer again!! Its foul here so cold and wet and grey. It seeps into your spirit somehow. Too cold to hang around at too long at the Farmers market this am.

Cape Cod Washashore said...

So sweet!!!! You've brought back fond memories of all my little ones learning how to walk in the sand, always precious moments! And those saggy salt-water-soaked diapers! We used to call them "droopy drawers"! lol I love the beach more in the wintertime I think. Ahhhhh... to stroll a beach in France! Your sachets are so beautiful! I love what you did with the tags on them!

White Cats said...

Love the comparison pix of the coast in two different eras. Your baby girl is precious. Went to your Etsy Store to buy a lavender goodie and see you can't ship lavender out of Europe.Pourquoi? I'll stop by the shop again. Love your blog. Lena

Anonymous said...

Such a precious baby! Thanks for sharing those gorgeous pics!
Mary

dottycookie said...

I love wintry beaches too - one of my fondest memories is of a weekend when we were students, my husband (well, he wasn't my husband then) rented a car and we drove to Cornwall. The first windy night we visited Tintagel - completely deserted and so different from the hordes in summer; and the second we went to Trebarwith Strand and had the beach to ourselves. Just fabulous.

Anonymous said...

Such sweet seaside treasure--photos and pretties. The beach in winter is singularly beautiful. Here in Norway though, it's been endless fog, gray and wet...A sunny summer day at the beach seems so long ago! Happy weekend to you & yours ((HUGS))

meggie said...

Another lovely post, & a talented idea with craft!

Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED said...

I love the beach anytime, but there is something special about a wind swept beach with no crowds!!!
Lovely post

Carol said...

The babies are beautiful, even though I can only see the back of one!
Beaches in Winter.....I would love to be able to get to the beach in less that an hour! I would be there most days I am sure.
We have booked a cottage near the sea for a weekend in Dec.... a pre Chrsitmas chillout!
Lovey post.
XX

Heather ~ Pretty Petals said...

What a gorgeous baby sister you have there!!!! OH that is just the sweetest picture of her stepping on the beach for the first time.

Louise said...

We also love the coast in the winter, we often ride along the coastal path on our bikes, grab a coffee or take a flask and sit for a while to watch the sea, we always feel so exhilerated once we get back home, especially after having the wind against your faces. I love old vintage postcards, did you see one of my previous posts, a picture of a family gathering on Lancing beach, I think you would like it, love your postcards by the way, in a way I would love to be able to travel back in time for a day. I just love that shade of blue you have used for your sea-themed crafts, it really has got such a coastal feel to it. Louise (yes another one)! x

Louise said...

What a lovely post Kim - such wonderful images.