Oh please don't talk about the sea! I was brought up near the sea and miss it with every fibre of my being! Current caring situation means I cannot get to the sea - boo hoo!
As well as living near the sea in Essex, we used to go to my grandmother's in Lympstone, a tiny fishing village in Devon, for a lot of each summer. I remember hanging off the harbour wall with a string and a pin and trying to catch fish - never caught anything, but that did not spoil the fun.
We used to go to Exmouth from there and I remember the donkey rides, the punch and judy, and, above all else, the activities that were organised on the beach by Eagle, Girl and Robin magazines - anyone else remember that? And I remember looking out for Lobby Ludd in hopes of winning money!
And all up the cliff gardens when night fell, there were little tableaux with little gnomes and fairies in them and all lit up - and the bushes were alive with coloured lights. We thought it was magical.
In my school holidays I used to work for Rossi's, the Italian ice cream company, on the seafront at Southend-on-Sea - I used to sell ice cream, do the washing up (in some filthy water as I recall), and try and avoid the Italian bottom-pinching!
I also worked in a local children's home in the holiday before going to uni, and my strongest happy recollection of that is taking about 10 children to the beach on my own - I was 16!!!!
With our own family we spent many happy times at the St Davids festival - concerts in the evenings and beach/walking during the day. I hope so much that one day it might be possible to do this again.
Get me to the sea!!!!!