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I’m Alive: Exploring

 

All of these sea kayaking posts by Sarah are about the meaning of life in their way. The joys of small attentions and big adventures. In this one Sarah and her coach Geth get slightly more of an adventure than they’d planned for.

All ends well, though you should know that by the end of her day’s exploring and then the drive home from Wales, Sarah walks very carefully into our house, her exhausted arms and legs needing a very good sleep before they’re all working properly again!

Anyway, here’s Sarah, to tell us about being alive.

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I am back in Anglesey for a couple of days kayaking, and am able to leave Liverpool early on the Friday. I go straight to Llanddwyn, and arrive just after 1pm. It already feels like the day is setting.

The beach here is looking magnificent. Continue reading “I’m Alive: Exploring”

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Mind the gap

After a short gap, caused by stormy weather rather than any lack of will on Sarah’s part, she once again takes to the waves around Anglesey. She also tells us some news about her boat and, as we expect, reflects on life and its meanings.

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My last sea kayaking trip on my birthday didn’t happen due to storms, and so I have been back in Anglesey, to go kayaking, but also having a delayed birthday celebration!

So my kayaking trip starts with cake! Thank you to coach Geth and family for the cake, and making me so welcome.

The next day me and Geth are out on the water, we have just had another storm on the west coast and there is some wind around, so we go up to Cemaes on the north coast. We’re also actively ‘filling in the gaps’ on my determined circumnavigation of Anglesey (so a circumnavigation but not in one go), and now covering all the bits of coast I’ve not mapped and paddled, .

Leaving Cemaes and the cliffs here show very clear zonation of seaweed – Geth says it’s like a carefully cultivated garden! Continue reading “Mind the gap”

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2016: A year in 30 photographs

A selection from the several thousand photographs I’ve taken this year for this blog. Taken all together they tell one story of the year. Not a definitive one, more of a meander as you might expect.

In a year that’s been turbulent in so many ways it’s been good to have this blog to come home to. A quiet place to reflect and to tell some stories. Stories of ordinary days and determined people, trying to make our part of the world a better and fairer place.

A frame round the sky. At Rotunda in Kirkdale
A frame round the sky. At Rotunda in Kirkdale
The new stand at Anfield rising in the January fog.
The new stand at Anfield rising in the January fog.
Reflection of the new Royal.
Reflection of the new Royal.

Continue reading “2016: A year in 30 photographs”

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Sarah goes sea kayaking with seals

kayak_sealYes she does! A five day stay on Anglesey this time, including a course, a day off in the sunshine and two days of individual coaching, culminating in the baby seals around Puffin Island having a play around the kayaks. So read on.

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I’m taking two weeks off work as a funeral celebrant – to recharge myself, and to sea kayak and visit Poland. First the sea kayaking. My adventure continues, this time with Adventure Elements, run by James Stevenson and based on Anglesey.

I’ve booked myself four days kayaking. Two days on an improvers course and two days coaching with James.

After a good sunny week in Liverpool I arrive in Anglesey to be greeted by persistent rain and wind. This is not good for sea kayaking! So on day one the conditions are so rough we can’t go out on the sea, and neither can the more advanced 4 star group who are also training this weekend. So we go to Llyn Padarn near Llanberis and I begin my kayaking here. I am in a group of three, and our coach is the lovely Stuart Leslie, who coached me on my beginners back in May this year – post here. My five days on Anglesey provide a very varied experience:

Continue reading “Sarah goes sea kayaking with seals”

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Paradise: Two hours from Liverpool

On our way into Wales Sarah and I drive through many miles of the brutal ‘we’ve broken the sky’ kind of rainfall we get too often in these climate-changing days. But we keep going because, well, it’s a day out, an adventure and we’re determined to enjoy it.DSC03080Besides, we’ve been where we’re going many times before, though not for a long time now, and we know it can have good weather even when it’s raining everywhere else. That’s how it is with Paradise.

Across the bridge then to Anglesey and two left turns later we arrive at Niwbwrch. Where we turn left again, through the pine woods and down to the beach.

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Where it is of course a perfect and deeply blue sky day.
Lovely. Snowdonia over there doing its usual job of hoovering up all the clouds.
Lovely. Snowdonia over there doing its usual job of hoovering up all the clouds.

Well done that mountain range. Continue reading “Paradise: Two hours from Liverpool”