The Sea in our Veins!
Rockley Beach - My Childhood Playground
Today is the 12th Dec, 2019 – the last full moon of the decade and my 68th birthday! I don't know how time has flown so fast as I still feel like I'm about 19 or 20.
It gives me a chance to reflect on where I came from and where I'm going and I've decided it's time to start recording some of my history - I have a bunch of images sitting in photo albums and my photography files and like the tree that falls in the forest – if no one sees it or hears the stories did it really happen?
Rockley Beach, Christ Church parish - the place I lived from 1955 to 1965 - watched the roof of Torrington Guest House (in the far right distance in the top image) fly off into the sea during Hurricane Janet in Sept 1955!
Walked down this beach with Chris and Geoffrey Kieffer to go to school at Mrs. Smith's Primary School.
Going down to the swimming hole at the Hotel Royal and stopping in at Aunt Dos Brown's - getting juk with a nasty cobbler, Lois breaking her pinkie after slipping on the mossy steps at the Royal - ouch!
Skin diving for shells and sea fans, cruising along the coast in Peewee with John at the helm with the Seagull outboard and David and John-Mike Peterkin in their flat bottom dingy.
Belly boarding on plywood and learning to stand-up surf on the red board that John built during easter holidays 1965
Memories of tree houses in the almond trees and almond battles with the Kieffers and Donald and Carlos Duncan; the beach boys hanging out - Erskine the ace fisherman and waterman of the area, going fishing sea eggs with David Peterkin and collecting huge bags for later cleaning.
Watching a huge sea turtle laying her eggs one night and the baby sea turtles hatching and running for the sea; moon light beach walks with my Mum on many a night.
Guy Fawlkes Night - Nov 5th - bon fires on the beach and burnt toes from sinking into soft roasting sand too close to the fire – running to be first to get the sticks falling from the rockets; man-o-war stings from small and large.
It sure was a fantastic place to grow up!