So this evening Jo and I decide to take the boys out for a walk towards Shanklin because they look like they need to burn up some of their energy and because the weather has been getting a lot nicer last couple of days. The esplanade is just two minutes walk and we head past the pier and onto the beach. Beyond the pier, the beach is unlit and with a low tide, there’s a huge expanse of sand leading to where the waves are breaking onto the shore and it’s just possible to see the waves in the darkness. A couple miles away you can see the lights of three or four ships. They are crossing the bay on their way around the Isle of Wight to or from Portsmouth or Southampton. In the darkness the clear night sky is filled with stars. Nice to see them again after all the cloudy weather we’ve had in the last month or so.
The boys just want to run on the beach and so we’re all racing each other to see who can get to the next ramp or breakwater. Sammy tries to stay in front of me because he knows that I’ll avoid him getting under my feet and so he can win the race. Eventually, though, he takes a tumble and ends up covered in sand. I pick him up and dust him off and we’re racing again. Jared and Jo are way ahead racing each other but he’s too quick for her on the sand. The boy loves to run. He wants to represent England in London in 2012! By then he’ll only be 15 so maybe he can be in the junior Olympics. We all tear up the beach for 20 minutes or so and we reach the esplanade.
We continue along the esplanade towards Shanklin past the lifeboat station. The streetlamps are few and far between but the light is just right to heighten all the other senses and accentuate the brightness of the stars. Beach huts line the path on the right and behind them, the cliff rises about two hundred feet. To the left is only the sea and the ships in the distance on their silent lumbering traverse of the bay. Up ahead about another mile, lies Shanklin looking sleepy. We reach about halfway between Sandown and Shanklin and take the path leading to the top of the cliff.
We return towards Sandown along the cliff top path. It is also poorly lit but perfectly safe because of the railings and hedge. Jared tries to guess the value of each of the cliff top properties with their splendid views. The ships continue their lazy journey. Even from on top of the cliff it’s easy to hear the waves breaking on the beach below. Sam’s riding piggyback on Jo. Jared and I are discussing each house in turn as we pass them. I guess one million pounds for each one and he agrees. We reach the stairway that takes us back to the esplanade and Sam races me around a closed ice cream hut. He wins again, d’oh! Jared then invites me to race him to the pier about 150 yards ahead. My feet are feeling heavy in my Doc Marten boots but I can’t resist sprinting with him to the pier. The kid is getting faster. One day soon I won’t stand a chance. Jo and Sam catch us up and and we all head home. We’ll have to do this more often now that the weather’s nicer.
