Sometimes it’s hard to love life by the sea.
I’ll probably read this back in Summer and tell myself to shush and stop moaning, but right now, we have had pretty much 2 weeks straight of rain, drizzle, wind and storms here in Cornwall, as Winter has well and truly arrived (you may have noticed less posts recently on this blog… and that would be why!).
We speak to our friends and family in other areas of the country, and while yes, the weather isn’t fantastic anywhere in the UK at this time of year, the amount of rain and storms faced by the likes of London, or York, is significantly higher than here in Cornwall. Sometimes we look at the long-range weather forecast and there’s not a single dry day on there…
It can be depressing, but this is the sacrifice we make to live by the ocean, where the weather is wilder due to the coastline and our southerly location. Sometimes, life by the sea just is:
Rain for weeks on end
Countryside too muddy to walk in
Cars layered with wet sand inside
Harsh wind that stings your face
Smelly wet and muddy paws in the house
Jeans soaked through and hung up to dry
Waters too rough to swim or paddle in
But at times like these, we need to remind ourselves that life by the sea is also:
Finding quiet hidden coves
Sunset views from the coast path
Public open space that the dogs adore
Rockpooling and discovering new creatures
Eating fish & chips with a sea breeze in your hair
Catching a water taxi to a new town or place
Jumping off rocks with a splash
Beach BBQs with friends
Photoshoots in the dunes
Paddling out to catch waves
Swimming in sea pools
Listening to bands with the ocean as a backdrop
Exploring the ocean by kayak or boat
Seeking perspective with a trip to the cliffs
…I’m pretty sure there’s more positive things than negative. And we must always remind ourselves how lucky we are to be able to live here – to walk out the front door and find ‘the edge’ of the country within 20 minutes, and to enjoy everything that coastal living brings.
Living by the sea requires a few essential items too, if you really want to get the most out of living here and being by the water. A great ‘one-stop-shop’ for everything ocean-related is Aqua Living – a new online store selling a curated collection of water lifestyle products, from life jackets, snorkels and swimwear, to dry bags, water bottles and beach toys. They also stock a great range of inflatable paddle boards too, at reasonable prices, which I’m very tempted by for next Summer!
The brand was started by husband and wife team, Christina and Alistair Hall, who were inspired by their love of the outdoors, and going on coastal adventures with their twin boys. They want to promote an active, fun lifestyle that focuses on truly falling in love with life by the sea.
They’ve carefully selected high quality products at a reasonable price range in their shop, with an emphasis on being eco-friendly where they can. Many of their products are made with recycled materials (like this frisbee we took to the beach this week!) and the company also donates to the UK Marine Conservation Society as well. Obviously when you love the water as much as these guys, keeping our oceans clean and safe is super important!
I have to say it was hilarious playing with this frisbee with Pepper and the dogs – she has never had one before and simply couldn’t work out how to pick it up. Then once she did, she ended up running around the beach with the full disk in front of her face so she couldn’t see where it was going – so funny! I can’t wait to take this out with her more. Hopefully Maisy will teach her how it’s done properly…
If you’d like to find out more about Aqua Living and their product range, head to their website!
* This post is a paid collaboration with Aqua Living, but all opinions are my own
