Ready to sit again?
This time, let’s rest awhile beside the sea,
Comfortable?
breathe deeply, stretch that neck,
Stretch
this way and that,
This way
and that way
and remember,
Cave Rock and Scarborough Head and Shag Rock seen from afar
we have travelled far, yet yearn to be where
“Cave Rock is made of toffee
And the sea of lemonade
And the little waitress wavelets
Are always on parade
When the cars roll down to Sumner
On a Sunday.
The ice-cream mountain on the blue
Is free for anyone,
And Scarborough Head looms solid
As a tearoom tuppeny bun….”
from For a Child by Denis Glover
With healing and love,
Gallivanta
-
- With love
-
- and healing
© silkannthreades
silkannthreades 
I think seagulls are the most elegant of birds. I often wonder what they discuss when they sit in a row, there necks moving back and forth. And then when they fly – what a delight to watch. One of my good friend told me that on the day that he was going to ask the father of his soon-to-be wife permission to marry (this was a few decades back) a seagull’s droppings landed on his head as he walked to the meeting place. He couldn’t miss the appointed time, so he found a place to clean up the best he could. He said it turned out to be a good sign for they have been married for many years.
Ah yes, seagulls are rather good at blessing us! Seagulls and all seabirds are wonderful to watch. One of the delights of my life was visiting the albatross colony down south, near the city of Dunedin. Now they are birds to watch in the air. Magnificent.
It’s always good to relax by the sea. Nice poem from Denis Glover.
You do some wonderful relaxing by the sea. 🙂 Glover’s poem about Sumner holds so many memories for me. Whilst good poetry transcends time and place, it is lovely to have poetry which is about my place and my time (more or less).
Love to sit here too with you and enjoy!
Yes, but no tall ships, Ute. A paddle boarder, a kayak and a sailing boat went by. That was nice.
That was a nice journey! There is always something magical about the sea. Wonderful poem, I love its imagery. 😉
Thank you JAA. It was a delightful outing. Do you remember this golden oldie?
I always think of it when I go to the seaside.Thanks for the visit to the seaside – calming and refreshing at the same time.
How far do you have to travel to see the sea? We are so close but I rarely go. Silly me.
…and you made it to the sea – one of my old childhood places. During the war Dad was in the home guard and they camped out in Cave Rock. Once upon a time it wasn’t so flooded by the tide…
I did, I did. And do you know that was the first visit since the Sept 2010 earthquakes? It has taken me that long to get up enough gumption to trek out that way. I did get a little shock to see Shag Rock so depleted. That’s fascinating about your Dad camping out at Cave Rock. I have a photo of my dad and his father at Sumner in about 1927.
The Wikipedia article at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarborough,_New_Zealand
gives good reasons for your trepidation.
Indeed. It was such a lovely place to walk. About 5 or 6 years ago, when my sister visited we walked the track in memory of our childhood walks. I am glad we did even though the climb gave me sore legs for a week!
I’m so glad you made it. I really need to come down again and revisit all those places…
There’s a spare room here if you should need one. And a spare car too. 🙂
Sumner was my favourite sea walk when I lived in Christchurch. I went back just before the quakes happened and got backed into by one of those super-duper 4×4 giants who didn’t see my little white car parked quietly by the wall……… sigh. The view you chose is perfect for this grey, cool, wettish Wednesday morning…….. For me the sea air is a vital part of my health. If I go too long without it I start to wilt. I wonder if we are all like that here, where we take it so for granted that the sea is close by. The Glover poem is another of his great ones – what a way he had of capturing us! Another inspiring post to start my day! I think this new regime of yours is most excellent 🙂
Some of the new walkway to Sumner is open. It looked very pleasing. Otherwise, the traffic going out there was mind-boggling and I was almost sure my little grey car would come to a sticky end…which is why I retreated to the relative quiet of the sea wall at Redcliffs….what is left of the seawall, that is. 🙂 You have a beautiful coastline in Dunedin. Pulls the heartstrings. I think most of us here in NZ have the sea in our blood.
Beautiful photos! I can smell the salt air, feel the breeze and hear the gulls.
Those gulls are noisy! But I enjoy their company.
Oh! It has been awhile since I have been able to stop by with everything that has been going on for me (I haven’t been reading anyone, I am embarrassed to admit). So this is the first time that I am seeing your new layout and I love it!! Just gorgeous, just like you. 🙂
Lovely to see you Heather. You have been ever so busy, I know. Are you home again now? Happy you like the new layout. 🙂
The layout is wonderful! And no, Air France is on strike so I am in the States for another week…at least…
That’s wonderful for the time being; bonus time State side. 🙂
Thankyou…what a wonderful breath of fresh air and breathing space arrived in my in box- just perfect.
A breath of good sea air; always wonderful, don’t you think? 🙂
Always 🙂
beautiful place and beautiful photos.
Thank you Wandering Iris. I must wander over and see what you have been up to. 🙂
Ah! Someone else had the same memories. “Big Rock Candy Mountain”, the song? 1928. It reached #1 on Billboard’s country charts in 1939, and was recorded by Burl Ives in 1949, which probably explains why it’s one of the first songs I remember my grandpa singing to me. (I was born in ’46.)
Glover’s poem was first published in 1941.
I wish I could find real rock candy again. It was such fun — pure pebbles of sugar, smooth and lined, in wonderful, rock-like colors.
Thank you, Linda. Those are the most wonderful links. Interesting that Glover’s poem was published in 1941, the year he began his war service in England. I don’t know that I ever had rock candy. But I have certainly had toffee, lemonade and a tuppenny bun. Not all at once, mind you!
I remember the Burl Ives rendition from childhood. Not till I read the article you linked to did I learn about the unexpurgated older versions.
And if you keep linking back and back you get to Cockaigne and the Land of…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockaigne, of which Glover was undoubtedly aware. Though Sumner and Cave Rock are very sedate and refined, as far as I know. 😉
I think the only two things I recognized in the article you linked to are both musical: Elgar’s “Cockaigne” and the inclusion of “Ego sum abbas Cucaniensis” in Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana”. Lots of new stuff there.
Because London (and particular Westminster) is likely to be feeling cock-a- hoop right now, I think I will reference Elgar’s Cockaigne here.
It is appropriately boisterous.I had to look up the expression cock-a-hoop, which I found appropriate for the Scottish election results.
Yes. And I hope you noticed that the Elgar performance was by the Scottish National Orchestra (celebrating London Town. :D)
I would very much like to rest there awhile! What lovely picturesque scenery – those cliffs are wonderful. I have been working from an office cabin at a mine in the Northern Cape (middle of nowhere!) the last couple of weeks, where the only view is of flat dusty bare earth – so such lovely virtual scenery is very welcome 🙂
Oh goodness. So pleased I can offer you a breath of sea air!
More tranquility to start my day–thanks.
So pleased. 🙂
I just saw your new creation called…and healing. So precious my friend.
Thank you, Laurie. Healing and love are a great combination, don’t you think? 🙂
Love the poem and what a glorious place it would be, reminds me of a song…
If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain it would be.
I’d stand outside,
with my mouth open wide.
And it goes on like that.
Oh, that’s another one I don’t know but it reminds me of the story “Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olO73t4kf9E by Judi Barrett.
What a beautiful and sunny day you have over there 🙂 Happy Tuesday!
We have had some impressive spring weather. Tonight there is rain, which is very welcome.
Those birdies look plump and healthy.
They get very well fed by people who come to sit by the seawall!
Simply gorgeous and fabulous fotos too! ❤
Thank you Cindy. It is a lovely outlook. One of my favourites.
Very nice view and the calm sea, it would be nice to live on the high up over the sea like that.
The view from the hills across the sea is superb, YC. However, the hills weren’t such a nice place to be when the earthquakes rumbled through. Rocks came tumbling down and all that 😦
Oh, I love this! The poem makes me think of an American song, about a hobo’s view of paradise. Do you know “The Big Rock Candy Mountain”?
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
You never change your socks
And the little streams of alcohol
Come trickling down the rocks
There’s a lake of stew
And of whiskey too
You can paddle all around it
In a big canoe
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/obrotherwhereartthou/inthebigrockcandymountains.htm
No, that is new to me. I wonder if the two pieces were written about the same time. I can’t find a date for Denis Glover’s poem. Sumner and Cave Rock etc hold very precious memories for me from my childhood and younger years. This is me near Cave Rock. https://silkannthreades.wordpress.com/2014/06/26/4862/attachment/25/ All the landmarks at Sumner were severely diminished by the earthquakes.