As regular blog readers and people who know me well will be aware, one of my favourite activities is walking besides the sea.  I enjoy the walk from, or sections of,  Rock a Nore in Hastings all the way to Bexhill because the scenery changes so much.

On Thursday I walked from Bulverhythe towards the pier and it was delightful.  The weather was perfect and I loved every step along the way.  As I walked I was struck by how many lines there are along the promenade.  I will show you some photos so you can see what I mean.

On the promenade opposite Marine Court are these seating areas.They provide shelter from sun or rain.  And lots of lines.Most shelters are whitewashed but some have charming mosaics with a sea theme.While I walk along the promenades Milton has to be on the lead but when I can,I let him off the lead so he can run along the beach.  He does tend to spend more time searching for mussels, or other edible snacks, than running these days.These colourful steps and padlock stump is at Warrior Square.

Bottle Alley takes you to the pier.

Do you see what I mean about the lines?  Walkways, pier supports, railings, groynes and the horizon to name a few.Rows of lines everywhere.I like it.The lines are in contrast to the constantly moving sea and sky.The lines are replicated by the shadows.  As a neat and tidy person, I like the sense of order the neat rows provide.

I noticed several signs and took the time to read them.  These two are about the quality of the swimming water and the history of the development of Burton St.Leonard’s

There is a plaque about an artist and I assume one of his pieces of art.  I wondered if it is the same artist who made the dolphin mosaic in the sitting shelter I photographed above.

There is also some information about the location of a historic pier, and I had no idea, before this walk, that there had ever been a pier anywhere other then the location of the current pier.

I think this is a lesson in mindfulness.  I have walked up and down here many times before and not noticed much of what I saw today.  On this day, I took my time to appreciate, and be aware of, all that was around me and it was so much more enjoyable that way.

The delightful walk set me up perfectly for a lovely workshop about essential oils, which a neighbour, Daniela,  hosted.  I really enjoyed it; I learnt a lot and met some wonderful women.  I have ordered some oils and will be using them to make a natural deodorant, for healing, and for enhancing my mood.  I can’t wait for them to arrive.I returned to Sissinghurst on Thursday and had a hilarious evening, playing cards and chatting with my old neighbours.  I haven’t laughed so much for ages or eaten so many snacks (!!!!!) so I was very anxious about weigh day.  I had also had a bad previous weekend so was dreading the scales.  I did go for a swim before going to Slimming World and swam 60 lengths which is 1.2 km.

Friday is weigh day and to my amazement I lost again.  I have consistently lost weight for the 5 weeks I have been following the Slimming World diet.  I have not always stuck to the plan but I have walked and swam a lot and that is obviously helping.  I have also eaten very healthily and to plan in between the occasional splurge so the plan definitely works.I was delighted to receive my certificate.On Friday evening I did not do anything to set me up for a loss in the week ahead.  I went back to Sissinghurst and thoroughly enjoyed a gin tasting evening.  What happened at the gin tasting stays at the gin tasting !  Needless to say I blew the entire month’s syn allowance in one night so I need to work very hard this week to ensure another weight loss.  It was brilliant fun though and so lovely to see my dear friends.  Thank you Annette and David for letting me stay; it was brilliant.This week I will have to swim a lot, walk a lot and eat very strictly to plan.