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A Seaside Town:
I am still alive! I have not been stolen by a crazy group of Albanian people smugglers that trade in trafficking the youth for sex and drugs. Anyone see the film Taken?
Anyway, still breathing and still becoming more cultured as the days tick by. It has been some time since the last entry so I suppose I should write about it all. The first thing is South Devon and the region of Torbay. Now usually people visit this area of England in the summer to get a glimpse of fun in the sand, crashing waves and live the holiday lifestyle, beach deckchairs littering the bays, sand castles in abundance some standing strong, some crumbling under the weight of jolly seaside games. Beach balls fly through the air under a glittering sun, and the water sparkles a lucid green or an azure blue. Children frollick, adults chuckle and tranquility consumes us all.
Well
....
I wasn't so lucky. The snot froze in my nostrils causing general issues with breathing; as it would, my feet became awfully cold to the point of no return, my clothes wet with the vicious weather of oncoming winter and my general demeaner quite unapproachable as I scoured the town for phone credit to find that this wonderful corner of the world doesn't do my type of credit and as I foolishly gulped hot coffee down searing my throat and I am certain my whole alimentary canal.
I was staying in a town called Paignton one of three towns surrounding Torbay, the other two being Torquay and Brixham, a triumvirate of towns that have stood on the coast of England for centuries aptly named the English Riviera. Centres for fish mongering and the English embracing the seaside life. That is really what it is, a seaside life. Australia has beach culture, where families flock to the beach nearly all year round to take advantage of its wonders. Cafes line the waterfront and life is lived on the beach. These quaint towns have a seaside culture, the main high street is a good half a mile from the actual water's edge and although they are within walking distance the populace have their entertainment around and not on the beach.
But despite being whipped by the sea winds and losing feeling in my apendages, it was a pleasant experience. The locals were relaxed and laid back compared to London hustle and bustle, the towns themselves are built upon rolling country hills. The magic being that if you walk a mile one way you are greeted with the great expanse of sea, the other way you fall into a grandeur countryside teeming with wildlife and magnificent fauna. The towns themselves have alot to offer with historical museums and outlooks and Paignton even claims its own heritage listed house in Oldway Mansion, an elegant estate, dripping with aristocracy upon the seaside town.
However my intention when going to this area of England wasn't so much in search of summer heights but a peer into my roots as a child in England. Thirteen years ago leaving this country I left a life that remains quite vivid in my mind; both people and events. One such person was Sarah Woolls, my six year old confidante and play-mate. With the assistance of modern technology I found she had re-located here in search of study, and so we organised to meet. A very surreal experience that was void of awkwardness and unbelievably quite ... unbelievable.
So regardless of the harsh weather it was a trip to South Devon that was very nice indeed.
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