Boat people 2

The more I think about boat people, my thoughts move in circles and almost spiral. I draw and list and try and articulate my pondering. Eventually I identify five different categories of boat people. I call them Leisure sailors, Adventure sailors, Luxury sailors, Explorer sailors, and Escaper sailors. This is crude and lacks the complexity...

Boat people

When I was a little girl, my family would go on sailing holidays. The lifestyle was simple, like camping on water. You were constantly in nature and lived with it and the ocean. This is a common summer hobby in Sweden, and winters were spent repairing, maintaining and improving. [[[Stats: How many Swedish boats?]]]] The...

Hellenic treasures

A still life selection of white pebbles, blue ceramics and small shells. Photo by Jessica Zarins, June 2024. On different Ionian pebbled beaches I searched for two things: perfect skimming stones, and the most spherical pebble of all. It was a fun holiday game to play on each of the beaches I visited on Lefkas,...

The sea, the seals and the smells

It's been two months since I was last by the sea. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, and I have certainly missed this friend. I'm at Horsey Gap in Norfolk to visit the grey seal colony that breeds and pups here every year. The part of the beach that I enter from the...

On purpose

I made a new friend while swimming in the English Channel in my underwear at 2:22 am. We know this not because we were sober and paying attention, but because the sea water broke his watch at the exact time he entered it. Like me, he is a seeker, but I still don't know if...

Saturday 28 May 2022. Midday

Having avoided writing and exercise – things that make me feel good – all morning, I eventually sit down in the garden to feel a bit shit about myself. Sometimes my fear of failing is so deep and complex that I think it's actually success that I fear more: starting something, working hard and then...

Birthday

I treated myself to the World of Stonehenge exhibition at the British Museum for my birthday. I'd read a review that described it as 'emotional' and 'full of love' for the people whose story it tells. But I tried not to be too influenced by this when I went to see it. I made my...

Hebrides-bound on freedom day

Bought whiskey and shortbread in Inverness yesterday as snacks for the rest of the week. Travelled most of the length of the UK, but have at least as many hours of travelling today. Red line (Cambridge-Gatwick-Inverness) was my journey yesterday. Blue line (Inverness-Ullapool-Stornoway) is my journey today. Today really is freedom day. I’ll arrive in...

Norfolk nature

We hurry to after work to beat traffic, escape the city, travel the countryside, arrive at the coast. Pitch the tent, kick off the shoes, grab the wine and head to the beach for the first walk of our long weekend. The South Beach in Heacham stretch out from Snettisham to the North Beach to...

Sunday 14 March 2021. Morning

Ship sailing in the distance. Photo by Jessica Zarins, 2019. Yesterday was my best day in ages. Finally a day where I felt like I did something new, experienced something. And all within current recommendations and rules. I got to go with my housemate to their vaccination in Bury St Edmonds, the historical Suffolk market...