A Splash Of Orange
Trying to escape that strange 2020 notion that even though it’s the ninth month, it feels like the year hasn’t really started yet; I wanted to shake things up a little. Change the routine, even though it was a weekday and I had to work. I decided to head out with my hubby, who was all set to chase some waves and go bodyboarding (all before the workday start of 9 am, of course).
The alarm rudely interrupted my blissful sleep at 3 am and the temptation of remaining beneath my cloudlike duvet was almost too much! But something deep down more pressing than my current comfort urged me to get up, after all, if change is what I needed then doing ‘the same’ just wasn’t going to cut it. Grumbling to myself, I thought, who on earth wakes up at this ungodly hour? Those hellbent on taking advantage of some Cornish surf apparently; conditions better than they’ve been for several weeks, or so I’m told.
Not that I would be going in, too cold! But keeping hubby company as chief navigator? Why not!
Still dark, we drove accompanied by the glow of the moon, large and glorious, as it lit up streaks of cloud that looked like they’d been painted; a masterpiece.
Pulling into Perranporth at just after 5h30 am, only two other vehicles in the car park, I remarked that we must be the only ones up this early.
Hubby smiled, an old hand at this, ‘Just wait and see’, he urged, ‘It’s almost light and time for me to head out’.
‘Never!’ I remarked, ‘it’s too dark!’ No sooner had I said this, when another surfer pulled up, grabbed his longboard and off down the beach he ran. My hubby, not to be outdone, grabbed his bodyboard and disappeared down the dimly lit beach too.
Looking out into the ocean to try and single out any surfer or bodyboarder from that distance, is almost an impossible task, but not quite. You see, my hubby has a bodyboard with an orange underbelly. Every now and then, when he’s caught a wave, and I’m looking in just the right direction, I glimpse a splash of orange and know that all is good and well. He often tells me that I worry too much when he’s outback and that he’s perfectly fine. It’s always nice to get that reassurance though, in that flash of orange.
There’s something about that time of the morning when the world is just stirring. The sights and sounds hint at the promise of a new day dawning. I felt a sense of camaraderie with a lone jogger who remarked at the beautiful sunrise that I was busy snapping away at. The photos managed to capture the stunning scene that was unfolding over Perranporth. Who needs bodyboarding? I thought, feeling exhilarated as I viewed the splash of orange across the sky. At that moment, I felt at peace. Perhaps it was the visual splendour, perhaps it was doing something different, stepping outside the box that I’d felt restricted by lately. There was hope there in the car park at Perranporth, next to the sea. Things have felt dark for me for some months now, but it dawned on me that perhaps life is about the way we perceive it and that we need to get out of our own way. Be an early bird, for example, to witness something like a perfectly crafted sunrise. Yawning, I climbed back into the warmth of the car, satisfied with my pics, and looking forward to the local café opening to complete my sense of wellbeing with a cup of tea.
Taking a sip of my hot morning cuppa and ready to tuck into a full English fry up in the car, I couldn’t help but sigh with satisfaction. This is what it’s all about; grabbing life and living it. Doing something a little outrageous, just because we can. Finding our daily ‘splash of orange’.
Written By Stella Nicholls
