Our Novocastrian identity is draped in blue & green. Our steel blue collar harbour history. The emerald water. The endless depth of blue coastal sky. We are enveloped from head to heart, from then to now.
My own identity is wrapped up in cerulean memories. Swimming with my grandfather and brother at the ocean baths while my grandmother sat, lips pursed at the picnic table, hating the feel of sand but trusting the saltwater would drain us of youthful energy. As a teenager, lolling about on the beach, baking myself under azure skies. At home with my parents, late night Summer swims in our chlorine-bleached pale blue pool. And at the Cowrie Hole with my own child at sunset, discovering new delights, watching the gem-like ocean and sky meet and fade into cobalt night.
The coast is a place of grounding for me, my melancholy and anxiety quelled in aquamarine waters, and on my walks, the east coast sky an endless source of cloud-based inspiration beyond the blue.
This image of the Newcastle Ocean Baths represents more to me than just a place to swim. It speaks to a lifetime of Newie blue.
Another 3-years-later delight! Your words are like poetry/prose. Have you thought about a book?
Sharon