Oh I do like to be beside the seaside...

I'm about to finish up my time at Swansea University; as of Tuesday I will have done everything necessary to get my degree and move to another city next year to do a Masters. Swansea Uni has been selling itself to Sixth-Formers, myself included, on the basis that it's a campus in a park, in a city, by the beach. And seriously, all you have to do to get to the beach from campus is cross the road. In summer, this is great - beach parties and slightly illegal barbecues abound - but although we all have bonfires on the beach for Guy Fawkes Night to watch the fireworks, the beach gets a little neglected in winter. Sure, I was there, because there's a long path that's good for running on, but if anything it's a nuisance - it's rainy and windy all along the front and it's hard to really enjoy it.

Finally though, it's May, and some days the sun comes out and a walk along the beach as a detour on the way to or from the city centre or campus is a welcome change of pace from trudging along pavements. Today, awake and alert early on a sunny Saturday, I decided to make the most of the hours that the beach would be relatively quiet (dogwalkers and runners are features of the seafront here), and wandered along it, and then back through that park the university mentions. I stuck on my headphones, played new albums and enjoyed the feel of the sand under my feet and the sun on my skin. It was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours before getting back to the serious business of finishing my degree.

I probably should have included a picture of the beach in this post, but this snapshot of the new oak leaves against a clear blue sky sums up the optimism I'm feeling today, after such a lovely start and with the end of all this hard work in sight.