Walking on Balmedie Beach in my Slippers

Balmedie Beach, walking on the beach

On the way home from a hospital visit in 2020, I stopped at Balmedie beach.

Balmedie Beach

I crossed the boardwalk slowly, being careful not to catch my slippers in the gaps between wood. My foot is a lot better, though I still can’t wear proper shoes or put my heel right down on the ground, but I was determined to walk on the beach.

Walking the dunes on Balmedie Beach

I made wee slipper footprints in the sand as I went. And then stood and stared out at the wind turbines on the horizon.

walking on the beach: wind turbines

The low winter sun made dark silhouettes of the dunes.

Dunes at Balmedie Beach

There was a tideline of shells. I liked them. I poked them. And I put one or two in my pocket.

shells

And then shuffled back through the soft sand to the car, and home to hot chocolate.

Balmedie Beach at midwinter

Reviews

There’s two new reviews of The Mermaid and the Bear up on Rosie Amber’s site. They’re both quite profound. I am blessed to have such deep thinking people take the time to write down their thoughts on the book.

The first, from Jenni here: “A narrative about the hurt that can be given carelessly, and the pain that can be survived. A fairytale, and a myth, and a Shakespearean epic all rolled to one—The Mermaid and the Bear is a delight for those brave enough to tackle it. 5/5, would re-read most any day of the year.”

And then from Claire: “I loved this book much more than I thought I would. It has a depth that I did not expect but at the same time, it had an open-heartedness and generosity that I’m not used to when compared to my usual contemporary fiction reading.”

I hope you all have a good festive time, if you celebrate, and stay well and cosy and eat lots of good food.

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52 Replies to “Walking on Balmedie Beach in my Slippers”

  1. You have done it again. Your photography is as good as a holiday. May your holiday season bring you much happiness. In other words, thank you for you. I also liked your quote from the Mermaid and the Bear.

  2. Very glad to hear that your foot is improving. You live in a beautiful place and thank you for the stunning photos. I can never walk on a beach without picking up shells and pebbles! Enjoy whatever celebrations you have at this time of year.

  3. The seaside is always beautiful, is it not?

    I agree with both reviews of your book. I was very positively surprised about the attitude of the girl. That is not so typical for our present time … or maybe it is, again …

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