A seagull's life

December 2007
I have lived by the coast all my life. To be inland for any length of time now feels peculiar, which most coastal dwellers can relate to. It's interesting how many people never visit the coast though. Sitting by the sea has huge theraputic values and opens up all your senses.

I had a conversation with a bird expert several years ago and he corrected me because I had called a gull a "seagull". He said: "There is no such name as a 'seagull'".

It made me think. He was right about what he said, but then again my "sea" gull that I had admired and studied since I was a child was very much alive. I grew up with the name, but did it really matter what it was called? I didn't admire the bird any less, in fact it was a story book I was given as a child called Johnathon Livingston Seagull (by Richard Bach) which drew me closer to the birds in the first place. It is a fable about a seagull who takes a risk in life, following his dream not following the crowd, and striving to better himself.

Whether you call them "gulls" or "seagulls", grab some warm clothes, a flask, get a map out and head for the coast.

I promise you, you will not be disappointed.

Remember . . . we are an island.