Sea There?
Tales of the sea. A very rough interpretation of a Millet painting.
The sea has always a dear place in my heart. The Mediterranean Sea but also the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans.
The Med where I grew up, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans where I sailed during my holidays from Naval Architecture School.
Nowadays, the North Sea.
In the Summer of 91 on the hottest Saturday of the year, I suggested a quick dip to my young chefs. After all, we had had a very busy evening cooking for over 60 people. Those were the days when I slaved over a hot stove. The kids were game for a laugh!
We sneaked out of the back door and across the road onto the beach as the clock hit 11pm.
Puzzled onlookers must have thought we were ghosts of past sailors as we ran towards the sea in our chefs whites.
No skinny dipping. Just a quick paddle in a North Sea that never warms up beyond 20 degrees even at the height of the hottest summer.
Our allocated half pint of lager at the end of the shift provided enough Dutch courage for us to remain at least five minutes in the icy waters. Our frozen fun was thankfully cut short by a hungry seagull who attacked one of the youngsters probably mistaking him for a juicy cod!
We still laugh at that episode when we meet up.
Karen caught me as I ran up the stairs to my office for a quick change of clothes. She shook her head in desperation.
"You act like a six-year-old! I can't believe you're a businessman!"
I quickly mentioned something about motivational team bonding! I don't think she was convinced.
I screamed and guess what?
16 Comments:
My ex-boss used to take us to lunch to celebrate our birthdays. Talk about motivation. We loved it, we were happy, we won awards [blow trumpet here haha]. And we're all still in touch with him.
wonderful story! I can just see the sea gull dive bombing your friend!
"adult behavior" is soooooo overrated!
Cream, I know you have 3 or 4,000 projects going, but is there any chance you'd be interested in partnering with me and illustrating a childrens story? I'm having trbl with my mail utility - would you email me at foster_hayden@hotmail.com? I could send you a rough of the first part so you can see if it interests you.
I'm just so charmed by your art and think it would be perfect for this story. VERY flexible deadlines..... ? We'd only need 2-3 drawings to do submissions on spec -
Fun story! ..and I love your finished mosaic. I wish all of your blog friends could be there for your grand opening!
Hehehe, I would like this kind of motivation, as hayden said - adult behaviour is so overrated :D
Tacit, every Boxing Day hundreds of mad people take a dip for charity on the same spot where we had our swim. Never done it, but there's still time.
Gigi, your boss wasn't daft! I might try that, except for the fact that most are 16-18-year old ladies. Karen will definitely send me back to the Sahara!
We never repeated that midnight dip but my young helpers, now scattered all over, still remember that episode with great fondness.
Hayden, adult behaviour is indeed so overrated! I prefer to remain young at heart!
As for the offer, you definitely have overrated my "talent". I will email you!
Janet, thanks for visiting. Whenever I am over at the new restaurant, full of dust and muck at the moment, I follow visitors' eyes when they call in, to see if they notice the mosaic. So far, I've had to prompt them. Well, there are lots tables and chairs stacked up in front of it.
Shyha, if anyone understand what motivation works for what type of person, I say that they've cracked their trade. I'm still working on it!
being young at heart is always needed in this life, considering that there're so many problems in our life making us grow old so fast :)
"motivational team bonding" is the technical translation for a bunch of adults acting like a bunch of kids, right? I must keep those words in mind, it is bound to be useful someday.
cream, I figured it out and emailed you. if you haven't found it check your junk folder. Hint: Hayden is my nom de blog, and I sent it from my regular mail box.
Janet, you are welcome!
Penny, thanks for your encouragement. Karen does roll her eyes at me! Just makes me laugh nowadays!
I couldn't agree more Iluvnyc! We need to keep a young outlook otherwise we'll begin to vegetate!
DC, some companies take their employees on Paintball days out where you fire balls full of bright paint at other people. Quite a bit of the time, the workforce get their own back on the management. Good laugh and nobody ends up getting hurt!
Hayden, I have received your mail as "spam"! Will get back to you as soon as I've read the story.
i love the ocean. did you ever sail past kanyakumari where the three bodies of water meet at the southern tip of india? i've heard it's spectacular.
happy new year, btw!
Wendy, I boobed! It was John Everett Millais not Millet!
Sorry! The painting is called the boyhood of Raleigh.
Cadiz, no I haven't been that side of the Indian Ocean. It was mainly East Africa all the way down to Madagascar!
Great mosaic you´ve done in the bar! Very nice!
And thanks for your comments, they made me glad.... so you are planning on having a dip in the sea at la zenia? -well its a little cold, but the finnish people do have sauna and icebath afterwords.....
Best regards :)
What a wonderful story and illusrtation...they have different moods, but they both speak to the allure of the sea. Perhaps my only real sadness about relocating for love is the fact that I am now inland for the first time since I was born, except for a year in Vermont. I've even lived on a boat for a few years, so I do miss being near the sea...very much!
Very nice. You're a teller/painter of tales.
G, I'll wait till I come over to San Miguel in May before I'm brave enough to have a swim at La Zenia!
Carla, there is nothing like living by the sea, even if it is the North Sea! Cold and grey...
Twisselman, thank you for visiting!
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