Not that I saw that many people on my walk up the beach this morning (yes, I did walk, go me!) but I was kind of gobsmacked by a goodly percentage out there frying themselves! It wasn't a huge sample. Our beach is wonderfully unique in that, due to lack of holiday accommodation in our seaside 'village', we don't even get crowded out in the summer holidays. But it was very noticeable nonetheless.

Back when I was a child in the 60s and 70s, that was just what you did. But now we all know to slip, slop, slap. Don't we? (And cringe about how naively burnt we used to get?) If you must be out in the midday sun, wear a rash shirt at the very least. Surely? It was around 11am (with daylight saving I guess that's only 10am, but the sun was high, and had some bite in it.)

But, nup. Not many were covering up at all. There were girls and older women lying sprawled on towels in bikinis worshipping the sun. Kids frolicking in the shallows with no rashies. (Couldn't believe one family - Dad had the rashie, and the kids didn't!) The one that really had me shaking my (obviously middle-aged, 'countrified' and paranoid of sunburn) head, though, was the girl walking with her guy up the far end of the beach. He had the long boardies on, and a loose fitting short sleeved shirt. And cap I think. She was a contrast to say the least. She... wore... an.... incy wincy teeny weeny ... bikini. (Black, though, not yellow polka dot). It was so brief, I couldn't help but glance back as I passed them. G-string. I wonder if they heard me snort. And snort again: when you're strutting up the beach in pretty much your birthday suit, the point of the cap is what?

I suppose if you frequent trendy city or tourist beaches, you wouldn't think twice about it. Not that it was ever my thing, being always self-conscious about my less than sylph-like body. Maybe I've also gone all conservative living up here. Maybe I've gone prudish in my old age. There's a conservative 'not-real-keen-on-the-g-string-look' streak in me too. (Not real keen? I think it's an appalling look!) Yes, maybe I'm just jealous! (hah). But with the current spate of skin cancer TV ads echoing in my head as I noticed all these people out there burning themselves up, it did make me do a double take, and all I could imagine was the red raw buttocks she was going to end up with sooner than she'd realise.

And while I had my conservative specs on, I did humour myself with the wry observation that the briefness of the front part of her bikini bottoms - which could only be carried off with a Brazilian - from a distance (and because they were black) it looked exactly like she was going 'bottomless' with pubic hair intact.

Labels: huh