Samantha Dee

Once the riders confirm it's safe to 'go', the one in the front loosens her rein a bit and faces forward. It's first stride is full stretch from the back legs, the rider leans forward and in a single pace is at full gallop. The gallop is the only pace where a horse lifts all four feet off the floor and reach speeds of up to thirty miles per hour. To explain it plainly, its like standing on the roof of a car at that speed.

My mind wanders briefly to the moment I'm going to have to get the sand out of my trainers when I get back, but if that's the only problem I have today, that'll do.

On the bottom step I feel the need to stretch out a bit before I start my walk so I do that, waving at the beach wardens truck going by. There are six or seven gulls sitting on the sea wall rocks who just look at me, like a scene out of a Hitchcock movie. I start walking, the gulls scatter.

I make my coffee and slink out onto the deck with it. Its still dark, so I step back in to grab a lighter and light my storm lanterns. I love this time of the morning, between three and six; there's an energy to it that is difficult to explain.

It's 12c this morning and the tide is already up since I got up so late. I grab my Chrome book and slide back out of my trainers. I step out onto my deck, sit down and put my feet up on the coffee table. While I'm bringing up the book file, I look up and take a deep breath. I close the lid and just sit with the waves. The sea rocks me back to sleep in no time.

Awake at six today, slept like a rock. I could vaguely hear waves breaking so I stayed there a bit and pretended I hadn't checked the tide tables to see if I could sense the increasing tide. I concluded, 'Get up, Gandalf'.