Walking On Sunshine

"Walking on Sunshine", released as a single from their debut album in 1983 was Katrina and the Waves' biggest hit by a long way - so much so that people often mistakenly put the band in the One-Hit-Wonders category. In fact they were together for more than 15 years, recorded numerous studio albums and had 2 other charted singles. If like me you are a fan of that outrageous parade of kitsh, cringe-inducing performances known as the Eurovision Song Contest, you may know the band better for "Love Shine a Light" which won first place for the UK in 1997. Ironically, the song was written years previously, but never released on an album, as the band felt it was too Eurovision-esque.

The BBC weather prediction that the temperature in Zadar would rise into the low 30s was accurate and it has been incredibly hot all day. It was already on the verge of being uncomfortable when Jackie and I made the early morning sojourn to Tommy Supermarket to fetch breakfast and it wasn't long afterwards that even the sun worshippers relocated; first into the shade and eventually back indoors. We had plans to do something either interesting or exciting today, but that has now been shelved, and we are in crisis mode as there are only 2 days left and we haven't done anything interesting or exciting yet. It did briefly get a bit tense, but we all agreed to do something interesting and/or exciting tomorrow, so the ship has been righted. Part of that process involved Kev and I walking in, if not exactly on, sunshine down into Sukošan to see if there are any interesting or exciting boat trips that leave from the pier. There aren't, but we have booked one departing at 1 pm from Zadar pier tomorrow. Now that will be exciting, or at the very least, interesting.

I was asked the other day if I used AI to write these vignettes, so, given there isn't much going on today, I thought I would give it a try. I asked ChatGpt to write a short paragraph about being too hot on a summer holiday. I will let you decide whether I should persist in my labours or embrace the future. "The sun blazed overhead, turning the sandy beach into a sizzling griddle and the air into a heavy, breathless blanket. What was meant to be a relaxing summer holiday quickly became a test of endurance, as sweat trickled down my back and even the ocean felt more like bathwater than a refreshing escape. The ice cream melted faster than I could eat it, and every step across the scorching pavement made me long for shade and air conditioning. It was beautiful—but just too hot to enjoy." To me it seems to just be a collection of improbable tired clichés. Sand like a sizzling griddle? Air that breathes (or doesn't)? Who hasn't mastered the art of eating (or licking) melting ice cream? Granted, I may be biased and you may be inclined to differ.

Hunger drove us out into the sunshine at around 7 pm and we had a nice walk in the relative cool of the evening down to the centre of town to find some sustenance (and pizza). We ate at a really nice restaurant, which had an upstairs balcony that overlooked the al fresco dining area and Laura and Lucy kindly recreated a scene from Romeo and Juliet for our pleasure (and for my blog). On the way home, the sunset was so dramatic that I was moved to not only photograph the scene but also WhatsApp it to some friends and family. One friend asked if the photo was a teaser for todays blog and if the title was going to be "Nightswimming" by REM. Sadly, today's efforts were mostly written by then, but given that it was such a warm evening and such a cool song, I decided to oblige. So at 11.45 pm, Lucy and I got in the pool and quietly did some night swimming. I know that I am entering dangerous territory and I have to stress that this was definitely a one-off. So don't anyone think of trying to convince me that "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" would be a good title for tomorrow.Leggi altro