Listen to the track:
Rock Pools and I-SPY
A post-war childhood on Wembury beach, seen through Vyvyen Brendon’s memories: rock pools, seaweed, limpets, salt wind and the thrill of ticking finds off in newly published I-SPY books. With hardly any traffic and the cliffs, fields and shore all open to roam, small discoveries became great adventures and the beach became a whole summer world in a child’s eye. Peter refers to the young Peter Lugar.
Verse 1
Down where the red cliffs lean to the sea
Bare knees, salt wind, a whole day free
Little hands busy where the tide runs shy
Rock pools and sea-glass, rock pools and I-SPY
Peter knew the footpaths, Vyvyen knew the light
Fields to the left and the shining shore bright
Nothing much owned us, no reason to hide
Just the beach and the book and the pull of the tide
Chorus
Rock pools and I-SPY
Seaweed dripping, summer sky
Limpets clinging, gulls wheeling by
A whole small world in a child’s eye
Rock pools and I-SPY
Names and wonders we tried to find
Cliffs, beach, fields and the open sky
The world came true through rock pools and I-SPY
Verse 2
Turn over a stone and the little crabs dart
Tick off a treasure and learn it by heart
A strand of green bladderwrack held up high
Like something from nowhere in rock pools and I-SPY
No traffic to fear and no clock to obey
Only the weather and the shape of the day
The beach made a kingdom of all we could find
And the names of small things stayed fast in the mind
Chorus
Rock pools and I-SPY
Seaweed dripping, summer sky
Limpets clinging, gulls wheeling by
A whole small world in a child’s eye
Rock pools and I-SPY
Names and wonders we tried to find
Cliffs, beach, fields and the open sky
The world came true through rock pools and I-SPY
Verse 3
Post-war pockets and the simplest joys
A shore full of marvels for girls and boys
No grand inventions, no money to buy
Just a book and a beach and a watchful eye
And maybe that’s why those summers remain
Salt on the fingers and sun after rain
Two old memories still washing ashore
In rock pools and I-SPY for evermore
Final Chorus
Rock pools and I-SPY
Seaweed dripping, summer sky
Limpets clinging, gulls wheeling by
A whole small world in a child’s eye
Rock pools and I-SPY
Lost days living in the mind
Cliffs, beach, fields and the open sky
Wembury still shines through rock pools and I-SPY