COUNTRY AND SURF AT 'THE TOP OF THE DAY'

It looked like a good day to go out last Sunday, (16th November 2013). With the shortening daylight hours, every opportunity has to be taken when a day is at its best, at 'the top of the day' as the local expression goes. We found ourselves walking a bit of the North East Coast.  You are never far from countryside, in fact, the three, sea shore and countryside, merge.  The sun was low in the sky, seriously blinding for driving into, and also, for walking. It was not particularly good either for photographing some of the weird and wonderful things that caught my eye; maybe I shall get pictures of them another time.

Hardly noticeable, this water treatment plant sat neatly on the coast.

 Sheep grazed. They were not interested in us. I think they must be used to people.  Perhaps too many people had wandered by.  The path ahead of us through the field where the sheep were, was closed off by a five-bar gate.  It was not intended that the gate should be opened.  It was secured with barbed wire.  The gates we had already used were dropping on their  hinges by a considerable amount, requiring some heaving to open and close them behind us. It was not unreasonable to conject, therefore, that there may have been some issues with farm gates being left open.

Hay bales were sitting in the stubble on the fields.  The bales were outlined by good surfing waves   At a distance, the bales almost seemed to be  being pushed along. My stereotypical picture memories, much like the old masters,  are of hay stacks in fields, with more rolling fields surrounding them.  Bales and sea surf were unexpected companions. If you peer into the surf, you will just be able to make out a surfer, (a black dot).

I counted about ten surfers in this group.  This coast, indeed this bay, is known to serious national and international competitors for the quality of surf.  Recently, there was a major competition here.

You might just be able to see a few surfers in action through the spray 'curtain'

...and these surfers are flat-lining on their surfboards. 

Very many years ago, there was land reclamation on this part of the coast, the sea is now reclaiming back the same land, partly through erosion and in part, because, the unmaintained harbour breakwater, (the upright boulders, which are seen in this picture) has given the sea free reign to move back in.

This doorway to nowhere testifies that a substantial property  was built here. The barley twist design the stonemason carved either side of the jamb is still intact on the right. The doorway is beautiful in its decay and solitude.

You can make the images bigger if you click on them.

A WALK IN A QUITE QUIET WINTRY INTERLUDE

There was a short-lived winter blast with a snowfall last Sunday 19th February 2012.  We took advantage of a quiet window in the general weather turbulence, to go out for a walk.  I took my camera with me and was able to catch a variety of winter scenes.

At the harbour mouth there was a cold  North Atlantic winter sea edged with snow covered land across the far side of the water.

We moved on around to the sea front (on an esplanade) where we saw the sea swelling, curling into deep foaming waves.  It moved on at speed and dribbled towards outcrops of rock. The snow capped cliffs depicted, are about 21 miles away from where I stood. 

A sharp cold wind was blowing off the sea and though there was super reflected sunlight,  there was no way you could feel, other than cold.  That said,  the wonderful light brightened up everything and everyone.  An intrepid walker was enjoying a trot along the sand.   The fields had a thin coating of snow, allowing the dead stubble from the previous year's harvest to show through.  The sea constantly moved and the curling tips of the waves threw out high mists of foam.

This February the snowdrops have produced their flowers.  Last year the plants tested out the weather conditions, and because it was so cold, they immediately, popped their heads back underground, not to be seen for at least another six weeks!  They were very late.  This year there are lovely clusters of snowdrops to been seen at the expected time.

With the tree branches being bereft of leaves, it was easy to see pigeons and rooks looking for suitable nesting places. This pigeon was staying at its place.  The rook fluttered around a bit, moved backwards and forwards on the branch; the pigeon did not budge.  Seemingly unperturbed, it just looked at the visitor and sat fast.  It was not going to be moved.

Presumably, deciding it was not getting any due respect, that it was not going to obtain exclusive rights to a particular place on this tree, the rook took flight.