On The Beach (1)

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Today was largely overcast with the occasional glimpse of the sun. Jackie drove us to Mudeford and back.

Couple on beach

We began with Avon Beach , which this couple walked along.

Friar's Cliff Beach

Maybe they reached as far as Friar’s Cliff Beach to the left.

Spray

Spray 1

Spray and seaweed

The spray from the waves whooshing onto the shore reflected the red-brown tints of the seaweed they brought with them.

Wave, gull, seaweed 1Gulls, seaweed, spray

Gulls picked their way among the vegetation and the myriads of flies rising from it.

Wave, Gull, Dog, seaweed

Dogs periodically dashed after the birds.

Dog, gull, seaweed

They would probably be astounded if they ever caught one.

Gull surfingGull surfing 2

Bobbing up and down amidst the choppy surface, the gulls showed how surfing should be done.

Gulls surfing

Especially the synchronised version.

Family on stone breakwater

A family stepped out on a stone breakwater,

Lifeguard hut and photographer

then one member photographed the others as I focussed on the Lifeguards Hut.

Sunlight strip

Periodically the sunlight slashed the horizon,

Skyscape

or pierced the clouds with gentler Jesus beams.

We moved on to Mudeford Quay, where the above photograph was taken.

Motor dinghy 1Motor dinghy 2Motorised dinghy 3Motorised dinghy 4

A series of motor dinghies braved the choppy waters.

Boats, buoys, waves

They battled through conflicting currents before turning to starboard and slaloming a series of buoys on their way to the open sea.

Lifeguards hut

We think this is another Lifeguards Hut on a spit opposite the quay.

This evening we dined at Royal China in Lymington, where we enjoyed the usual excellent food and friendly service. We both drank Tsingtao beer.

67 comments

  1. Suzie Kelly wrote a book called ‘Travels with Tinkerbelle’ in which she and her husband and dogs set off to circumnavigate France in a van. I remember vividly her description of one of the dogs catching a Gull and his bewildered triumph – my reaction would be horror being phobic of flapping and feathers. I loved your pictures – particularly the foaming rushing sea!

  2. Ahh, another sunny day in old Blighty. Still, the photographer near the hut is catching a shadow, so there must have been a few rays, such as you have caught in the Jesus shot. Very evocative.

      1. Don’t worry: Derrick’s text has “myriads of [obv. drug-addled] flies using from it”, rather than “rising”. It IS teeth-gritting, but that’s what you get when someone else supplies your software ‘for free’.

  3. Siddy once chased a young starling who was injured and couldn’t fly far. He was completely bewildered when it didn’t continue the game……… and really there was no need for me to come roaring up to rescue it as he just sat and looked at the poor wee thing. Your ‘Jesus beams’ raised a chuckle πŸ™‚

      1. I’ve heard it before…used to describe crepuscular rays of the sun that seem to converge at one point in the sky as they break through the clouds toward earth. My own idiosyncratic thought is that they’re like something from a Renaissance religious painting where God suddenly appears brightly among the clouds and , as in the Sistine Chapel ceiling, stretches out a finder to touch Adam….or one of those paintings of the Ascension, with Jesus rising into heaven on such beams of light…..

    1. I think those are beach huts, privately-owned shelters for those desirous of their own personal place beside the sea. Derrick featured them in a post about Calshot, about 2 or 3 week ago.

      1. I have seen the rows of them at various places along the coast in UK (never in South Africa), and been amazed at the outlay people make for such amenities. The sorts of comforts of home that can be stored there are easily enough transported, and does one really want to be on the beach at all if it is a day when shelter is needed?

  4. I am always amazed at the way weather and ambient light by the sea can cause such wonderful magic to what we see, or the camera sees. The photos of the ocean seem almost from a time of sepia tones…

  5. Such a great and unusual collection of beach photographs, Derrick. I like the way your sense of humor comes into play in “synchronized” ducks on the water. πŸ™‚
    The waves, photos of people and boats were all entertaining and nicely captured!

  6. Gosh, if I was that family you captured on the seawall, I would have wanted you to get me that photo. Beautiful tour. I’m determined to get to UK next year! And I’m stealing the Jesus beams thing πŸ™‚

  7. It is wonderful that you didn’t wait for a special weather. I am procrastinating, waiting for a miracle weather forecast. Your post is very inspiring, and I decided to go tomorrow in any weather πŸ™‚

  8. That looks like it was a wonderful day! I love overcast days at the beach even though I haven’t gotten to go to one in a few years! Lovely photos and the dinner out sounds nice, too. πŸ™‚

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