CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE. THE SMALLER GROUPS ACCESS GALLERIES.
Late this morning Jackie drove us to Lepe where we enjoyed a brunch in the cafe by the beach.



Gulls scavenged among the pebbles and the seaweed that proved there is a stronger wet smell than that of damp dog.


You see, the seaweed aroma pervaded the air so much that it swamped any scent of the dog that, dashing into the sea on the end of a telescopic leash; in a vain attempt to capsize the honking avian flotillas commandeering the surface of the water; became very wet indeed.


Upon enquiry at the Information centre, I learned that these noisy birds were Brent geese who regularly fly from Canada and Siberia to enjoy what they must experience as a summer holiday in Lepe.
There was a fair amount of shipping seen on the horizon,




and approaching the Isle of Wight, which formed the backdrop of a number of these photographs.
A container vessel passed a spit
along which. at low tide a group walked out to sea. I assume they were not aiming to walk all the way to the island.
A helicopter chugged overhead,
where, later, the next flock of geese arrived for their overwintering.
Work was being undertaken on a terrace of cottages on the slopes above the beach. These listed dwellings were built in 1828 to house coastguards employed to combat the centuries-old customs of smuggling and piracy. The building nearer the shore was the Watch House.


Driving past them led us to the corner of Inchmery Lane where, perched on the side of the cliff, stood a lighthouse,


overlooking a stretch of beach belonging to a wildlife preservation society.


Taking the left bend visible in the above photograph of the lane, we continued along it, catching glimpses of the sea through the trees on our left.



At Moonhill, on our way to Beaulieu, a pony feeding in the forest caught my eye. I made my way through the trees and caught his. As I set out to cross the road back to the car, an equine companion did the same on its way into the woods. This had the usual effect on the traffic.
A neat stack of felled tree trunks occupied a cleared area.
For our dinner this evening, Jackie supplemented our second sitting of the Chinese takeaway with her superb egg fried rice. I finished the cabernet sauvignon.
Beautiful, beautiful blue in some of those pictures.
Many thanks, Laurie
An excellent photo of the flying geese!
Thanks, John. That was just a quick grab, so I was quite chuffed.
I agree. That is a wonderful shot.
Thanks Merril
I’m sitting here trying to decide which stink is worse….seaweed or wet dog…
Giggle 🙂 Thanks, Cynthia
I liked that whole bit as well, Cynthia – especially the wording – ” the seaweed that proved there is a stronger wet smell than that of damp dog.”
Thank you, Jodie
You are quite welcome, sir!
Beautiful photos–I like the contrast between photos that could have come from some past era and then the present day ones. Thank you for the tour and the description of the smell of the seaweed. 🙂
Very many thanks, Merril
I suppose you needed a big fortifying meal to take all of these wonderful photos, Derrick. That’s a lot of beans! LOL! One of my favorites is the last in the Isle of Wight grouping. I love the reflections!
Very many thanks, Jill
Took us to sea how wonderful.
Thanks very much, Kim.
I really love the light plays that you’ve captured so well during the change of season
Thanks very much, Geetha. It is very enticing
Welcome Derrick. One can feel that through your photography
It looks like a perfect day and with beautiful pictures. Many a time as a child we would aim to get to Bournemouth but with so much holiday traffic, often we would only get to Lepe. Now I prefer it.
Thank you very much, Sol. It was
Refreshebibg; thank you for that journey, Derrick.
Many thanks, Cynthia
Oh dear: refreshing, was the word….
🙂
I’m just struggling to figure out which is my fav picture if I need to choose one. Loved the ducks and birds sillouttea the best. The helicopter in the blue sky! The first set looks more like a painting ..
Many thanks p & a
Always a pleasure going thru your posts.
Love the ships on the horizon.
Thanks very much, Inese
I love the pictures of the shipping! So beautiful
Thanks very much, Lynn
So beautiful! I love coming along Derrick with you and Jackie!
Derrick.
1.) Stupid question of the year: Do a lot of people in Britain use AGA stoves?
Not that many. They are very expensive. We had one of the originals in our house in Newark, but couldn’t afford one now. I’m a great fan
People like me try to find old Champion stoves here. Quite expensive also.
The cottages or housing for the coastguards and the Watch House were fascinating. I liked all observing, squinting as if facing a shiny water myself, the horizon chock full of ships. The large container vessel reminded me of the huge barges we could see looking out at Lake Erie from my parent’s cottage.
The tunnel of trees with lake’s blue light shining through was lovely, Derrick.
Thank you so much for your detailed comments, Robin. Jackie did the research on the cottages after we got home.
The variety gets me; it’s something that is sadly lacking in Australia by comparison 🙁
Many thanks, Brian
Such amazingly beautiful, clear photos – it looks a very special place. But that may be your photography, Derrick – wonderfully inspiring photographs.
I found this post by following your link in today’s post – on both occasions, I believe that supper was second sittings of your trusty Chinese takeaway! 🙂
How consistent we were, Emma. 🙂 Thanks very much.