Provoking A Squabble

Overnight winds had been powerful enough to blow this planted up stone urn off its pedestal.

Early this morning Jackie drove me to our G.P. surgery at Milford on Sea to order a repeat prescription.

We were not surprised to learn on BBC News that, at 79 m.p.h., the strongest gusts in Britain had rushed through The Needles which still seemed borne on a bed of spray as we passed them. Our home is in a direct line from these rocks, and always shares their buffeting.

The foaming waves of the Solent rolled rapidly towards our coastline, flinging ragged curtains of ocean droplets skyward. A motorboat speeding across the surface, despite its rapid rate, seemed to be bobbing up and down as it appeared to be engulfed.

Gulls reflected in pools in the car parks.

Masts at the Yacht Club stood against the sky at Keyhaven, where a group of walkers of the third age passed a younger woman with a dog.

We continued along the coast road towards Hurst Spit on and around which walkers strode beneath a fretwork of cotton clouds and streaking jet trails.

As we approached the bridge over the stream we became aware of a frenzied, shrieking, squabble of seagulls. What, we wondered, had provoked this activity?

A gentleman carefully placing muzzles on his pair of Dalmatians had spotted the answer.

He wasn’t prepared to risk a conflict between his dogs and the swans being fed from the bridge.

A string of Brent geese had found their own food in a field opposite.

Outside Solent Grange a store of stone sculptures awaited installation on the so pretentious walls.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s comforting cottage pie; crunchy carrots of virus hues; tender runner beans and cabbage.

42 comments

  1. The high wind produced some fabulous sea spray shots. I’m glad you didn’t have more damage to your property. It looks like the urn was just toppled, but not broken?

  2. The pair of Dalmatians seems to have taken a cue from the raging winds. Being in alignment with Needles has apparent impact on your garden. You have narrated as pictorially as your camera.

  3. From your header photo i was thinking what a nice day it turned out to be? Then i heard of the gale force winds. That’s as high as anything we’ve had here! ( if you don’t count tornadoes – small-ish ones but able to rip rooves off houses and rip down double-brick walls). Hope the pelargonium survives!

    I love the shot of the gull taking off leaving droplets in his wake! 🙂

    Must be nice having a chauffeur to drive you to your photo-shoot locations?? 😉

    Thank Jackie for me! 🙂

  4. Your photographs of the crashing waves are magnificent. You really are having high winds aren’t you. We are having what is described as a fresh breeze which makes me wonder about the forecasters, given that I could hardly stay upright earlier!

  5. Those gusty winds are scary… I had a client who had not one, but TWO large Sequoias blow down on him and his neighbor last summer. Luckily, only his fence and garage roof was damaged. Bad enough, but it could have been so much worse. Glad you got away with only an urn toppling over. I hope it didn’t break!

  6. Beautiful photos all of them Derrick, they sure helped us feel how windy it had been or still was, refreshing, but glad your place was not damaged. We are having heavy winds here the last 24 hrs too.

  7. That strong wind is so scary and can be so damaging! 😮 🙁
    Glad you all are safe!
    I hope the urn didn’t crack. ???
    Love the birds, birds in flight, and the cute doggies!
    (((HUGS))) 🙂

  8. I think that constitutes, ‘wild and woolly weather’ … the swans would’ve won … more statuary? Where are they going to put these I wonder? In the toilets perhaps? 😀

    1. A good question, Widders. In fact we looked up the website once more. That statuary seems to have been removed from the walls and longer term residents are complaining that new owners have ruined the site. Many thanks

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