Tag: sailboarders

Mudeford Murk

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Today the gloomy gales are back.

Headlights were the order of the day, even at 3.00 p.m. when we arrived at an almost deserted Mudeford Quay, where I brightened none of my photographs, in order that readers could see what we saw.

My specs and camera lens dripping with fat raindrops; coat soaked by salty sea spray; legs braced akimbo in an effort to stay upright, I had great difficulty in focussing on anything.

Distant hardy sailboarders, one dog walker;

a lad and his Dad trying at angling;

windswept women straining to steady buggies;

even a solitary gull out of its element, struggled against the gusts,

although some of the birds took to the air in search of sustenance, while crows remained on the car park tarmac.

Networks of glistening roots lay poised to trip the unwary.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s spicy penne Bolognaise and Cook’s choice crumble crusted macaroni cheese furnished by Ian, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Malbec.

Painting, Sailboarding, And Fishing.

Returning after four days of Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and after his painstaking preparation, Nick was able to

almost complete his ground floor painting today.

Afterwards Jackie and I took a short forest drive. Sailboarders were out on the Solent against the backdrop of the Isle of Wight. The colourful expert disappeared out of sight until turning up alongside the island. His companion was receiving instruction from our shore.

A solitary fisherman was perhaps hoping for a catch or two.

This evening we all dined on Jackie’s wholesome sausage casserole, spicy red cabbage, boiled potatoes; and Becky’s crunchy vegetable bake, with which Becky drank Zesty; Jackie and Ian, premium Weisbier; and Doom Bar for me.

Storm Dudley In A Gentler Mood

With storm Dudley raging outside I posted https://derrickjknight.com/2022/02/15/a-knights-tale-103-the-3d-crossword-and-gander/ after lunch.

Later, the rain ceased and the wind lessened somewhat, so we drove to Mudeford to have a look at the sea which was in a remarkably gentler mood.

A gentleman safely watched his dogs frolicking in the water;

two sailboarders surfed happily (the last two photographs by Jackie).

Despite the gloom, a kitesurfer enjoyed a long stint on the more sheltered side. Again the last two images in this gallery are Jackie’s.

Perhaps to display her recent hairdressing, The Assistant Photographer produced these images of me, gaining support where I could, including those where she claims I blocked her view.

She also focussed on crab baskets and beach huts.

Gulls and oystercatchers caught my eye.

This evening we dined on baked gammon; piri-piri chicken; piquant cauliflower and broccoli cheese; crunchy carrots; boiled new potatoes; and tender runner beans, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Merlot

Communal Bath

Quite early this morning we drove to Mudeford to look at the sea. The sun briefly outlined the horizon; the waves were very choppy and

determined to bubble over the wall onto the promenade. I needed to be unaccustomedly quick on my feet to keep them dry, whereas

a reflecting fisherman just paddled patiently.

As I watched the water dripping from a walker’s uplifted foot I wondered whether his dog really wanted a walk as it hopefully hugged the bollards yet would probably pick up wetter paws when circumventing each vacant bench ahead.

Sailboarding was under way –

more so in the more sheltered harbour away from the open sea. Some of these gentlemen, nevertheless couldn’t keep out of the water for long.

One came a cropper behind a capsized sailboat against which the thud of the waves syncopated with the

tinkling of the rigging of the parked sailboats

and drowned the gentler lapping of the soft sea foam frothing over the coastal pebbles.

From her car Jackie focussed on a more distant fisherman who was himself beset by spray battering rocks.

Nearer at hand she was so engrossed with a clutch of iridescent-flecked starlings that she might have missed the one perched upon her wing mirror had it not begun to shout at her.

Gulls soon moved in, one pointing out the necessity to pay for parking, and another

attempting to join in the starlings’ communal bath.

Finally she snapped her fisherman packing up.

The evening we dined on “definitely the last serving” of Jackie’s still succulent beef and mushroom pie, boiled potatoes, carrots. cauliflower and runner beans, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank The Second Fleet Lime Stone Coast Shiraz 2019.

The Race Was On

On this further dully overcast and windy morning we virtually finished the front garden pruning.

I photographed a few hanging baskets in the rest of this area, involving bacopas, lobelias, diascia, begonias, petunias, pelargoniums, and gladiolus. These have all regenerated well after the recent heavy winds.

Here are the bags of woody clippings which we will need to take to the recycling centre. Unfortunately we now have to register our vehicle and make an appointment to dump this material.

On my way through the garden I photographed more views which are each identified in the gallery. The second-flush kniphofia in the last picture is proliferating.

The first apples Jackie picked polished up nicely.

This afternoon we visited Mudeford harbour where, now the area has been left to the locals, I was able to wander across the green and photograph a sailboarder whizzing among moored boats;

gulls, including a preener;

and a low-flying murmuration of starlings for whom the race was on for dropped morsels of food.

As is her wont, Jackie photographed the photographer against the backdrop of his subject.

This evening we dined on lamb chops in mint and rosemary gravy; boiled new potatoes; crunchy carrots and broccoli; and swede and carrot mash, with which Jackie drank Beck’s and I drank more of the Malbec.

“One For The Ladies”

On this wet and windy morning James Peacock visited and completed the setting up of my new SureColor P600 printer. The process took an hour, and there is no way I could have done it myself. One reason should suffice for explanation. The reason the printer could not be found by the computer was that it had been blocked by the iMac’s security system. This was easy to fix, but you had to know that would be the case. James was his usual friendly, efficient, self. We made a test print of the canoodlers on the tower from yesterday. The colours were perfect.

After lunch I watched a recording of the World Cup rugby match between Australia and Georgia.

Later, we drove to Avon Beach in search of surfers. We were not disappointed.

Here is Jackie’s view of the choppy waves approaching the beach.

The car park was full of these water sports enthusiasts preparing to enter the fray or

packing up to leave.

 

This little stretch of the Solent rivalled the congestion of the final approach to summit of Everest as sailboarders, kite surfers, and fishing boats took to the waves.

Some found themselves in the water;

others engaged in gymnastics, either soaring into the air,

or skimming over the surface.

Sailboards, kites, and other equipment were deposited on the sand,

and carried to and fro along the beach

Sometimes I watched sailboarders in action

 

 then carrying their steeds inland.

I watched a pair of sailboarders preparing to take to the sea. So did Jackie, but she only

focussed on one “for the ladies”.

She also photographed me.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s classic cottage pie; piquant cauliflower cheese; tender runner beans; and crunchy carrots, with which I finished the Malbec.

Water Sports

The storm which began at mid morning yesterday continues to rage until, we are told, midnight today.

This was the view from our French windows 24 hours after we had laid down the furniture. We had left the blue wooden table standing because we thought it heavy enough to withstand the gales. We were wrong. Against the window behind the figure is wedged someone’s dustbin lid. To have reached its resting point it has to have sailed over a fence as if a giant’s Frisbee and slalomed along one or two of our paths.

Feeling as if I had joined Dorothy in the grip of a Kansas tornado, I made a very brief survey of damage. Aaron had firmly fixed the long, now broken, mirror lying on the gravel to the struts on the fence. Beside it flops clematis Campaniflora, also wrenched from its moorings on the arch spanning the path.

Between that fence and the patio stands an ornamental poplar. Its branches are being severely twisted. Out of shot is a hook attached to wire which is used to hold open the wrought iron gate. I clipped it into place to take the second photograph. With a thunder clap the gate slammed shut when the wire was snapped.

Here is a representative sample of crashed pots and a rose ripped from its ties. A final inventory will perforce be featured tomorrow.

This afternoon, to take her mind off the garden destruction – rather more than I photographed earlier – Jackie drove us to Mudeford, where I discovered that what breaks the heart of a gardener encourages pleasure seekers to rush to become blown about and thoroughly wet.

While their adults hunkered down in the car parks, the younger gulls bobbed about like rubber ducks in a wave bath.

Three or four of these unsuspecting youngsters suddenly appeared toting plastic packaging over which they squabbled.

From the quayside I was able to see both kite-surfers and sailboarders in the distance, operating from Avon Beach.

Crabbing was taking place as usual, however I was tempted to walk along to the beach for a nearer view of those engaged in water sports.

A gentleman rested his waking-boot-clad feet while his muzzled husky took a breather.

The powerful winds had been unable to uproot these secure mooring buoys.

Various groups wandered on and off the warm sands.

Skimming sailboarders and spraying surfers sped across stormy seas.

Races ensued;

other paths crossed.

While the winds were ushering me onwards, the walk to the beach had seemed quite a good wheeze. Not so the return during which, like the gulls in the air I laboured to stay still.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s tasty new “prawns and stuff” – “stuff’ being peppers, tomatoes, and garlic; with Tesco’s firm fish pie; her own piquant cauliflower cheese; and crunchy carrots. We both drank Definition Gruner Veltliner 2017.

Surfing The Solent

For lunch today, we joined Mum, Elizabeth, Danni, and Ella for lunch at Woodpeckers.

Ella seemed at home in her throne while she played with Mum’s finger;

afterwards she was happy to be passed around. Danni e-mailed these images to me.

We all enjoyed tender, lean, beef casserole; creamy mashed potatoes; tender carrots and green beans, followed by pear sponge and custard. Apple juice and red and white wines were on offer. Each of us chose our preferred beverage. Mum was given her requested orange juice. Teas and coffees were to follow.

Afterwards Jackie and I continued into the forest. As we left I wondered where else one would find

ponies wandering about outside a care home carrying the outstanding rating of the top 3% in the country?

On Furzey Lane, near Beaulieu, one chestnut pony waited patiently at a gate; and a thatcher’s donkey took a rooftop view.

“Ah. A donkey derby”, exclaimed Jackie as we reached East Boldre and encountered these animals on the road, some making their way to their job of trimming grassy areas and holly hedges, turning up their noses at as yet unripe blackberries equally within their reach.

One unfortunate child, missing a shoe, had been forced to hop home from there.

At the end of Tanners Lane strong winds whipped waves ashore, attracting

both sailboarders and kite-surfers.

I was able to watch a young man and his father set up his sailboard, and, whilst enjoying a conversation with the older man and younger boy,

watch an impressive display of sailboarding. As always, enlargement of these images may be obtained with clicks which will access the galleries.

This evening we dined on piquant cheese and bacon omelettes with toast. Jackie drank Blue Moon and I didn’t.

Dusk Descending

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE IN THE GROUP TO ACCESS THE GALLERY, INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF WHICH CAN BE VIEWED FULL SIZE BY SCROLLING DOWN AND CHECKING BOX AT BOTTOM RIGHT. FURTHER ENLARGEMENT MAY BE OBTAINED WITH A CLICK OR TWO
Jackie and I visited Mum this afternoon. This was one of her bad days, as she had not slept last night. She perked up whilst we were with her, and is looking forward to seeing Danni and Andy tomorrow.
We headed straight to Mudeford as we left the hospital, and were in time to watch

dusk descending. Apart from a few poor shivering specimens standing forlornly on the car park tarmac, gannet-like gulls swooped, plummeted, pounced to snatch crabbers’ spoils on the quayside. The Isle of Wight was a high-speed train thrusting through turbulent waters. Across at the bay, the streaky setting sun feebly attempted to penetrate deep indigo clouds which eventually scudded off before a palette of pink and cyan.

This evening Jackie fed us on a rack of lamb; roast potatoes and butternut squash; crisp carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts; sautéed peppers, onions, and mushrooms; tasty gravy, and mint sauce. I drank Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, and the others didn’t.