Four Photos: 4

Male broad-bodied chaser dragonfly

 

 

A Triffid!!!  Agave montana flower head

 

 

End-of-the-Line

 

Friday evening

"Access at either end remains open"

 Just popping up some photos of last weekend's beach walk before I get distracted with something else and another month flies by. 

 I'll probably take Bitey down to the beach again today because the weather hasn't changed since last Saurday: sunshine and blue skies all the way (although it appears to be reverting to the normal clouds and rain from this Tuesday, so that's a comfort).

 

Bitey Gets Ignored

 It has been near enough freezing all day, so I've been indoors mainly working on my entry for this month's Star Trek fan art challenge.  However, at about half one I felt the need for a stretch and some fresh - if cold - air, so I gathered Bitey up and took him down to the beach.  And here are the photos to prove it!

 Oh, in a couple of photos time (after the jump) there is a scene that sensitive viewers may wish to brace themselves for.  All I'll say at this point is that you should count yourselves lucky you weren't here to smell it!

 Anyway, the main thing is: the photos.  Oh and this tune (which I know from the film, Evolution):

The Winter sea has scoured away much of the sand exposing large swathes of the underlying chalk bed.

 

Approaching the End-of-the-Line

 Hold your noses and stomachs for what's next:

Old Knobs and Groynes

 Bitey and I went for a lunchtime walk in the drizzle and found ourselves surrounded by knobs at what's left of the End-of-the-Line.  Bitey didn't seem fussed, but I was thrilled, let me tell you!  And I'm sure at least one of you will be, too.

Before we reached the End-of-the-Line, I tutted disapprovingly at Cliff's slovenly posture.

Cormorants!

 I know I said at the end of the previous post that I'd probably do a Garden Photos Event reminder next, but I took Bitey along the beach (what little there was of it due to the high tide) to the End-of-the-Line this morning and: Cormorants!

Falling

Not only was it grey and overcast when I took Bitey down to the beach this morning, but after days of high winds and rough seas, everything was coated in a film of dried spume scum!

The End-of-the-Line has never looked so dingy.

 

Uh, oh...  What's this?

Lost in the Sunshine

Thank you for sharing your latest tune, Sophie.

And how apt is its title for this sunny Bank Holiday weekend?!

 

 We thought we'd get in quick before the flurry of blog activity that is bound to occur on Sunday.  After Mago's startling Sunday Music on a Saturday he returned to the normal Sunday showing last week, so I expect more of the same tomorrow.  Ms Scarlet has all but promised to publish something tomorrow too (it was too misty to do so on Wednesday, apparently).  And what if Mr Peenee and Dinah make another appearance?? 

 And then, of course, there are the blogging stalwarts who show up every day come rain or shine (except when they're on holiday - remember to fill in the Holiday Rota!): Jon, Mistress Maddie, and Mr Tonking.

 Anyway, in the absence of anything more interesting, may I present the photos of Bertie Bitey on the beach (which I didn't get around to last week), my Little Red Bush, and something from this morning.

 

20th May

 

It Came From the Sea!

"... the gossip, and a Bertie update!"

 As Jon asked so nicely demanded, here is the gossip, and a Bitey Bertie update.

 

 Bertie first: He is willful, stubborn, hates being told off, bitey (still, but he's started to lose his baby teeth, so hopefully he'll be less bitey soon), and a right little aggravator.  However, he's lovely when he's asleep!

 I took him down to the beach earlier, and here are some photos that document his mischieviousness:

Here he is looking guilty after causing a mud slide with an enormous fart - you can see how the force of the trump has blown all those reeds over behind him.

(Really though, this cliff slump happened as we were walking by, although Bertie was oblivious.  A larger version from 2019 can be seen here.)

The Elusive Flotation DeVice

 

 Before rushing out in a 'must-get-pictures-of-paths' related panic yesterday, I popped down to the beach for a swim and to see if I could summon my aquatic alter ego, Flotation DeVice, for Mistress Maddie.  

 Quite why Maddie wants to get acquainted with a pallid, gangly Cloverfield-like seamonster is beyond me, but each to their own. 

 Anyway, although FDV did put in an appearance, they ruined it with their squinting-in-the-sun/frowning Sam-the-Eagle face, fortunately!

Cloud Mouth

 Under threat of a Sideboard Invasion if I don't make an appearance before Friday, here I am!  (Although, I'm not convinced that the invasion won't go ahead anyway...) 

 I don't have much to say for myselves, so may I present a selection of photographs depicting some of what I have been up to this month: 

From the 3rd . . .

This huge cloud-with-a-mouth loomed over the garden, but moved on when I hid under the trees pointed out that my sister (who lives down the road) has more meat on her bones than me.

 

From the 13th . . .

I popped down to the beach for an early morning swim - the first of the season!

(I had to brighten this photo considerably in order to make it resemble how the beach really looked - Camera didn't like being pointed at the sun, I suppose...)

White Cliffs of Over(strand)

Uh, oh...  This doesn't seem right?

 On Thursday, knowing that the temperatures on Friday were going to hit at least 30° and therefore any outside venturing then would result in heatstroke, and crisping of skin followed by complete desiccation, I slapped on some sunscreen, stepped outside and sloped off down to the beach to get some fresh air and have a paddle.

 

 

 Only it didn't quite go according to plan...

A sudden embiggening of the landscape alerted me to the fact that I had inadvertantly happened upon the Lilliputian Cusp interface again, promptly becoming debigulated.

Wet Shags with Old Groynes

 Oh, there's so much to do and yet so little time!

 Where has the year gone?  And why do I have the feeling that something important is coming up?

Well, why don't you look at the calendar, you dolt?!

Rude!

 But what a splendid idea:

 Ah, just in time!  Allowing for time zones and other time travel-related nonsense, while still the 22nd here, it is the 23rd in Queensland so: Happy birthday, Dinahmow!

 And in a couple of days time, it will be Mistress Maddie's turn on the birthday merry-go-round!

oOo

Sunny Side Up II

 I couldn't bring myself to torture you with any more photos than I did on Thursda-

Ha!  What a fib.  You just couldn't be bothered to sift through and sort any more out!

 Shush, you.  So, anyway, as I was saying, here are the rest of the carefully selected sunrise photos from Thursday, plus some from yesterday, and an exclusive bonus from the 12th.  

 

First up: Thursday 6th

What could be better than watching the sun rise over a big, wet groyne?

Mooning Over a Series of Sun-Sparkling Sea Scenes, or something...

 It is high tide time I popped a post up lest you all think I'm going the way of Ms Scarlet-

Which wouldn't be a bad thing.  Quality over quantity, I always say!

Oh, sod off.  You don't always say that.  Who are you, Lord Hippo of Crit?

Hey!

 Anyway, while the SubCs squabble, here are some seaside photos from the past month.  The first set - including the one above - are from 6th July:

Groyne!

An ominous sky over the slipway

Sunday Swim: Swimming with Jellyfish

 I had my first sea-swim of the season this morning.  A week earlier than last year, but nearly two weeks later than in 2019.  Other than sharing my swim with several comb jellies that were still lurking near the surface at the early hour (they usually return to the sea bed in the morning), I haven't got very much to say, so I'll just leave the handful of photos that I took and their captions.

Not a shooting star over the End-of-the-Line...

Gulls & Groynes Against Golden Glamour

The sunlight bouncing off the window frames of this building on the High Street looked far more dramatic and golden in real life.  Bah!

 Now that the Calamities are over with (for now, anyway), and the post I was going to publish has yet to be finished, I thought I'd fall back on that old staple of millions thousands nearly dozens of photos of pretty much the same thing over and over and over again (because I know you love like almost tolerate them).  Yes, it's sunrise time!

 And to accompany your incessant scrolling through this post, how about a little music.  This is "Rescue" by Röyksopp which, to my mind anyway, goes rather nicely with a long, drawn-out sunrise over the sea.  And it's only just over 10 minutes long - you might even get to the end of this post before it finishes!

 The photo above and the first nine below are from yesterday morning:

Misty Mysteries

WARNING: This post may contain poo!

 As the second day of the weekend also turned out sunny (but not as balmy as yesterday), I had no choice but to go outside again.  But this time down to the beach where some misty mysteries lay in wait:

While most of the beach was basking in sunshine, the wet bits and the cliffs weren't

Cloudy With a Chance of Snowballs

 Like much of the UK (except Devon, it seems), Hexenhäusli Device and its environs has become encumbered with a blanket of snow - the most we've had since the end of Feb/beginning of March 2018.  Unlike three years ago, I didn't have to struggle to get to work (not that I struggled very hard, it has to be said) thanks to working from home for some reason...

 Anyway, here are some photos (which are very similar to those 2018 ones):

The leading photo and the one above are from yesterday's lunchtime excursion

 

Sunday Sunshine

 Having found myself awake just before dawn, I thought I may as well go out and see the sunrise as the sky was relatively clear.  In the fifteen minutes it took me to get dressed and make my way to the cliff top, the inevitable clouds had arrived and made things a little more interesting.

It was (and still is) very cold and frosty, so I had to be careful getting down the slope to the promenade. Once down there, I could only get about halfway along before great sheets of extremely slippery ice across the prom (from all the water draining out of the cliffs) halted my progress.  Fortunately, there was a small amount of beach, so I descended the steps to the sand and made my way east.

#2

Blue Bottom and Rainbow

 So, what have I been up to since The Year of Ferrero Rochering Dangerously ended and now?  (Other than that Tippi Hedren moment and Ms Scarlet's First Vinyl meme, of course - see previous post.) 

 Well, apart from work and wandering about the countryside surrounding Hexenhäusli Device, not a lot.  As these photos go to show...

 First up from 27th December, the titular blue bottom and a load of clay: 

Near the end of the End-of-the-Line is a blue bottom!

 

Don't worry, this photo was taken from quite a long way off.

This grey seal pup had just been disentangled from a discarded jacket, and was getting over the ordeal by lounging about waiting for its mum to return from the sea.