SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL. 27 FEB. 2019.

Another work day.
It started as usual with a dog walk around the block.
Today was no different.
The seagulls were flying high in the sky without pattern to their flight ; no V shapes just here, there and everywhere.
The birds worked their way randomly to the west and disappeared only to return shortly afterwards to have a mid-air argument as to who had forgotten  to double check the front door was locked before they had set off... and then they were gone.....
Beach Buoy crossed the road towards the red royal mail post box.
The letter box looked a little like an old style Sergeant Major.
The shield over the letter slot angled like the soldiers cap would be as he shouted at raw recruits.

Ahead the moon was hanging there in the sky like a half finished painting; done with a selection of pale watercolours.
The moon was underlined by a pink vapour trial of a long gone aeroplane.
Beach Buoy went to work..

Work done and a trip to the local shops over (Saw SHOP CAT.)
It was beach time.
Beach Buoy and two dogs set off on the short journey to the beach. 
They passed a man wearing a flat cap and a lumberjack shirt, walking behind a horse down by the gutter in the road.
 Possibly getting the Horse used to the traffic before they headed out in a buggy?
So.. the photograph above was 4-30 pm.
The weather was glorious.
 It felt like a July day at 8pm, after a hot day.

The three went South.
A man with shorts and tee shirt walked by with his dog.
The man looked like he was a walking Spanish Flag, with the colours that he had chosen to wear.
His dog looked like it had been drawn with a fine black pen and a sharp pencil.
2B or not 2B ?

A dog-less couple went by.
They had been searching the nearby shingle; presumably for sea glass or shells and not a dog?
Beach Buoy ended up on the trail of some barefoot tracks that had headed south earlier.
Whoever's tracks they were following, had unusually  large big toes.
A starfish laid on the shoreline.
Beach Buoy put it back in the sea.

Beach Buoy turned back to see the source of the heat on the back of his neck.
Reminder... FEBRUARY!
around 5pm.

They walked as far as the three hump sea serpent.
Three tugs had just left the river.
They were waiting in the bay for their ship to come in.. aren't we all?

Beach Buoy headed to the dunes ... a quick thank you to the sun.
They say the mild weather is coming to an end?

"Thanks Sun ... it's been a ball"

Well it still is really...

The sun seemed embarrassed by the fuss.
It blushed and hid behind a tree in the car park.

BEACH BUOY.

..... and as the the blog was finished
someone?
was caught trying to eat a book off the shelf.
It wasn't even a Reader's Digest book...

SEATON SANDS 26 FEB. 2019

The day started at 5-40am.
It was a work day.
Beach  Buoy walked the dog around the block before heading to work.
On his block walk he passes a small line of shops.
In recent months a cat has adopted the shops as his / hers.
Beach Buoy once had a rescue cat similar to SHOP CAT.
Mostly white with Ginger and  Black splashes.
Possibly called  a Calico Cat.
SHOP CAT certainly has a character.
When it was cold recently the cat was seen sat in a doorway of a cake shop. Sat smug in the down-draught of the shop heater  just inside the shop as customers stepped over and around it to enter and leave.
Today, as Beach Buoy trudged around with Stubborn Dog in the early morning light, the Cat watched from a distance, whilst sat outside the already open Butcher's Shop.
The Cat sat upright and from a distance looked like a ten pin bowling pin.
Once the Cat had realised the two figures didn't pose a threat, it took the shape of a bowling ball and watched the two shuffle down the road.
Later that day; around 4 pm Beach Buoy needed to call into one of the shops.
The Cat was still there; back in pin mode, just watching the world go by.
After the shop visit, it was beach time.
It had been another glorious day.
It had been another hottest February day for Britain.
Beach Buoy and two dogs had the sand under their feet by 4-55pm.
The tide was well out.
The weather was almost unbelievable.
One effect as the unusual weather seemed to be the light; so bright but at times so pale.

A Tug chugged North across the bay as a ship slipped silently into Port. 

A family overtook Beach Buoy. They had three Spaniels.
The dogs were well behaved and only had eyes for each other; oblivious to all other dogs on the beach.
The sea serpent out in the bay was two humps today.
It reminded Beach Buoy of his father's tip for remembering Camel types!
"Two hump Camels look like a letter B on their back, so they are Bactrian.
One hump looks like a letter D on their back, so they are Dromedary.

"Simples"
To quote a well known Prime Minister!

The light was playing tricks over by the Wind Turbines, making parts of them seem to disappear.

They had a mooch down by the Grey Rocks.
Tons of shingle had appeared to fill any gaps.
They started a slow walk back.
Once back on the sand they saw a group of nine Oyster Catchers.
The Birds were stood right on the water's edge; some with feet in water.
There wasn't a breath of wind, so the smart looking birds were all facing random directions.

They looked like a group of blokes who had been out drinking and were discussing the next pub on the list.
One of the birds hopped and that was the signal, they were off!
 A pint in Redcar it was. 

The slow walk back continued as planes flew south and seabirds came home for the night; flying east.

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS 25 FEB. 2019.

It was a work day so Beach Buoy was out walking the block with Stubborn Dog.
The fog was hanging around.
The Street lights seemed like nozzles in a spray chamber almost as if it was the lamps spreading the fog like a dull grey paint..
You mist a bit :-)

Day's work done.
They say it is the first winter's day to have reached into 20 degrees plus.
It wasn't quite that warm at sunny Seaton Carew but it was very very mild.
The air was full of sea air... Lungs fulls of proper air.
Beach Buoy and two dogs reached the beach at 4-40pm
A man dressed in shorts and teeshirt descended the ramp to the beach with a large dog just before Beach Buoy,
Beach Buoy had changed into his beach boots, the man was barefoot.
The man headed north.
Beach Buoy headed south.
As the walk progressed it became clear that the other beach goers were all heading back, north to the car park and the village beyond.
Like they had already read the book, seen the film and bought the tee shirt.
Beach Buoy thought that barefoot man was possibly not much of a reader, not a movie buff and well ... 
he already had the tee shirt.

Yay!
thought Beach Buoy as Sammy Seal popped up.
He too was heading north across the bay.
"Must have an underwater Cinema, Bookshop and seal tee shirt shop"...thought Beach Buoy.......


BEGINS WITH  A SEA.
A
BLOG.
by
SAMMY SEAL.
YAY!
SAW HARRY THE HUMAN TODAY!
HAVEN'T SEEN HIM FOR AGES.
EITHER HE HAD A COUPLE OF COATS ON, OR..
HE HAS PILED A FEW POUNDS ON SINCE I SAW HIM LAST.
WELL IT WAS WARM UP ABOVE THE SEA, SO THAT RULES OUT THE EXTRA COAT THEORY.
STUBBORN DOG WAS THERE WITH HIM AND ANOTHER SIMILAR COLOURED DOG TOO.
I WILL MAKE SURE I HAVE MY CAMERA NEXT TIME AND GET A PHOTOGRAPH OF THEM.
I DUCKED BELOW THE WAVES AND SWAM NORTH.
HAD A BIT OF A MOOCH DOWN BY MIDDLETON.

SAMMY SEAL

Sammy wasn't the only creature about.
Out in the bay the sea serpent frolicked around and varied from two to sometimes three humps.

Two Riders and Horses galloped South.
Was the cinema, bookshop and tee shirt shop about to close?

They waves were breaking at around the height of a pushed over dwarf garden wall. The THUD THUD THUD of a large military type helicopter reverberated around the dunes.
A lady over took Beach Buoy and the dogs as the followed the horses tracks south...
CUE HORSE RACING COMMENTARY...
Its Dune Lady now on the outside
She is pulling clear of Beach Buoy, on the softer inside part of the track in this The Sea glass Handicap.
Beach Buoy was a winner last time out, ahead of the 7am club
who came second, third, fourth and fifth, hence the extra dog weight today
About a furlong to go...
Oh no! ... she pulls up short at the grey rocks and heads back to the paddock.
It's Beach Buoy now, all the way to the North Gare Pier.
He won by a large distance but if it had come to a photo finish, he'd have won by a nose ..
OK!
a chin
OK!!!
 a belly.

Back in the almost real world.
Beach Buoy and the dogs had a sit and think..
Stubborn Dog dreamed that he was having a sit and think!
They were down by the WW2 anti tank traps...

This had been Beach Buoy's Seat.
It was a good find and ever so comfortable, the lower part gave excellent upper leg support.

They headed back.
The tide was coming in but there was still beach clearance to go beyond the grey rocks.
The two dogs were on their leads as they usually are.
Stubborn Dog sometimes uses this to his advantage to play- fight with the younger dog; who when untied cannot be caught.
Beach Buoy ended up in a bad maypole/ dog lead tangle on more than one occasion before the walk was done.

Beach Buoy turned to the South to see a hint of pink.
The sky to the north was faded grey to almost match the colour of the sea.
The dunes were topped with marmalade.

They sat in the van.
Beach Buoy changed his boots as the church bells chimed 6pm.

BEACH BUOY..

The blog reached a milestone recently.
THANK YOU.

SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL, 24 FEBRUARY, 2019.

Beach Buoy woke in darkness.
 He looked at his mobile phone.
2-34 am.
More sleep.
He woke up again.. in darkness.
5-46 am.
His sleepy mind thought...shame it's not 5-67am
to follow on from the earlier wake up.
Of course the whole timekeeping system would need alteration.
A decimal time perhaps?
100 minutes in an hour?
Too complicated for a dozing and dopey Beach Buoy mind to make sense of.
There would have be public information films etc. See link below....
decimal
The smallest room called.
Beach Buoy hadn't turned a light on.
The bathroom was bathed in moonlight.
It turns out it was a foggy moonlit morning. 
Beach Buoy did hear the electric fog buzzer from across the bay.
He returned to bed for a while.
But then he decided he needed a coffee.
coffee
The mist made the long narrow window to the world, look like it had an old and dirty net curtain drawn a cross it.
He said the "BEACH" word to Stubborn Dog and whereas yesterday the response was a twitch of the dogs tail, today he went a little mad.
 It looked like he was trying to run in four directions at once!
He then stood up on his back legs and hit Beach Buoy with one of his front paws. 
It reminded Beach Buoy of the lion in The Wizard of Oz saying  "Put 'em up, Put 'em up."
Put 'em up.
They left for the Beach.
Once the front door was open, the roar of the not so distant sea could be heard.
The air was chilled and damp but not too cold.
The fog meant you could  see about two lamp posts ahead as you drove.
They arrived at the car park.
They could see the Moon.
They could not see the other side of the car park.
Once the van door was open it was clear the extra coat would be needed this morning.
The old orange one might have been a better choice in the mist but only the grey was to hand.

7-08am saw Beach Buoy do a promenade wall lean.
( Not an after-jog warming-down lean; just a lean.)
That would be more of a wall droop!
He thought to himself.. " I can hear the sea but cannot see the sea from here." as he played with words win his head.
7-12 am and they were at the water's edge.
Beach Buoy wondered if the 7 am club were on time?
If so they would be to the right of him (South.)
A Sunday lie-in would have them to the left (North.)

Dressed in grey coat and grey Hartlepool United hat he was in stealth mode in the fog. 
Mari, the big friendly poodle might have a job spotting him today?

Beach Buoy noticed foot and paw prints heading north.
He turned for a short while into Sandlock Holmes.
"Four People, four dogs have gone ahead no more than twenty minutes ago, judging by the distance from the receding sea.

 He removed the deer stalker and went back to the grey wooly hat, with his grey coat ....
it was FOGMAN!
As if by magic and right on cue, the grey dog that was starting to become another beach / neck scratch regular appeared.
FOGMAN'S new sidekick?.. well it was grey.
It could all end up badly  like Scooby Doo after Scrappy Doo muscled in.
"Have your neck scratch and be gone!" thought FOGMAN ... I mean Beach Buoy.
Talk about multiple personalities! 

They continued south and paused for the usual but very pleasant, big poodle, nice little brown dog situation.
The little brown dog chanced its paw for an additional belly rub too!
One of the 7 am club ladies  asked if a ball on rope was Beach Buoy's ?
Maybe thrown, out of view in the mist?
"Not ours." replied Beach Buoy.
Beach Buoy pictured himself throwing the ball for Stubborn Dog and... the dog's response ...
"So, you didn't want that then ?" with a raised paw, pointing to which direction the ball had been thrown as it shook its head.
"Ooo Beach Treasure. " she said.
Upon hearing this, the large poodle danced on her two back legs trying to claim it as her beach treasure."

Still heading the right way, the two continued south.
The sun was trying to burn its way through the fog... then it faded again as the fog thickened.

For a while, the sun and moon looked like they were trying each other's costumes on.....

One of them was half-dressed.....

By the time they had reached the grey rocks, the sun had managed to the claim the sky a little.
The two sat down for a sit and think and also to enjoy the atmospheric scene that unfolded  in front of them.

The light was stunning.Sea birds all seemed drawn towards  the sun as they all headed south across the brightening bay.
The beach was deserted as far as the eye could see.
Ok! the eye couldn't see very far today but at least there was nobody nearby.

They stayed a good while.
It was like visiting another planet for a time.

Beach Buoy headed back but couldn't resist looking south again and again... now he was wrong way man.
The sun became brighter, lightening the colour of the sand as it did so and guild the the grass high up in the dunes also.
The two's shadows became more defined in the brighter light as the sun grew in confidence.

They arrived back at the van as 8-30 chimed out from the church.
As they drove off it was clear an event was due to be held in the car park. Horsey people were claiming some of the car park for today's event.

The foggy day brought Beach Buoy's great grandfather to mind. He would ring the fog bell for the fishing fleet to guide them back to port on foggy days.
The photo above was taken on Hartlepool Pier around the early 1930's by his daughter who worked in a camera / photography shop.

Later that day it was back to the sea for a cuppa.
It was a lovely day.
Seaton and the car parks were packed.
Beach Buoy ended up on the grass near the clock tower... Shame eh?
The view was terrible... or maybe not!
He made a coffee and people watched a while before heading for the beach .. it was 3-15 pm.
He saw.
People in shorts,
People in shirts,
People in trousers,
and people in skirts.
 A family tried to hold a BBQ and maybe only succeeded in tempting almost every dog not on a lead to come over to investigate  the source of the aroma. 

The tide was well out beyond the Seaton Carew wreck.
Mid point between the strand line and the sea, a family erected a wind break; it was the colour of a jam sponge cake.
It wasn't a bad idea ... well maybe the colour was ?
But the breeze was picking up off the sea and the offshore mist made sure the temperature was more spring than summer.

The sea was sparkling blue.
The lowish tide made the beach seem wider than ever,
Even with a wide beach available, Beach Buoy felt a little out of place, for no good reason really.
He turned back earlier than he would have done normally.
He wasn't  a day tripper, not on this beach anyway.

The cosiness and comfort of the van called him back. As they left the beach, the fog siren started up again to the south, after being silent for two or three hours.

........

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS, NORTH GARE AND BLAST BEACH AT DAWDON. 23 FEB 2019.

Beach Buoy woke at 5-11 am
Seagulls were making a commotion.
It only lasted around thirty seconds; then silence.... and sleep.
Beach Buoy woke at 6-15am, he dozed a short while in the smugness of a day off.
He asked Stubborn Dog if he wanted BEACH?
The little dog is stubborn on many levels.
The dog gave the slightest of a wag of its tail, more of a twitch in all honesty.
Beach Buoy sipped at his hot milky coffee as he looked out of the window that gave a hint to how the beach was looking.
WHICH WINDOW?
Things were looking promising....
Beach Buoy gathered up Stubborn Dog and placed him in the van ready for the very short journey to the sea front.
Behind some of the neighbouring houses is a rugby pitch.
A Crow stood perched on the top of one of the Rugby Posts.
It looked like a CCTV camera on its mast.
Beach Buoy drove slowly over the speed bumps that lead the way to a busier road.
As he reached the junction, Beach Buoy could see blue lights reflecting and rebounding from buildings and vehicles that surrounded the intersection.
Suddenly a Fire Engine, silently but urgently sped west.
A Police van on blue lights too, quickly followed the large red truck.



As they drove into the car park, seagulls flew overhead at 90 degrees to the shore; heading inland.
They were randomly scattered and looked a little like a polka dot blanket.
He parked up and watched birds; two seagulls and two crows, play bin chess at the base of a hi-tech Big Belly Bin.
Sorting out the pecking order.
He glanced at the horizon; grey to the north and a blush of pink to the south.
He changed into his beach boots and the two finally headed for the beach.

As they reached the access ramp Beach Buoy looked up at a lamp post. Two crowing crows were playing king of the castle at the top of the light.
They must have won the nearby game of bin chess?

By 7 am Beach Buoy was on the beach.
He glanced north.
Bang on cue, off in the distance he could see the completely recognisable 7am club, heading south.

Beach Buoy lead the way south.
He stopped and chatted to a chap that was heading north with his friendly Jack Russel / Yorkshire Terrier cross.
Beach Buoy mentioned how glorious the dawn was.
The man said he always seemed to be walking in the wrong direction to enjoy it to the fullest extent.
They said their goodbyes and went their differing ways.
One of them was heading in the right direction...
A two hump sea serpent played out in the Bay, to the south of its marker.

An unusual blue and white piece of sea pottery.

They continued south.
The sea seemed thicker than water today.
The creamy luscious sea kissed the beach as it gently made contact with the sand, while it's out-stretched arms embraced a pier at either end of the bay.

The visible sunrise was delayed ever so slightly, by a thin line of low-lying cloud, seemingly keen to keep the dawn for itself?
 A thought crossed Beach Buoy's sometimes muddled brain...
Groundhog Day
Same Beach
Same Beach Buoy
Same Dog
Same Sun
as many other days
But if this was Groundhog day, then that was fine by him.
He would even take Piano lessons and Ice Sculpture classes.
This Groundhog Day would do......

A Ship came into port, sneaking in as it did, in the newly- formed gap between the sea and the now partially risen sun.

It truly is "The best part of the day."

They walked to the grey rocks and  found a comfy looking rock for a bit of sitting and thinking.
Beach Buoy made some notes in his Beach Book and let his mind wander more than a little.
Then he sparked into life.
It was the sound of a dog's name tag clinking on its collar.
He looked left to the north.
The 7 am club were a fair distance off. 
Mari the large friendly poodle wasn't and she was heading straight for them.
 Beach Buoy stood up just in time as the ever-so friendly dog bounced in the excitement of a good morning.
Beach Buoy gave the dog an extra special, extra long neck scratch.
The smaller more timid, but just as friendly Brown Dog came over for a fuss.
A group "Morning."  to the 7am club.
Beach Buoy started to head north  to let the club have the end of the beach as their own.
Stubborn Dog wasn't happy with the direction of travel ... so south it was.
They travelled behind the grey rocks but in front of the dunes, where sand met rocks and stone.
It was an uneven surface, like the world's worst cobbled street.
The club were still stood taking at beach end, whilst admiring the sea and the light upon it.
They walked a while and then Beach Buoy looked North.
In the distance Mari the poodle was stood looking south towards Beach Buoy as if weighing up if it was too far to come for seconds.
It was too far.
She was off to catch up the bright early morning chatter of the humans in the 7 am club.

North Gare was Stubborn Dog's idea today.
The Blue lagoon was a glass half full / half empty, depending on your mood.
If it hadn't of been for Stubborn Dog's stubbornness then Beach Buoy wouldn't have heard the first Skylark of the year.
It appeared from the North Gare Beach and rose to hover over the dunes on Seaton Sands.
Beach Buoy stood an age listening to the tuneful little bird. He could hear more than he could see the elusive bird. It ended up as more of a game of musical floaters as his eyes struggled to focus in the bright light.
FLOATERS
Thanks Stubborn Dog! 
It was start.. still no Sand Martins, ducking and diving around the North Gare corner.
Down at Sea level, the anti tank blocks looked  like they too  were ducking and diving as the sea hid them then revealed them with its rise and fall.

The sun was turning from gold to lemon now that dawn was over.
The beach looked deserted .. They headed back.

Behind them the foot and paw prints showing  the comings and goings of the 7 am club; Beach Buoy's  and Stubborn Dog's too.
On the way back they met an old friendly dog called Doris.
The sea had freshened a little.
Its kiss was now more of a slap in the chops.

Beach Buoy had his hands in his pockets, in a relaxed way, not due to the cold as there wasn't any cold , it was glorious.
It was a calm walk back.
Even Stubborn Dog seemed to be walking ALMOST normally.
The church Bells rang at 8-30am
By 8-40am they were back at the van.
A Police Car stood next to around 20 or so Seagulls.
perhaps they had been rounded up for the 5-11 am disturbance?
Beach Buoy swapped boots as Stubborn watched the world go by the sliding door's vantage point.The Police Car drove off. A Jogger was doing a warm down by trying to push over a wall as he stretched. A lady in a bright yellow coat threw a ball for her dog near the tragic yellow bench that almost matched her coat in colour.

Later that day.. they were travelling north on the A19 a small van overtook them. They would see the same van in a while. parked in a lay-by as it's driver stood in front of the van peeing onto the grass verge... classy!

They arrived at Noses's Point down at Dawdon, near Seaham.
The dog wanted to be out and about.

They were out.
12-15 pm
They headed to the steep bank that leads down to the Blast Beach. A couple had started off down the slope before them. The man with their dog was at the bottom as the woman struggled . Beach Buoy suggested she tried walking sidewards and that he would go in front so she could only go as far as him.
She thanked him and said she had just gone dizzy... due to the height and the steepness of the slope.
They arrived at the bottom and he told the man that there were stairs  back up about halfway along the beach, if needed.

The tide was well out.
It felt more like a day in May rather than February!

The beach wasn't over busy.
Couples and Family groups beachcomber and exercised dogs.

Beach Buoy collected some sea glass on the journey south.

They rested up and had a sit and think down at the south end of the beach.

Another slow walk back...

More sea glass was added to the collection as they headed North.
Beach Buoy saw a lady sea glass hunting.
he gave her today's finds.

The tall grasses near the cliffs looked more end of summer grass than February grass. 

Its colour was washed out as if it had been in the sun for too long.

The steep climb back awaited...
The cliffs looked like bows of ships, about to collide.

Beach Buoy wandered around the cliff tops for a while.
Sea birds rose from the sea on the up-draught and swung inland , making their shadows scamper across the grass to catch them up.

Beach Buoy stayed ages in the van.. cuppa or two... cake or two... non-alcoholic beer or two. As he people watched  and enjoyed the car park ballet as cars came and went from the family small but very busy car park.
He had a nap.
5-30pm
time to head back.

BEACH BUOY.