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| Beach Buoy with Bucket.... Above is the earliest known photograph of Beach Buoy on a Beach. In Toddler mode perhaps he is saying... "Am on Beach." The Beach is Middleton Beach, Hartlepool. Beach Buoy spent many many hours there. As he grew older he would go early every Saturday and Sunday with his Father and a Dog called Duke. She was a lovely Dog.... yep ... she. Modern day Beach Buoy sat wondering about the past. The many happy hours he spent on that Beach. Should he do a blog about it? Blog a typical trip to the Beach with Dad and Duke? Back then, when Blogs were unheard of.... So we move on about ten or twelve years from the photograph above. It's a random Sunday and the things mentioned did happened but maybe not on the day or date shown MIDDLETON BEACH 15 -04 -73 SUNDAY. Beach Buoy and Dad were up early as usual. Tea and toast were made and consumed then it was off out the the van. The van is a white Ford Escort Van; a works van. The name of the company in Black writing on a yellow background on each rear side panel of the van. Two seats and a big Black Dog in the back. It was a chilly April morning. Dad had his black hat over one knee as he drove along as was his way on the colder mornings. "To warm it up." he explained once... They parked up near the old ferry landing that stood black and decaying alongside the lifeboat station and old Foy-boatmen's cabin. One of Beach Buoy's Grandfather's old haunts. He may haunt it in another way now; he died before Beach Buoy was born.  That's Grandad on the left in his Navy Days Dad put his hat on. They climbed down to the small beach that lies North of the Banjo Jetty. The tide was well out. They beachcombed and collected copper nails and brass screws that were a regular find in this area. There had been a shipyard in the vicinity many years earlier. The scrap would be "weighed in." once a decent collection was gathered and the proceeds shared equally (Between the Humans.) They climbed the steep narrow steps at the end of the jetty and over to the wider and much more sandy Middleton Beach. Dad wandered off, collecting lumps of sea coal for some elderly relatives as he walked and no doubt recalled his spent and mis- spent youth? Beach Buoy and Duke went from Jetty to Pier and back as Beach Buoy threw a stone for the Dog to chase. As he waited for the Dog to return from each throw Beach Buoy checked the Beach for finds. Beach Buoy collected a number of broken clay pipe stems to add to the collection and a black lemonade bottle stopper. They headed back to the smaller beach for another look. Dad paused to talk to a man heading to dig bait for a planned fishing trip, before finally heading back to the van. Beach Buoy opened the double back doors of the van and Duke jumped in. |
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| Left to right... Duke, Dad and Beach Buoy. |
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| Beach Buoy's interpretation of the photograph. The small white van left Middleton Village and drove along the Sea Front to Seaton Carew. They stopped at the newsagents in Seaton Carew and Beach Buoy went in and bought two newspapers for the pair to look at with a coffee back at home. They continued through the Village then turned right at the golf club.... why was the flag at half-mast? Home. Mam was baking scones. Some cheese and some fruit. Beach Buoy made the drinks; a hot mug of coffee was consumed with a freshly baked fruit scone with a thick spread of Stork margarine. Beach Buoy spent ages reading the football scores as he scoffed. He liked to check all of the scorers, attendances and league tables. The familiarity of it all was a safe place. Knock Knock. A friend called at the door... Beach Buoy went out to play football Ten-halftime Twenty the winner. Coats for goalposts. BEACH BUOY. |
