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| Beach Buoy had woke with the Elephants at 4-15am. He managed to nod back off. He was up and out by 6-45am. He and Stubborn Dog arrived in the car park at 6-58am. It was a nice morning with a slight, but fresh breeze. Beach Buoy was glad of the extra coat that had been hung over the back of front passenger seat of the van, ready for such occasions. |
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| Just after 7am and they were both on the beach. A lady rushed by with her brown dog. The same lady from a previous weekend. Today, like the other day she was playing catch-up with the 7 am club. They were down by the water's edge heading south. Her brown dog stopped for an ear rub as it had done previously. Today it was a little brighter and Beach Buoy saw flecks of grey mixed in with the brown. Beach Buoy thought "It happens to us all mate." The dog looked knowingly into Beach Buoy's eyes as the ear rub continued almost as if he had heard and understood. "Morning." shouted the friendly dog's owner and the little chap was off, playing a game of catch-up of his own. |
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| Catch-up completed the plus two, 7am club continued to lead the way south. |
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| Beach Buoy was drawn to the water's edge by the reflection of the light on the wet sand. It would be low tide in just ten minutes. |
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| A long sandbank laid out in the bay. |
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| 7-23am. The sun appeared behind the two Gares; North and South. It has been said that South Gare is farther North than North Gare, due to the way it runs out to sea? Beach Buoy has never checked to be honest. The Gares are the entrance to the River Tees. |
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| Minutes later; only minutes and the sun was up and on its way. The Sea Serpent was showing three humps today twisting and turning on the golden rippled but relatively calm sea. A grey dog approached for an ear rub; word must have spread. The small dog stayed a while then trotted off to its owner in the distance. Beach Buoy glanced back to the North. The bay looked gorgeous. A few houses back in the village and over on the headland whose windows were at the correct angle to perfectly reflect the glorious sunrise. By now the 7 am club were heading back North. Mari the big extra friendly Poodle came over, she got a warm welcome and an extra special ear rub and neck scratch. A short distance later and the grey dog was back for seconds. More ear rubbing took place. The beach was fast becoming Ear Rub City Arizona, out in the County of Neck Scratch. |
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| With a warm heart and an increasingly warming face , Beach Buoy headed to the grey rocks and the shingle that was scattered around them. He was lucky enough to find a blue five stones game piece. Maybe it rolled down a drain many years ago as children played in the street? Beach Buoy had found quite few over the years. Stubborn Dog picked up on the fact that they were heading for that extra beach over the North Gare Pier and even stopped dragging behind; just for a moment and even momentarily he lead the way! |
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| Over by the River, down on North Gare Beach, the Golden Brown Dune grass bowed and glowed in the fresh breeze and the stunning morning light. |
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| Beach Buoy dragged a bundle of rope and tied it to the Old Buoy. The items he had place there previously were still there. He had left word via social media in the hope it could be collected. He would leave word again. |
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| This was found down near the end of the Pier and added to the Old Boy's Old Buoy collection. |
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| With it being a bank of a river, sometimes the driftwood is tree size. Possibly fallen up river and trying to set sail across the North Sea, given a favourable tide and a good wind behind it? |
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| Beach Buoy rested a while. He sat and had a think in the sun. Nice work if you can get it. |
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| Beach Buoy watched as a man collected Mussels ? Winkles? Whatever it was, he was doing well as one bag had already been filled and put to one side. The light was so bright, anything white glowed like freshly fallen alpine snow, regardless of what it was; a ship in port, a large chimney stack and even the cloud-like smoke that came from it. |
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| They headed back to the bay and Seaton Sands. Beach Buoy heard Birdsong.. He strained his eyes and ears to try and locate and possibly identify the source. Secretly he was hoping it was the return of the skylarks. It didn't seem to be the case. The unidentified birdsong drifted in the breeze off to the world of silence. Low tide gave lots of space to walk in your own space. A Lady up on there dune edge had two very attentive Alsatian's with her. She photographed them as they ran back and forth. Down at the water's edge a golden dog was leg deep in the sea. The happy dog's tail wagged like a windscreen wiper on x 4 in a downpour. |
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| Back to the South. A lone cloud and an Aeroplane cross the Stunning Hartlepool Bay. |
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| An almost perfect morning. |
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| Beach trapped water rushes back to the Sea.... just like Beach Buoy. Suddenly... More Birdsong! Beach Buoy couldn't identify the half-dozen or so small birds that flew by. They were in a line that was fluctuating in flight, a little like a tail of a kite being flown in a strong wind by excited children. |
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| Beach Buoy was here... |
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| Seaton. |
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| They returned to the van. Beach Buoy took his coat off and hung it back over the passenger seat for next time. Stubborn Dog made himself at home. |
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| Beach Buoy sat a while. The driftwood piece that he had made years earlier with a sea-glass insert stood out in the sunlight. The little solar powered monkey did a dance on the dashboard; he too was glad of the sun. BEACH BUOY. |
