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| It had been a bad nights "Sleep." Beach Buoy had been up since 3-50am He could have gone to the beach earlier to catch the dawn. Coffee and a wander around youtube started the day. By 6 am he was ready to face the pale morning and headed out with Stubborn Dog in tow. 6-15 am it was Car Park time. There was one car in the car park, a blue BMW. The owner had left a door and the boot wide open as he stood nearby on the promenade wall, looking at the Little Tern nest site through binoculars. Beach Buoy went down to the beach. An end of prom cyclist watched as Beach Buoy went South to gather up a stray traffic cone. Beach Buoy placed the cone with the rest of the cones that marked the nest area. |
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| Beach Buoy went to the water's edge. The tide was coming in. There was mild breeze from the south east. In the sand there were two sets of bare footprints; heading south and back north again. Beach Buoy tried to match the stride length; no chance! It was either a giant out walking or the footprints of a long- legged barefoot jogger. Out at sea some of the Little Terns searched for breakfast. They were so slight, like faint simple pencil drawings of a bird in flight. The sea seemed to be in slow motion as it does at times. It wasn't a blood sea, but did seem to be thicker than water. Maybe it was just Beach Buoy's frame of mind? |
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| Beach Buoy's obsession with sea glass and pottery had calmed now. He was being much more choosey. Even this piece with a boat on set sail for the sea, with a skim; Beach Buoy only scored a three. He found another piece, blank this time and scored a six. Beach Buoy headed towards the grey rocks. An ink spot of a crow picked at the strand-line. Charred wood pieces from an earlier beach fire, scattered the strand-line and matched the crow. At the Grey Rocks, what to do? Sit and think? Wander and wonder? Beach Buoy plumped for wander and a wonder followed by a sit and think a bit later on. They walked on the more tiring, softer sand that lay between the grey rocks and the dunes. This turned into the even more tiring dunes. Out at Sea the Gulls had breakfast with the Sea Serpent as the Skylark sang. Beach Buoy sat on a flat rock ... it was 7-13 am. Stubborn Dog laid by his side and watched the dunes for snipers as Beach Buoy studied the sea and tried to fix himself once more. To the north the 7 am club were "In the Building." aka walking south. They had done the promenade walk to miss the nesting site but were now on the beach. Beach Buoy made notes in his beach book as he sat. The sun brightened for a while and his hand and pen suddenly had a shadow. Stubborn Dog wanted a cuddle so he was up onto Beach Buoy's legs; it also gave the dog a better view of the dogs in the distance. In the bay the two Gares stretched out to sea like arms during a good yawn as the wind turbines turned as one. They were turning a little more quickly than they had been as the breeze became a wind. Six Cormorants flew low to the south in close formation and just over the surface of the sea. |
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| Time to get up... Brain to legs... "Time to move." The legs eventually received the message. Beach Buoy rose. He found driftwood nearby that was a little too perfect as a walking stick. The 7 am club had headed back. As Beach Buoy followed suit the strengthening of the wind had taken effect on the sea's surface. It was now a hurried, more urgent sea with a job to do. A ship came out of the River Tees. The Pilot boat followed with surely the noisiest engine in the world? As Beach Buoy headed up towards the car park, the beach was filling up; dogs and owners, owners and dogs. A man with a Metal detector search for escape. At the end of the promenade a few people had gathered; both cyclists and joggers. The end of the promenade had been their goal. They rested on their laurels a while then headed back. In the car park a motor cyclist with L plates on his machine had laid out some small cones and was practising slow manoeuvres. An armed Police Car came into the car park and slowly drove around checking everyone out as they passed. Beach Buoy binned the beach clean items. |
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| They got to the van and Stubborn Dog fell asleep in his bed as Beach Buoy changed his boots. BEACH BUOY. |
