SEATON SANDS, 27 AUG. 2019.

7-20 pm
Rumbles of distant Thunder faded as Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog arrived in the Car Park.
The Sun showed itself briefly in an egg yoke costume, no doubt on its way to a Planet Fancy Dress Party.
Some families were leaving the beach.
The children, like super heroes, with colourful beach towels as capes.

A Metal Detectorist dug the usual sad holes, searching for other peoples misfortune.
His detector buzzing like a 1970's Stylophone on Christmas Morning.
How we all wished we could play like Rolf Harris, but nowadays ... no thanks.

The sky had cleared a little over the village to the East.

The Headland to the North, out to the Horizon to the West and over to Redcar in the South, they all hid in the same shade of gloom.

Beach Buoy had his "Piece to Camera" Country-file coat on whereas everyone else were in shorts and T- shirts.
Thats Beach Buoy for you.

The tide was well out. 
A  2.4 family had gone to the rocks to take Book Face photographs.

It all started to kick off down on the water's edge; the Seagulls were having a bit of an incident.
Beach Buoy watched as more Seagulls arrived, drifting in over the dunes, through the same cut on the dune edge.
They looked like aeroplanes, returning after a bombing mission over on the Promenade. 
It was a muggy and murky evening.
A ship slipped out out the River Tees.
The Bay was so murky it would be out of sight in minutes.
Off to Invisiland, just South of Vanishstan.
Beach Buoy glanced back to the North.
Small figures stood along the water's edge, the first rough sketch of a Lowry drawing.

Distant Rumbles came from the South.
Another ship headed for Sea, only revealing the colour of its hull as it cleared the pier; Green.

The beauty of the gloom is that the Sea Serpent felt at ease.
It waved to Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog, they waved back...

The Rumbles to the South were becoming closer.
They turned back before reaching the pier; rain was on its way.
There was a slight breeze from the North.
It felt slightly cooler on Beach Buoy's face, cooler than the still air had.

In the distance there was a large group.
A police search team?
The German Shepards Owners club?
A Sports team?
Time would tell.

The Headland looked like a long silhouette.
A silhouette with a flashing lighthouse at one end.
Beach Buoy counted the space between the flashes.
FLASH!
"One Apple and."
FLASH!
"One Apple and Two Apple and Three apple and Four Apple and Five apple and Six."
FLASH!
He then repeated the sequence over and over again.
The large group of people seemed to be some sand castle building event.
More Book-face photograph opportunities. 

It was quite dark by the time they arrived back at the van. 
It had stayed dry.
They were followed into the Car Park by the Sand Castle mob; some with snow shovels in their hands.
It was a big sand castle.

As they arrived back at base camp camp the lightening started.
Beach Buoy counted between the flashes.
FLASH!
"One Apple and Two Apple and Three apple and Four Apple and five apple and Six Apple."
THEN THE ROAR OF THE THUNDER.
Just slightly  longer than the second sequence of the lighthouse.
As a kid Beach Buoy was told that
"One Apple and" is equal to a second and also that every second between the lightening is a mile in distance.
BEACH BUOY.