It was Sunday Morning.
Beach Buoy had worked overtime on Saturday, so it was a case of shoehorning a weekend into one day.
He has had to do that a lot over the years.
Many times he would work Saturday and Sunday then weekends didn't exist at all.
Too many times looking back.
Beach Buoy had woke at 5-55am.
There was a hard frost.
The windows of the van were almost as white as the bodywork.
Beach Buoy decided to walk to the beach, let the van have a sleep in.
He made a thermal cup of coffee and stuffed a small chocolate bar into his coat pocket.
He and Stubborn dog set off at 7-21am.
The frosty pavement sparkled almost as much as a starry clear night.
As they walked,
they could hear the roar of the sea travelling through the crisp morning air.
Beach Buoy had double-gloved his left hand, standard glove with fingerless on top.
Right hand was fingerless only, for camera, note taking and dog bag duties.
A patch of ice spread out across the pavement, so Beach Buoy stepped across onto the grass verge.
The grass was almost like a bed of nails.
They reached the frosty promenade at 7-36.
As they had walked to the beach, Beach Buoy headed to some nearby beach steps rather than going to the car park and the ramp that led to the beach from it.
The strand line was made clearly visible by the frosty
untouched-by-the-sea area.
The Seaton Carew Wreck, manned by a crew of gulls.
A family waited down by the water's edge for the sun to rise.
It was good to see kids up and out early.
Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog headed south.
The pre-sunrise glow had begun.
It was very cold.
The sea looked silver, almost frozen.
A couple stood on the wet reflecting sand.
Taking photographs and checking how they had turned out.
Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog headed up towards the dunes.
The light changed as the Sun prepared to make an entrance.
Beach Buoy released four stones from the frozen sands and headed up to the stack with them.
They stood at the stack for sunrise.
It was around 8-12 am.
The sun had shown up a good ten minutes earlier than last Sunday.
Beach Buoy cracked open the coffee to celebrate.
There was something satisfying about having a hot drink, out in the open, out in the cold.
Stubborn Dog was still being a numpty with the long dog lead.
Stubbinus Dogiss.
Steam rose from the Sea Serpent's Liar.
Once Stubborn Dog had rejoined Beach Buoy, they headed off towards North Gare Pier.
The sight of the sunrise can fool you into thinking that there was heat involved.
A glance towards Hartlepool's Headland showed just how cold the morning was.
The rock pools would be filling up soon, as the sea came in to claim the beach once again.
They climbed the steep dunes down by the Pier and walked down onto North Gare beach.
The tide was still a good way out.
Beach Buoy was drawn to the river mouth by the dramatic waves that were rolling in.
Birds in flight took the shape of the incoming waves.
Beach Buoy could have stayed for ages watching the sea and the birds dance with one another.
He decided to call it a day when he could no longer feel the finger ends on his right hand.
He reached into his pocket and double-gloved his cold right hand.
Thy headed back to the bay.
Back down the steep frosty dunes.
The sea had come in enough to make then walk back via the dunes for a while.
They returned to the beach just about where the stack is.
The sun had lost its golden glow as it gained height,
but that was fine it was so good to have the light, no matter what the shade.
The beach was filling up little.
More and more people are turning up recently with coffee cups in hand as they walk their dogs.
The non-tidal part of the beach was still frosted solid.
Foot and paw prints like temporary fossils.
They headed up to the Art Deco Bus Station Clock Tower.
They had been walking and looking at the sea for over three hours.
