After working yesterday for the first time in seven weeks,
Beach Buoy had actually managed four hours unbroken sleep in one night.
A first, since the back / leg problem started.
It was strange returning to factory life after a number of weeks basically being housebound.
Then came the first tentative steps.
A slow return to the beach, it's characters, it's wildlife, it's varying moods of weather and even the varying heights of the tide and the effect it had on available space for walking in peace.
A chance to reach Stubborn Dog Stack.
The factory had characters of it's own.
After seven weeks off, the hammer blows rang out louder, the sparks seemed to be brighter.
Beach Buoy realised recently that everything had always been rush rush rush in many many ways.
Today was a day off.
For a change there would be no dash to try and catch the sunrise.
If they caught it, they caught.
Four hours sleep had felt like eight so he felt quite refreshed.
Beach Buoy made coffee, toast and two thermal cups of more coffee.
Today the name was Bouy, Beach Buoy 00 oh dear me,
with license to faff.
The coffee would be stirred, not shaken.
Beach Buoy, Borrowed Dog and Another Dog arrived at the beach
at 6-15 a.m.
Missed sunrise or not, the view was splendid.
There was a slight breeze from the north west.
The morning was as bright as bright could be.
A distant dog walker headed north, unknowingly starring in a play called beach, with the bright morning as his scenery.
Beach Buoy and the two dogs headed for the water's edge.
Timbers from another time looked as if they marked out the runway for the Sun's flight.
They headed south.
To the north, large twists of brown seaweed resembled resting seals.
To the south, less seaweed but more beach-trapped water.
They met up with the 7 a.m. club.
Dogs from both camps were the centre of attention.
Mari the Poodle was fussed over as she always will be.
The Distant Wave Lady was nearby,
not so distant, she waved all the same
Her dog came for a fuss of it's own.
Beach Buoy headed south as the others all chatted.
Their Dogs ran around and around, free as birds.
All friends.
All good vibes.
Up near the dune edge Beach Buoy spotted a Lone Crow.
If it were possible for a bird to look embarrassed, then this was that bird.
He looked like a teenager who had been stood up on a date, outside of a cinema.
What made it worse, was that everyone had realised his predicament.
Eventually the bird flew off, vowing never to go to the cinema again.
Beach Buoy collected a few stones as they headed for the easier route to Stubborn DogStack.
"Morning Mate."
"l love you."
He placed the stones.
He patted
THE
stone.
He took a photograph and thought thoughts.
Meanwhile....
Borrowed Dog sniffed around
as
Another Dog dug and dug.
Beach Buoy made good the area before saying.
"See you mate, miss you."
Its the last bit that is always the hardest to say.
They headed back, s l o w l y.......
They passed a lady with a Border Collie.
"Morning."
"Morning."
They moved away from the water's edge and found themselves walking the line.
As they were due to leave the beach via the access ramp,
Another Dog noticed a lady heading towards them.
The Little Dog did the
me me me dance on her back legs.
"Morning, it a lovely morning isn't it?"
"Morning, it gorgeous."
Coffee time in van with a poor Hobnob to Coffee ratio.
Beach Buoy watched the Promenade folk go about their business.
The lady was doing the parking meter rounds, looking for coins returned but not claimed.
A grey-haired pensioner walked the promenade with legs browner than than the dark brown shorts that he was wearing.
It was a day off.
Beach Buoy had never played truant from school.
When he was an apprentice there was this one day.....
He had a Bullying *** for a foreman.
The Foreman had made a shy and timid Beach Buoy a nervous wreck.
One day it was too much.
Beach Buoy set off for work on his
Suzuki TS 100 trails bike.
He didn't arrive.
He spent the day at the beach, before heading home at
"Hometime."
Oddly Beach Buoy was chatting to someone the other day who informed him that the Foreman was still alive, over 100 years old.
There was just no need to be the way he was, even though years later Beach Buoy found out that his Father had sacked the Foreman's Brother in the shipyard many years earlier.
The Mobile Covid Squad turned up.
Beach Buoy unscrewed the second thermal cup coffee as a Large Gull creaked by looking like a
Pterodactyl.
The day's
Bits and Bobs.
BEACH BUOY.
