SEATON SANDS, NORTH GARE BEACH, DEC 31, 2022

 

Beach Buoy woke at 3-21

Beach Buoy half expected

Ted Rodgers and Dusty Bin to be stood nearby.

He could almost hear...

"My first is in sleep,

But not in bed."

Someone off tele had popped into his head.

Beach Buoy went downstairs.

Coffee.

Write.

Draw.

Sit near the fire.

Wondered what it is like to have regular long sleeps.

Listen to the rain that meant no early walk.

Both Stubborn Dog and Another Dog didn't and don't "Do." wet very well.

Eventually the rain eased.

Beach Buoy and Another Dog headed out on foot.

It was 9-30 a.m.

Beach Buoy had brought supplies.

He needed a long walk.

There were seven vehicles in the car park including two VW vans.

They reached the beach at 9-48.

Mr and Mrs. Blabbermouth had brought their large Blabbermouth Dog.

It was off the lead.

It came over.

Beach Buoy scooped up Another Dog, then headed up to the dune edge.

The Blabbermouth Group had claimed the water's edge.

They headed south.

Mr Blabbermouth walked like a Gorilla wearing a rucksack.

Beach Buoy viewed the bay from the dunes.

Beyond a couple of lazy breaking waves, the battleship grey sea was very calm.

So calm that a paddleboarder was out, loving life.

Beach Buoy presumed that one of the VWs would belong to them?

They reached Stubborn Dog Stack.

Beach Buoy added some stones.

He patted

THE

stone.

"Morning Mate."

He sat down looking out to sea.

He ate a bag of crisps.

The air was mild and damp.

It was late December, but small black flies hovered about.

A man came from the south with his dog.

They passed right next to the stack.

"Morning." said the man.

"Morning."

"There's something about the sea." said the man.

"There certainly is."

Another man passed, this time heading south.

" Morning."

"Morning."

"Taking a break?"

"Yeah."

The Wind Turbines were hardly moving.

Slower than the second hand on a clock?

Beach Buoy wondered.

He time them.

They were slower.

41 seconds from top to bottom.

(30 seconds.)

They set off south.

"See you mate."

Beach Buoy are a Russet apple as they walked.

They walked North Gare Beach taking in some of the scenes.

Radiating.

The Missing Reflection.

They checked in on the driftwood shelter.

Beach Buoy had a coffee nearby.

Lots of Pebbles with Legs.

Driftwood.

Driftwood.

They headed back to Seaton Sands.

They reached the stack on their return trip

"Afternoon Mate."

Beach Buoy added some stones.

He patted

THE

stone.

"See you mate."

A slow walk back.

They reached base camp at 2-05.

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS HARTLEPOOL, 30, DEC 2022.

Beach Buoy, Borrowed Dog and Another Dog set off on foot at 1-45p.m.

As they reached the car park, Beach Buoy pulled up three hoods.

It was more to keep people out than weather.

There was a new crew for The Seaton Carew Wreck.

The tide was way out.

A strong breeze gusted from time to time to become a wind.

It began to rain.

It wasn't heavy, it sounded like dry rice hitting his outer hood.

They reached Stubborn Dog Stack at 2-30.

Beach Buoy added some stones.

He patted

THE

stone.

Beach Buoy drank coffee.

The dogs had a treat or two.

After a while, they headed south.

"See you mate."

They passed the Sea Serpent Marker.

The passed Camp Distant Wave.

Seaton Sands, looking North.

A Fallen Furnace.

Beach Buoy and the Dogs walked riverside shingle and a carpet of driftwood.

They went up to North Gare Pier. 

Beach Buoy took a photograph for a drawing. 

There was plenty of space on the beach below.

 

There was a strange swirl of light beyond the North Gare Pier.

The three walked back towards the north.

Beach Buoy took a photograph of some dune dwellers.

It was for a drawing.

Beach Buoy struck lucky.

He zoomed in and filtered the photograph to show a family group and a pose for a photograph of their own.

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON CAREW, HARTLEPOOL 30 DEC. 2022.

Beach Buoy had woke at 5-46 a.m.

That's considered as a sleep in.

It sounded as though it was very windy outside.

Beach Buoy made coffee.

He sipped coffee as he drew.

He drew as he listened to the wind blow.

Nearby, Another Dog buried her head into a blanket, hoping that it was a cloak of invisibility.

A loud gust of wind blew something over in the garden.

Another Dog barked.

Her fate was sealed.

They were off to the beach.

They set off in the van,

Move like Jagger played on the van's original 19 year old radio cassette player.

As they pulled into the car park, the headphone / earphone man passed as he did his circuits of the Car Park.

He wasn't moving like Jagger.

They made their way to the water's edge.

They arrived at 7-38.

The wild wind sent soft dune sand out to sea.

Beach Buoy decided it was too windy to head to Stubborn Dog Stack.

It wasn't fair on Another Dog.

It was a sand storm at her eye level.

Beach Buoy picked up his little mate and carried her to the Promenade.

As they walked into the headwind, silhouettes of the distant wave group, "set sail" along the beach.

"Bon voyage."

Beach Buoy and Another Dog reached the Promenade at 7-46.

"Sanctuary."

It was still windy but the sea front buildings offered some shelter and the sand just shifted on the beach below.

The Promenade had it's own morning regulars.

Beach Buoy wasn't one of them.

A man marched South, into the headwind. 

A beach regular appeared.

"Morning. "

"Morning. "

It was the litter picking lady with her white Scottie dog.

They chatted a short while.

The lady set off into the headwind.

Beach Buoy and Another Dog set off north on a wind-assisted walk.

They passed The Crazy Golf.

It's wire fencing was acting as a fishing net, catching shoals of wind-blown litter.

Beach Buoy looked back at the beach.

The distant wave group were far too distant for a distant wave.

Beach Buoy had planned to walk as far as the Christmas tree, opposite the village green.

The brass monkey swimmers were crossing the Promenade as they headed for the sea.

Another Dog was spooked and refused to carry on north.

Beach Buoy turned back towards the van as the brass monkey swimmers looked for somewhere sheltered from the wind to put their robes.

Beach Buoy and Another Dog passed a "History of Seaton Carew. " notice board. 

It's fixing bolts were slightly slack.

The board rattled in the wind.

Beach Buoy went off on one of his tangents. He imagined an amateur dramatic group putting on a play; The Storm.

A new member had been put in charge of sound effects.

Let's say that he was over egging the pudding when it came to the sound of the wind.

 Down on the beach a Beach Buoy and Another Dog decoy pairing walked a windy, sand-blasted water's edge.

Up ahead, the path of two Promenade regulars crossed.

A walker and a Jogger.

The walker spoke first.

"Morning, alright?"

"Will be when l get to the Golf Club and can turn back."

The jogger would have a tail wind on his return journey to the north.

A man and small dog passed.

"Do you want to say hello?"

The man was asking his dog if it would like to meet Another Dog.

The owners chatted.

Louie, the little dog was 12.

The man informed Beach Buoy of his chosen route back.

They said their farewells and wished each other a good day.

It had been too windy to make notes in his beach / promenade book.

As Beach Buoy walked back towards the van, his mind did a sea front version of Danny Kaye's " The vessel with the pestle has the pellet with poison, the flagon with the dragon has the brew that is true."  as he tried to recall and remember the people and scenes of the morning.

As they reached the van, team distant wave were just reaching the top of the beach access ramp, wind-blown walk complete.

Distant waves were shared.

Beach Buoy and Another Dog climbed into the van.

"Sanctuary."

The van rocked from side to side. 

Beach Buoy watched as a long low ship reached the safety of the Gares.

He could almost hear it sigh.

A man appeared in a 4x4.

An Excited Spaniel came bounding out.

They strode towards the beach access ramp.

Around five minutes later they strode back again and drove off.

A lady pulled up.

She opened the tailgate.

A tiny dog sat in a wooden vegetable crate.

The dog was placed on the floor.

They too headed for the access ramp.

Beach Buoy started the van's engine and in his mind, wished them well.

BEACH BUOY. 

SEATON SNOOKS TEA ROOM OUT AND ABOUT CARD.

 PEER PRESSURE? / NO PIER PRESSURE.

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SNOOKS TEA ROOM OUT AND ABOUT CARD.

 

The Work / Life Balance. 

BEACH BUOY. 

TEN.

 

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SNOOKS TEA ROOM OUT AND ABOUT CARD.

 Another Dog needed guitar strings..

Maybe try another rock shop?

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS HARTLEPOOL 29, DEC 2022.

Beach Buoy woke at 3-50 a.m.

By 4-30 the kettle was on.

He made coffee.  

He drank coffee. 

He drew.  

He wrote. 

At 7-10 a.m.

Beach Buoy and Another one set off on foot for the beach. 

As they turned to head down Elizabeth Way the Headphone, now earphone man marched rhytmacly by. 

It was windy.

The pavement had dried.

It felt like a bit of a luxury.

The dark and the damp so often seem to go hand in hand.

It was a blowy morning.

The wind from the south west was neither mild or biting.

They crossed the dark car park.

Beach Buoy took a sip of coffee.

A few familiar cars were  parked up.

Team Distant Wave were already on the beach.

Beach Buoy and Another Dog headed to the water's edge.

They headed south.

Some strange lights appeared beyond North Gare Pier.

It was those of a ship, heading out to sea.

It's bulk hidden by a combination of poor light and The North Gare Pier itself.

After a few minutes it slipped out to sea. 

Beach Buoy watched the sea. 

Hesitant waves rose , only breaking when they were good and ready. 

They continued south.

It was 8 a.m.

He gathered some beach stones as the walk progressed.

They reached Stubborn Dog Stack at

BOB O'CLOCK

8-08.

"Morning Mate."

Beach Buoy added the stones.

He patted

THE 

stone.

He drank a guilty coffee and ate a "Fun"

Size Mars Bar with Grab bag hands.

He had forgotten to bring dog treats.

😱

Puffs of smoke showed up on the dune edge to the south.

The Distant Wave Group were having their driftwood bonfire.

"See you mate."

They returned to the beach.

Another Dog flew down the Sandy Slope like a launched ship down a slipway.

"Hiya."

"Hi."

A man passed by with three dogs. 

They headed to the north.

They walked the water's edge.

Sand turned into Shingle 

A search ensued.

Clouds hung over the village.

.

Bailey, the friendly chocolate brown Spaniel came to say hello.

Beach Buoy chatted to the owner. 

 They wandered around the village for a while looking for subject matter for drawings and the like.

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SNOOKS TEA ROOM OUT AND ABOUT CARD.

 

Rolling Back The Years.

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS HARTLEPOOL, 28,DEC 2022.

Beach Buoy had been up since 1-25 a.m.

He drank coffee and drew some drawings.

He and Another Dog walked to the beach.

They had set off at 7-16 a.m.

It had rained overnight.

Damp fallen Autumn leaves were damper.

An illuminated bus drove by. 

Heavy in light but light in passengers.

The number one to High Tunstall.

There was just one passenger on too.

They crossed a dark, empty car park.

Empty except for a multitude of rain water puddles, laid on the uneven surface.

They walked a short walk to the water's edge; the tide was high.

It felt quite mild.

There was a wind from the south west.

The was a man a dog up ahead.

They wandered off between the grey rocks  and the dune edge, towards the river.

Beach Buoy and Another Dog followed on a short while.

They stopped to watch the breaking waves.

Another man and dog arrived at the heights of the dune edge.

They too watch the sea like a couple of lookouts.

Beach Buoy and Another Dog went up to Stubborn Dog Stack.

"Morning Mate."

It was 8-18 a.m.

Beach Buoy added some stones.

He patted

THE 

stone.

He sipped coffee as he wave watched once more. 

"See you mate."

Back to the beach.

As they were about to leave a Beach Buoy decoy headed south with his Spaniel.

A ship entered The River Tees under a dramatic sky.

They began a slow walk back on a narrow beach.

Three generations of distant wave ladies went by.

"Morning" not distant wave today.

Hugo brought his Pug mate Lola for a neck scratch.

Between the Gares.

The tide was edging out, slowly but surely.

A cloud like a breaking wave crossed the bay.

A young lady headed south on the water's.

She has a backpack that looked as empty as it was large.

"Morning."

"Hiya."

Shortly afterwards the young lady returned north.

She overtook Beach Buoy and Another Dog.

Up ahead she paused and talked to a lady with a sea-bound Labrador.

Bailey the Spaniel came to say hello as did his very polite owner.

 They headed up the access ramp.

As Beach Buoy passed the Golf Club, a jogger crossed the road directly at him.

It wasn't done in an aggressive manner.

Maybe just coincidence that Beach Buoy and Another Dog just happened to be at his usual crossing point at that particular moment?

"Think we'll miss the rain?" asked the jogger.

"Hope so."

"About another hour or so." answered the jogger as he trotted off south between the golf and cricket clubs.

Beach Buoy and Another Dog headed back to base camp.

About an hour or so it began to rain.

So from now on, for blog purposes the jogger that they met this morning will be called

 The Jogging Weatherman.

BEACH BUOY.