Another Dog decided that 4 a.m. would be a good time to get up.
Three hours later, Beach Buoy locked the van.
They were at the Park Car Park.
It was still fairly dark.
A cyclist went by.
The reflective strips on his clothing made him look like a skeleton on a bike.
They headed down the northerly beach access ramp.
Beach Buoy pulled up two hoods as they reached the sand.
Cocooned in his own little world.
Sometimes the very best of places.
It was misty, not quite half-light.
A hundred and one Gulls took flight from the water's edge.
The air was quite still and quite chilly too.
The tide looked to be more out than it was in?
A lady who walks the beach passed by.
She walks end to end and back.
A distant grey muffled dog gave a grey distant muffled bark.
The face of the Clock Tower that faced the sea was the only of the four that wasn't illuminated.
Beach Buoy reached for his new all singing and dancing torch.
He lit up the darkened clock face.
A man with two dogs walked north wards.
Both Dogs came to say hello.
One was white with a black ear.
The owners chatted briefly.
Another Dog examined Seal tracks as The Beachcombing Border Collie Couple headed back north.
Team Muzzled Dog passed,
"Morning."
"Morning."
Some people stick to a set beach time regardless of the amount of light.
Come the summer, Beach Buoy will be heading back by the time Team Muzzled Dog arrived.
The very very wet retriever bounded over.
She had no ball.
Beach Buoy reached into his beach bag.
He pulled out a spare Beach-found ball.
He throw for the friendly dog .
He and it's owner shared distant waves of acknowledgement once more.
Sea pottery.
Sea Pottery.
More sand gone.
More grey rocks on show
Thankfully they have a dune route to the stack now.
A lady in a colourful coat lit up the greyness as she and her dog marched south.
Beach Buoy and Another Dog headed through the dunes to Stubborn Dog Stack.
7-59 a.m.
"Morning Mate."
Beach Buoy added some stones.
He patted
THE
stone.
He sat on the level driftwood log with a roll, drinking coffee.
He watched the sea pull back a massive amount before rushing in again.
Beach Buoy stood to go.
The man who had four dogs but now has three walked by.
The men chatted.
They estimated just how many tons of sand had gone recently.
They went their separate ways.
Beach Buoy bid Stubborn Dog farewell.
Bob o'clock.
8-08.
They headed back.
Team Mick Aston Jumper headed south.
"Morning."
"Morning."
Beach Buoy added a nit too distant wave for luck.
The Seaton Carew Wreck had claimed some of the missing sand as it's cargo.
Beach Buoy headed up to The Esplanade.
The mist had become a fog.
The Village Green had gone.
The Clock Tower had gone too.
A jogger ran by, checking his watch as he ran.
A man rumbled by on one of those bikes fitted with tractor-like tyres.
They returned to the double-waxed van.
BEACH BUOY.
