SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL. 23 JAN. 2020.

Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog arrived at 3 -38 pm.
There was a chilly breeze from the west.
The tide had peaked around an hour earlier.

A discussion was taking place either side of the low wall at the end of the access ramp.
Dog owners were chatting.
Dogs were waiting...
One; a Pug stood up on his back legs, with front paws on the wall as if it was taking part in the conversation 
'He ate the TV remote.'

A Lemon slice cut through sea and sky over towards the headland.
The out-going tide left virgin sand.
 Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog walked the smooth clear sand, leaving a meandering trail of foot, paw and drag prints.

There were a few shingle patches.
Beach Buoy glanced out to sea as a Seagull air-surfed a breaking wave.
The bird seemed to be enjoying the flight.
The bird travelled the the crest of the wave, it peeled away to the west as the wave broke, close to the beach.

They popped up to the dunes, then headed back.
A couple came by; hand in hand.
A Dog-less man overtook Beach Buoy; trousers in socks.

One from  Life's a Beach archive.
Bonnie, an Unstubborn Dog.
She lived to be over twenty yers old.
All that sea air eh?

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS, SEATON CAREW, HARTLEPOOL. 22 JAN 2020.

It was car park time at 3-45 pm.
It was sooooo mild.
The Sea looked like a summer sea.
The colour was so lovely Beach Buoy almost half ran to the water's edge... almost.
Usually, a clear day in January means chilly air and  a wooly hat.
Beach Buoy ticked the hat box; sporting a black dut with VW on the front.
It really did feel like 8-32pm in July rather than almost 4 pm in January.

The beach had a few people and dogs for company.
The air was still.
A River Tees cloud factory puffed out clouds with nowhere to go, they just hung there.
They are normally delivered by air mail, but the wind was not playing today.

Away from the man-made clouds, the sky was clear.
Random vapour trails were scattered around, they looked like faint sketches of half an idea.

They shuffled up to the ashes stack and dumped a few more stones.
Beach Buoy watched from the dunes as The Sea Serpent surfaced to have a bit of a warm.

They headed back, searching the shingle patches as they did so.
Beach Buoy doesn't keep many finds any longer.
He did recognise this piece as a piece of a jar which held award winning Marmalade.


BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS, 21 JAN. 2020

The village church bells struck for 4 pm as Beach Buoy sat at the side door of the van, changing into his beach boots.
It was mild.
Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog headed along the promenade.
Three men loaded a small white van up with beach sand. They transported it from the low wall at the south end of the promenade with a wheelbarrow.
 

The light was milky and pleasing.
A mother and child played down by the water's edge; screeching as the sea almost caught them out.

Around two hundred gulls sat out in the bay.
There were around twenty Oyster Catchers stood at the water's edge with one random seagull for company.
It looked he was saying
'No one said it was a black tie event!'
'I could have gone swimming with my mates...'

The Sea Serpent frolicked like puff the magic dragon.
Beach Buoy took stones to the dune stack and paused briefly.

They headed back close to the sea.
It was a lovely afternoon.
Beach Buoy savoured the sight, sound and sense of the beach as he headed back.
Nothing lasts forever; or does it?
BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL. 20 1 20

Beach Buoy had been to work; thankfully he finishes at work  by 3 pm.
For years and years he worked until 6 pm.
 Winters back then seemed to last from Early October until March.
Constantly going to and coming from work in the dark; not good.
Now, most nights Beach Buoy can make it to the Beach.
Jackpot!
Today he reached the beach at 3-34pm.
Hr parked the van alongside another VW van; birds of a feather.....
The air was as chilly as the sun was bright; the tide low.
He and Stubborn Dog walked the walk.
Beach Buoy wore sunglasses!
The sky was mainly clear, much of what cloud there was seemed to be nothing more than fluffed up aeroplane vapour trails.
Seagulls bobbed up and down, way out in the Bay.
Their whiteness lit up by the bright sun, giving away their location.

Beach Buoy headed up to the Dunes to add more stones to the stack.
The Sun shone, but by now its heat had clocked off for the night.
They headed down to the beach then onto the water's edge.
Beach Buoy dug his hands where The Pretenders stuck their brass.

The numpty had forgotten his gloves in the excited dash to the beach.
They headed back to the van.


BEACH BUOY.

SEATON CAREW , GREATHAM CREEK AND TEESMOUTH NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE. 19 JAN 2020.

Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog left the building at 7-02 am.
The van windscreen was frosted over, it had been a cold and clear night.
They arrived in a dark, frosty and empty car park a short while later.
Beach Buoy dug out an extra hoodie from the van's wardrobe and put it on.
It was cold.
They walked down the access ramp at 7-13 am.
The sand on the beach was frozen hard.
The air was still and cold.
The tide was well out.

Beach Buoy walked towards the sea with a C Moon  and a Stubborn Dog behind him.
Ahead the sea rumbled in the clear pre-dawn air.
He stopped short of the sea and headed south so as not to disturb over one hundred  Seagulls that were gathered by the water's edge.

He could see the distant silhouettes of the 7 am club, ahead of him, heading south too.

The 7 am club came by and 'Morning's' were exchanged .
Mari the Poodle came over for a fuss as did her little chocolate brown mate.
The sea tumbled ( and still rumbled.) it pushed a clean looking sea foam onto the beach, laying down a marker.

Beach Buoy picked up a couple of cold stones in his gloved hands and headed up to the dune stack.
He stepped back onto the beach.
It was crisp on top, like snow that had frozen overnight.
They reached the North Gare Pier and crossed over to North Gare Beach at 7-55am
High tide would be around 10-30am; they would have to head back via the dunes.

The Puddles of water of the Pier were frozen solid.
North Gare Beach was fairly busy for the time of morning.
Two young lads arrived on the Pier; fishermen.

1...'Morning'
Beach Buoy... 'Morning.'
2...'Morning, fresh enough for you?'
Beach Buoy... 'Lovely.'
The lads clambered down to the side of the Pier.
The set up their gear on a broken piece of the Pier, just behind where waves were crashing and rising up into the air.
It didn't look like a good plan.

A group of four people were down on North Gare Beach, they too headed up to the Pier.
They were colourfully dressed  in their bright coats and looked like they were sponsored by a well known on line selling outlet.
They were stood in the wrong order
and spelt out
YABE


Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog headed for the riverside.
The waves rolled in and eventually the Sun popped up.

Two more fishermen were on the Pier; they chose a safer option for their location.

A troop of Waxcaps?
It is Beach Buoy's best guess.
It was found on a large piece of driftwood that had been high and dry for a good while, down by the River.

They headed back to the Bay.
The sea was lumpy and bumpy.

They headed back to the north through the frosty dunes.
Sun shadows showed the way to go.

As soon as they could, it was back to the beach.

It was a fantastic morning.
Beach Buoy paused and faced the sun.
Vitamin Sea and D.

Horses had left their marks.

Later it was Greatham Creek and a new to Beach Buoy footpath.

The Cows watched their progress on the footpath.

There is a hide at the end of the twenty minute or so walk.

Twitchers write on the board what they have spotted.
At first Beach Buoy was thinking of putting a fiver on March Harrier at 18 to 1; seemed pretty good odds.

The hide is cosy and gives a great view down the River Tees.

The headed back to the main road.
There are thirteen seals in the distance, enjoying the afternoon sun.

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS, 18 JAN 2020

No early morning beach this morning for Beach Buoy.
The go to work alarm rang out at 5-20 am.
He headed for the riverside instead of the seaside.
He works alongside The Tees Transporter Bridge.

The van waited patiently in the dark riverside car park; it was more at home by the sea too.
In the blink of an eye it was 3 pm; Beach Buoy and the van headed North.

3-30 pm.... BEACH!
The car park was busy, it had been a nice day weather wise.
There was a cold breeze from the north - west.
The beach was busy.
The tide was well out, which meant everyone had lots of space.

Down by the water's edge, a man kicked a tennis ball for his dog and its wet sand reflection to chase;
they both caught it.
Beach Buoy called up into the dunes then back to the beach to go as far as the pier.

He walked back to the van with the steel coloured sea to his right.
The sea was in the process of reclaiming the beach, wiping the day's foot and paw prints.
Wiping the slate clean....
BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL 17 JAN 2020.

Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog arrived at 3-35pm.
After yesterday's sand grab, Beach Buoy was relieved to see that the beach was still there!
Some student types were returning to their car after some student type project in the dunes.
A jogger ran to the south end of the prom, he turned 180 digress at the low wall and headed back to the North.

A pair of trunks?

There was a breeze from the west.
The tide was way out.

Beach Buoy had been down on the beach a short while when noticed that the sun had finally decided to say hello; it was almost sunset!

They climbed up into the dunes to have a better look at the light.
It had been cloudy all day with plenty of rain.

Beach Buoy added some stones to the stack.

Then looked west.

East.

South.

North.

A rotting Oil Rig and a beautiful sky.

The sky turned pink.

A tug waits to guide a ship in to the river. 

Random Photograph time.
Beach Buoy as an apprentice.. on the left.
Him and a mate, resting on the front door of Beach Buoy's
Moggy 1000.

Time flies
Then dies.
😉😉😉


BEACH BUOY.