Rain stopped play.
BEACH BUOY.
Wednesday, 27 December 2023
Tuesday, 26 December 2023
BOXING DAY, 2023. SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL.
Beach Buoy and Another Dog headed to the promenade.
They had parked once more, in the car park at Seaton Park.
The lady who checks parking meters for returned coins was setting off on her route.
They reached beach at 8-11 a.m.
Brass Monkey Sea Swimmers were already heading to and from the sea.
Many more would be doing the same later for Boxing Day Dips.
The tide was well out out.
It was out beyond the Seaton Carew Wreck.
The shifted sands had exposed it once more.
The air was still and cold.
Two hoods were up.
Gloveless hands were stuffed into pockets of Beach Buoy's denim jeans.
Beach Buoy and Another Dog were down by the water's edge.
A Blabbermouth Man headed along the strand-line, shouting his dog to return.
A dog lead may have been more successful than a loud voice.
A young man readied himself to do a one man Boxing Day Dip.
His lady companion filmed as he ran into the sea.
He screamed upon arrival.
"It's really really cold!"
He ran back to his now laughing companion.
He was handed a towel.
They headed back to the car park to the sound of
"Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God."
Beach Buoy and Another Dog continued southwards.
The Sun rose as Team Mick Aston Jumper walked some gently sloping edges of the dunes.
Beach Buoy's and Another Dog's sunshine shadows were enormous in length.
A man in black and red marched by.
To the North Gare Pier then back.
Beach Buoy was being double dazzled by the Sun and it's reflection on the wet sand.
It gave light but no heat.
Beach Buoy gave a distant wave to Stubborn Dog Stack as the passed by on the beach below.
A Twitter mate and his two excellent dogs were down by the Tank Traps.
The owners had a good chat about this and that and that and this.
Another dog owner appeared.
Beach Buoy had talked to the chap on a number of occasions.
It was the man who once had a Beagle but it had to be put to sleep.
Back then he told Beach Buoy that he had a puppy.
That was a few months ago and today was it's first beach.
It chased and returned a thrown ball like a professional.
They all went their separate ways.
Beach Buoy and Another Dog headed to the stack.
"Morning Mate."
It was 9-34 a.m.
Beach Buoy added some stones.
He patted
THE
stone.
He sat on a wobbly driftwood plank, drinking wobbly driftwood coffee.
He watched the beach people and their dogs.
One couple marched northwards on the water's edge.
Their big dog sat down as he watched them walk into the distance.
It looked like the dog was trying to see just how far they would continue, without checking back then calling him.
They didn't.
The big dog ran and ran to catch them up.
All too soon it was time to get back.
"See you mate."
They returned to the beach, beginning a slow walk back.
A man with a Fedora (Flamboyant.)
and a Spaniel headed for the dunes.
10 a.m. Village Church Bells drifted across the beach.
A P.A. System kicked into action.
It informed anyone and everyone, that The Main Boxing Day Dip would start at 11-30.
Apparently over five hundred would be rushing into a sea with a temperature of 4 degrees.
BEACH BUOY.
Sunday, 24 December 2023
CHRISTMAS EVE, 2023. SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL.
Beach Buoy woke at 5-40 a.m.
He made a coffee.
He caught up with the blog.
At 6-56 he tweeted
Blog updated.
It was still dark.
The blinds were shut.
He could hear the Beachcombing Border Collie Couple head for the beach.
It was 7-57 a.m. when Beach Buoy and Another Dog descended the northerly access ramp.
It was mild and breezy.
To the north, the local Brass Monkey Sea Swimmers were stepping into the sea.
No screams this morning.
It really was very mild.
Not Beach Buoy overtook Beach Buoy before turning to the Promenade at the start of the dunes.
Beach Buoy and Another Dog continued south. They ended using the tracks of horses as a pathway.
The horses returned by the same route.
Beach Buoy moved towards the strand-line.
Beach Buoy waved to Stubborn Dog Stack. It's hidden just to the left of the slope of stones up the dune edge.
People are starting to cut up to the dunes right in front of the stack.
Beach Buoy had been adding stones to the slope to protect it.
They headed to the Tank Traps.
He saw were a draining rock pool had come to a halt, short of the sea.
He was six again, as he dragged a foot from the drying stream to the sea.
Flow was restored.
After a mooch, they went up on the dune edge.
They headed for Stubborn Dog Stack.
Camp Distant Wave looked to be in a state of disrepair.
There had been one modification.
A new fire set up.
The dune edge felt more like a cliff top walk.
The breeze had become a wind.
"Morning Mate."
It was 9-06 a.m.
He added some stones.
He patted
THE
stone.
He fetched the wobbly driftwood plank, placing square onto the sea.
Wobble engaged.
With two hoods up as shelter to the wind he sat watching people and dogs come and go.
He drank coffee.
People jumped over streams from draining rock pools.
Beach Buoy wasn't responsible for the one in the photograph.
Others stopped short of the stream to take photographs.
Click.
"See you mate."
The driftwood plank was hidden.
Beach Buoy paused.
He took down his hoods
He let the wind blow.
The Marram Grass danced.
Clouds rushed by.
He took deep breaths
They returned to the beach.
They returned to the van.
As if on cue, the Village Church Bells rang for 10 a.m.
BEACH BUOY.
Saturday, 23 December 2023
SEATON SANDS HARTLEPOOL. 23, DEC. 2023.
Beach Buoy and Another Dog reached the beach at 10-20 a.m.
A mild blowy breeze blew from the west.
Two fancy-looking tent-like shelter had been set up near the promenade wall.
People in swimming costumes were going from shelter to sea and sea to shelter.
Beach Buoy and Another Dog headed from north to south.
The tide was more out than it was in.
A family went by, heading north in Santa Hats.
A friendly dog called Jess came to say hello.
The man with the very very wet retriever was down by the sea.
His dog was in the sea getting very very wet.
Their paths hadn't crossed for a good while.
They shared distant waves.
Beach Buoy reached for a spare beach-found ball from his beach bag.
He rolled the ball to the two by the sea.
They had a spare now.
Two ladies walked northwards with linked arms.
Their sandy-coloured Retriever danced just ahead of them. Squeaking it's squeaky toy as it did so.
Seven people headed for the sea.
Their four Retrievers had ran ahead of them like like Polar Bears chasing a Seal.
Sea Pottery Mark.
Beach Buoy and Another Dog crossed the grey rocks to reach Stubborn Dog Stack.
"Morning Mate."
It was 10-52 a.m.
Beach Buoy added some stones.
He patted
THE
stone.
He fetched the driftwood plank and reinstated the wobble after yesterday's stability.
When all said and done in life, it's things like the wobble that make life fun.
Beach Buoy drank wobbly driftwood coffee as he watched grey sea break on grey rocks on the beach below.
A couple passed behind Beach Buoy in silence and red coats.
Beach Buoy stood to replace the wobbly driftwood plank to the Marram Grass.
The man with headphones and a Corgi approached from the north. They chatted briefly.
The Corgi was both friendly and curious.
As Beach Buoy bent down to pet the friendly little dog, the dog stuffed it's head into Beach Buoy's beach bag.
The man and the Corgi headed southwards through the dunes.
Beach Buoy checked the beach below.
"See you mate."
They dropped down onto the beach below.
The tide was rushing in then out.
Pebbles with legs chased after the receding water to search for food.
The little birds seem to be able to run quicker than they can fly.
A brown and white Spaniel ran by, chasing crows.
A small stocky dog carried what looked like half a tree in it's mouth.
Two carried a piece of driftwood to the sea as though returning it in some sort of religious ceremony.
A unhappy toddler threw sand and a tantrum.
BEACH BUOY.
Friday, 22 December 2023
BIKE RIDE TO MIDDLETON .
Just a few words.
A bike ride to Middleton on the anniversary of Beach Buoy's Dad's death.
Middleton was
THE
beach once upon a time.
BEACH BUOY.
41 years...
41 years since Beach Buoy's dad had died.
No other words just some photographs and a daft drawing.
BEACH BUOY.
SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL. 22, DEC. 2023.
Beach Buoy, Borrowed Dog and Another Dog reached the beach at 8-58 a.m.
There was a breeze from the north west.
The tide looked to be as far out as it was in.
A lady played tug of war with her greyhound, down by the sea.
Two metal detectorists beeped their way around the beach and then the car park.
Beach Buoy and the dogs headed south, close to the sea.
The man with a Corgi matched southwards.
His Dog almost trotted to try and keep up.
Fifteen or so Oyster Catchers stood at the water's edge, all facing the breeze.
Beach Buoy gave them space so as not to disturb them.
The unsure birds did take a few steps, like synchronised clockwork toys.
Men and Dogs walked to the light like released souls.
To the north, behind them a bad news siren travelled the sea front.
Beach Buoy had two hoods for the entire walk.
Tiny spots of rain could be heard, hitting the hoods.
Apart from the sound, the precipitation was nearly noticeable.
It amounted to nothing.
They headed across grey rocks to Stubborn Dog Stack.
"Morning Mate."
It was 9-44 a.m.
Beach Buoy added some stones.
He patted
THE
stone.
He retrieved the wobbly driftwood plank.
The breeze had become a wind.
He faced the plank towards the mouth of the river, rather than straight out to sea.
It gave full shelter from the wind.
The repositioning gave the plank a previously unimaginable stability.
Beach Buoy drank a stable driftwood coffee on a stable driftwood plank.
Beach Buoy watched the waves hit North Gare Pier.
A lady appeared in the dunes with her Dog.
The had walked from the south.
She spoke confidently and professionally.
"Morning are you ok."
"Morning, yes thank you."
"Lovely view you have."
and she was gone.
Beach Buoy mulled over the conversation.
To Beach Buoy's ears she sounded like a Doctor or maybe a Teacher?
It didn't matter.
She was a lover of dogs and the sea.
Beach Buoy watched as two Gulls air surfed along the length of a breaking wave.
South to North.
Colourfully dressed ladies jogged on the beach below.
Beach Buoy and the dogs returned to the beach below.
It transpired that the colourfully dressed ladies were some sort of team or club.
They had stopped in a group.
Someone had marked out a large square in the sand with a dragged foot.
The Ladies stood at various locations around the square, doing exercises.
Beach Buoy, Borrowed Dog and Another Dog passed by.
They headed northwards back to Seaton Carew.
Beach Buoy and the dogs cut across to finish their walk to the van, on the promenade.
The strengthening wind was shifting dry sand.
Up ahead, a Dad and lad made what possibly would be the final sand castle of the year?
BEACH BUOY.
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