SEATON SANDS 06 MAY 2019.

It was 6-34am when Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog arrived in the car park.
He parked near short short man's car as three council trucks rushed around cleaning the area.
Drops of rain gave a drumroll of anticipation and precipitation on the roof of the van.
Stubborn Dog doesn't  "do" getting wet very well at all...
  

Waves were breaking well out and they had some height to them too.
An arc of lumpy grey cloud stretched across the bay.

It was all a bit busy towards the North Gare Pier.
There was shingle and sea pottery in that shingle.
Every piece of pottery was blank today,
they usually are sunny-side down and you get to play  a beach version of "Pick a card, any card." hoping for the Queen of hearts; today they were all blankety blank cheque book and pen.

With a rough sea comes driftwood.
A Cormorant managed to "swim" ashore.

Beach Buoy had a stand and think up in the dunes at the sea serpent.
Back in the real world he saw the 7 am club way off in the distance. He thought he may look like some sort of neck scratch weirdo if he waited for them, so he headed south up into the grey rocks and beyond.

"That'll will come in handy even if I never use it!"
Is a saying used at times.
It would be van-bound.
Out of the blue... well, grey to be totally honest, Mari the large friendly poodle appeared... she had ran a large stretch of the beach to reach  Beach Buoy.
It made his day.
"Aww have you ran all that way to see me!"
he said out loud
"Are you ok?"
after the neck scratch she was off; it was a long way back to the approaching club members.


Beach Buoy slowly followed with his plank of wood for company like a homage to Eric Sykes he headed back.
PLANK
A Crow complained from the dunes like a member of the driftwood police (Special Branch.) as if it wanted Beach Buoy to  "Just put it down son... and walk away."

A couple searched a shingle patch for finds as Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog headed for the van and a fluffy towel each ; it was still raining.

Beach Buoy's was on the seat

Stubborn Dog aka ( "TONIGHT MATTHEW I'M GOING TO BE A DROWNED RAT.") wore his ... with a plank for company... and no... i don't mean Beach Buoy!.


BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS AND MIDDLETON BEACH 05 MAY 2019.

Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog arrived at the almost empty car park at 6-35 am.
Two cars were already there..
Short short man's and Collie Couples Land Rover.
Beach Buoy changed into Beach Boots as a cyclist dismounted  and leaned on the promenade wall to see the sea.
The wind of yesterday had calmed to a breeze but it was still as cold.
They headed for the beach under the watchful eye of a large seagull that was sat on top of a promenade lamp post.The council cleaner truck went along the prom with orange light flashing in the grey morning as it visited each bin spaced along its length.
They headed for the water's edge...

Item one for beach clean.. not a newspaper but part of an old T shirt?
What a state !
Maybe they had dumped the T shirt when they had  purchased a New Jersey.
Bottles, blue sponge balls and those rings of plastic that hold drinks cans together were also collected.

They meandered back to the strand line.
 A dead Guillemot laid twisted and cold, its bones will become sand one day and later it will have Beach Buoy's ashes for company.
Starlings occupied the dunes.
There was a lack of seabirds this morning... so far.
Back to the north the elderly lady with a long haired version of Stubborn Dog walked the beach in her 1970's bathroom coat  (Pale Blue.) 
The 7 am club followed. Six or seven strong today they stretched from sea to dune like an uneven sea-worn groyne.

Sorrow the Magpie hopped the dune edge as an angry Crow (They all sound angry.) chased the flock of Starlings, like an old man chasing kids form his garden.

There wasn't a patch of blue sky to be seen as a grey ship came in to port on a grey sea, under a grey sky.
Beach Buoy sat on a grey rock and thought.
There was a slight hint of lemon as the sun almost gave away its hiding place.
The waves were breaking far out at sea to a soundtrack of Skylarks on repeat.
Bathroom lady had turned back at her chosen wooden marker, which ends her northward trek.
The 7 am club were on their way.
Beach Buoy stood up and headed a little further up the dune edge.
Mari the large friendly  Poodle spotted him a set off, like a heat seeking missile.
Bang!
She hit the target and received a neck rub for her troubles.
She ran off and then back agin for more, this time raising a back leg as if trying to assist.
The 7 am club headed back.
Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog stayed.
He stretched and raised his head. 
One patch of blue sky was directly overhead, Makes a change from the black cloud that can often follow Beach Buoy around; if only in his mind.

He stretched again and yawned; one of relaxation not boredom.
He sat back down on the uncomfortable comfy rock with Stubborn Dog laid alongside.
The dog watched as the 7am club became both small and faraway.
small and faraway

They headed back.
Angled shafts of light out at sea gave a clue or two as to where the sun was hiding.
From time to time the sea would try to catch Beach Buoy out as it would rush in an extra distance, possibly due to added momentum of the combination of wave movement in the bay. Then it would return to its predictable pattern... until the next time.

There was sea pottery.
Lots of them were just white or cream.
Beach Buoy only kept the top two of these four.
A man with two black dogs did an impersonation of an over zealous football referee as he blew and blew and blew his  whistle.
Did I mention that he blew the whistle?
😉
As they left the beach a lady in pink appeared with her dog and a very tall hat.
The hat, the lady and the dog headed for the water's edge.
Before long just the hat was visibly enjoying the seaside due to the steep dip in the beach levels.

Is it a Bird?
Is it a plane?
No its ... Stubborn Dog
sitting smugly on  the promenade wall just after disposing of the beach clean items .....

Later that day...
they noticed the above....

In the afternoon they called into Middleton...
The beach had been sprinkled with sea coal.
Dogs barked ... its a beach with many many memories. Beach Buoy just got bad vibes today. Barking Dogs on beach, Barking Dog as a man fixed a fence on the bank top, cabins waiting to get knocked down

Middleton is dying.

BEACH BUOY...

SEATON SANDS AND NORTH GARE BEACHES. 04 MAY 2019.

Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog arrived in an empty car park at 6-13am, exactly 12 hours since his last arrival.
When they left the house, they could hear the call of the wild sea and see the clouds rushing by from north to south... a hint of what was to come.
They parked up at the south end of the car park.
Beach Buoy reversed into the parking bay so that the van would act as a windbreak whilst Beach Buoy changed into his beach boots whilst siting with the side door open.
The cold wind whistled under the van giving another pointer to the chill.
Stubborn Dog wore two coats.
Beach Buoy was well wrapped up, he grabbed some fingerless gloves as they left the comfort of the van behind.
They walked to the water's edge.
He glanced back to see some regulars head north with their two dogs.
Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog headed south with the wind at their backs.
The sea was wild. 
Out on the horizon the rain/ hail fell into a turbulent sea.
The weather, sky and light was changing minute by minute.
Beach Buoy glanced around and saw the arrival of short short man; wearing short shorts..."In this weather?"

Beach Buoy left the water's edge and headed to the dune edge. Once again seabirds were resting down by the sea; he let them be.

Light varied so much this morning.
Short short man went by in his half -mast shorts, perhaps mourning the death of spring? He overtook Beach Buoy and his mate as they dawdled and took in the views.

Beach Buoy had a stand and think today rather than a sit as it was so fresh.
The sea roared.
The waves crashed into the pier and Stubborn Dog's ears flapped, unfurled in the wind.

Beach Buoy picked up some items as he went, for his beach clean.

A golf ball was collected  as well as some plastic bottles, some of those blue sponge balls and a red marker pen that splatted blood-like red spots on the beach as Beach Buoy tried to tap sand from it.

The wind blasted along...

They found a little shelter from the wind behind the dunes.

The sun came and went and continued to do so...

From left to right...
The North Sea
The grey rocks.
The dunes and the sky.
Beach Buoy had planned to turn at the grey rocks and head back but Stubborn Dog was keen to carry on!
Let's just let that sink in for a minute!
Stubborn Dog lead the way...so off to the Blue Lagoon it was...

Another glance back, every glance seemed to show a different day.
To the west a Skylark made a brief appearance then must have gone back to its nest to double check that calendar he brought with him?
"It says May !"

The Blue Lagoon was edged with sea coal. The beach was well protected from the cold wind by the dunes and pier.
The River Tees, in contrast was  mass of rolling waves, coming into port 

Beach Buoy cannot recall ever seeing the sea coloured with sand that it had stolen from the beach, it looked almost rusty with the additive.

The patchwork North Gare Pier.

Thankfully the worst of the weather seemed to be still falling to the south and out at sea???

The blue sky over the village would soon change!

A wind assisted jogger and  his dog bounded south.

Then it changed.
The blue sky over the village turned to grey, the wind increased in speed and the temperature seemed to drop.
Then spits and spots began to fall.....
these became hail and Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog became wet.

They made it back to the van around fifteen minutes too late to be able to be snug and smug as bugs in a dub?
They were damp but they had had a brilliant morning,
BEST PART OF THE DAY

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS 03 MAY 2019.

6-13 pm
Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog arrived at the beach,
It was fresh with a breeze from the North.
It was very bright and sunny...

Groups of young teenagers headed to the dunes, many with backpacks.

Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog headed for the water's edge. They were later tempted back towards the dune edge as there was a lot of driftwood scattered up on an earlier strand line that had almost touched the dunes,

The evening was sunny; the sea was wild..
Perfect...
The sea was so angry that the horizon looked uneven as distant waves broke and the sea rose and fell.

More teen youths gathered around the dunes.
More backpacks....
The earlier arrivals had gathered at dune formed amphitheatre... waiting for the show to start; a show of heroes, fools, the loud, the laughing and the ridiculed.

Beach Buoy stopped short of the grey rocks tonight so as not to disturb around 20 Seagulls.
Looking south, Saltburn Nab could be seen glowing in the evening sun, as it so often does.

They headed back.
A Pied-wagtail bounced from the dunes..
it wagged and walked... but not at the same time.
They wandered down to the water's edge again.
A rouge wave came rushing in and almost caught them out.
They had to "Run" for it.
It is always a dangerous situation, as usually when Beach Buoy "Runs" to escape in-coming sea, Stubborn Dog jumps up at him as if to say "Steady on old man."
The result is a tangle and a struggle not to fall over face down on the beach with a mouthful of sea water to gargle with, so sometimes wet boots and paws are the easier option.
Damage limitation?

As they neared the car park the sun was lowering a little
All of the footprints from beach visits of others cast shadows, like lots of miniature sundials.
The beach was well and truly walked over... we all know that feeling surely?

An ironic find at the end of the walk was some of those pickers that people use to beach clean, left ; broken and on the sand.
Beach Buoy binned them.


BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS 02 MAY 2019.

BEACH BUOY ARRIVED IN THE CAR PARK AT 6-20PM.
IT LOOKED LIKE RAIN.
WELL ... IT LOOKED LIKE A CAR PARK ABOUT TO GET WET; IT DIDN'T.
THE PRAT THAT SPUN AROUND THE CAR PARK LAST NIGHT WAS THERE AGIAN TONIGHT.
BUSY TURNING HIS LOW PROFILE TYRES INTO NO PROFILE TYRES.
THE TIDE WAS WELL OUT.
THE SKY WAS GREY.
THE SEA WAS A MIX OF GREY AND GREEN.
BEACH BUOY AND STUBBORN DOG WENT TO THE NORTH GARE PIER.

SEAGULLS HUNG IN THE BREEZE LIKE KITES WITH INVISIBLE STRINGS , HELD BY INVISIBLE CHILDREN.

BEACH BUOY FOUND A PIECE OF DRIFTWOOD THAT MADE A PERFECT WALKING STICK..
MAYBE TOO PERFECT...
HE LATER DITCHED IT SO HE COULD CARRY A LARGE BEACH CLEAN ITEM...
BETTER FOR THE IMAGE TOO

THEY HEADED BACK...

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS 01 MAY 2019.

6-20 pm on  the beach.
The day had threatened rain but this evening was bright, but a little hazy.
Down by the water's edge a young couple and a photographer were doing a photo / film shoot.
The photographer clicked away as they walked..
towards each other, 
up to each other,
away from each other,
they looked at the sea,
the looked at each other,
they held each other,
they held their breathes.

Out in the bay the wind turbines sat idle; not a breath of wind. Some of them had become invisible due to the haze.

This chap seemed happy enough?

Out in the bay, the sea serpent showed three humps tonight out upon a calm sea.
Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog headed for the grey rocks.
They had a sit and think.
Out of the blue the Skylark serenaded them, as if Beach Buoy had put  a coin in the slot and turned the handle of the Skylark machine.

Stubborn Dog was tired.

As they sat and thought the sun decided to join in..

Low tides are the best.

They headed back

On the water'a edge there was a man stood, looking out to sea.
A lady approached him.
She gave him a wave of her hand, and as she did so.
it  looked like she cleaning windows/

BEACH BUOY.