SATURDAY 11th APRIL 2020. SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL. ALLOWED EXERCISE WALK.

Beach Buoy woke at 4-45 a.m.
He was up by 5-10 am and out by 5-50 am
The air was still and bird song filled the air.
The local Power Station was being vented and roared like a dozen angry Sea Serpents.
It had rained overnight, leaving the pavements damp.

They were on the beach moments before the sunrise.
Sadly the sun was hidden by low cloud that stretched along the horizon.
So they headed south.

Earlier tides had left a fair bit of driftwood.

Some looked structural.

A light dusting of sea coal was sandwiched  between the sea and the sand.

They visited the dunes and paused a short while with a soundtrack of sea and Skylarks.

They returned to the beach as the Sun cleared the clouds.

They headed back as the tide came in.

Then it was the promenade a walk back to base camp.

THE END.
BEACH BUOY.

ALLOWED EXERCISE WALK. 10 APRIL 2020. SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL.

Beach Buoy woke at 5-20 am.

It was a day off.

His work alarm goes off at 5-20am.

Good old body clock.

By 6-30 am Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog had walked to the beach.

There would be no photographs of today's beach as Beach Buoy had had a mobile phone malfunction.

On the way to the beach they had passed seven seagulls, they were all on one of hundreds of possible roofs.

They were playing king of the castle on the chimney pot stack.

Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog were greeted by low cloud on the horizon.

The sunrise was nothing more than a muted dull orange glow up in the sky.

The sea was smooth and a pale light grey in colour.

From a distance it looked like someone had covered it in a giant roll of cling film.

They headed south with Turnstones (Beach Buoy looked that up in a book.) and Oyster Catchers for company.

They added to the dune stack with a Skylark as the soundtrack.

They headed back and cabined up.

Stay Safe,

Stay Home.

BEACH  BUOY.

SEATON SANDS AND CLAPPING IN A DESERTED CAR PARK 09 APRIL 2020.

It was an evening allowed exercise walk.
The warm weather of recent days had gone; the wooly hat was back on.
Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog walked a driftwood scattered strand line.

It had been a Foggy start to the day.
It was a chilly evening.

They paused at the stack, before heading back.

The tide was going out and they were heading north

As they reached the vast, empty car park, ship's horns hooted.
It was 8 pm.
All over the country people would be clapping for the NHS and all others doing a fantastic job in terrible times.

Beach Buoy stopped and clapped.
His clapping echoed off the golf club fence; and rebounded around the parking bays.



BEACH BUOY....

SEATON SANDS AND JOHN PRINE 08 APRIL 2020.

News came through this morning that John Prine had passed away.
So no waffle, just some photographs of todays allowed exercise walk this evening.
There is a link to a Prine song down below,
give him a listen.

Hello in there by John Prine.

HELLO IN THERE.
Rest in Peace John.

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL. 07 APRIL 2020.(ALLOWED EXERCISE WALK.)

It was a Tuesday night.
Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog left the house at around
6-40 pm.
It had been a warm day.
Today would be the first beach walk of the year without a wooly hat.
There was hardly anyone around.
Beach Buoy crossed the Car Park with just Stubborn Dog and four seagulls for company.
There was lovely cooling breeze from the south west.
There was around thirty bright, white sunlit seagulls down by the water's edge.
Out in the bay, beyond the gulls around thirty bright, white sunlit wind turbines spun in the breeze .
Like the gulls, they always faced the wind.

They headed up to the dunes.
The sunlight was gorgeous and most welcome after months of short daylight hours.

They headed back by the water's edge.

Beach Buoy's attempt at interplanetary spot the ball was way off!

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL. 06 APRIL 2020. (ALLOWED EXERCISE WALK..)

It was Monday.
They left the house at 6-35 pm.
It was a warm evening.
Gulls stood in the car park discussing the 2020 fish and chip shortage.
No cars means no fish and chip leftovers to fight over.

The dunes were theirs.

Someone had left a topical beach message.

Heading back with the sea and Stubborn Dog for company.

The Moon.
BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS 05 APRIL2020. ALLOWED EXERCISE WALK.

Sunday.
Beach Buoy woke at 4-47 am.
By 5-58 am he and `Stubborn Dog were heading for the beach, on foot.

The sky was as clear as a bell; a silent bell.
The air was filled with birdsong.
As they reached the car park, on foot, the muffled sound of the sea became a rumble.

They headed to the water's edge to watch the sunrise.

It was a beautiful morning.

Beach Buoy took some sea glass pieces to return to the sea for others to find.

The dune view with the sound of Skylarks to harmonise with the sound of the sea.

They returned to the beach.

They went as far as the north gare pier.

Some unfamiliar footprints on the way back, then Beach Buoy realised that he hadn't put on his Beach Boots.

Driftwood in landscape and portrait .

They set off back to base camp.

They headed back and sat in the sun.

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS , 04 APRIL 2020. (ALLOWED EXERCISE WALK.)

Beach Buoy woke at 5-10 am
He checked the time of the sunrise ; 6-28 am.
By 6-06 am he and Stubborn Dog had left the house on foot and paw.
This beach visit would be their allowed exercise for the day.
The air was still with not much of a chill.
They turned left at the end of the road and headed for the dim glow of the sunrise to come.
Overhead over a hundred Seagulls could be seen heading west, choosing to leave the sea behind for the day as they headed for local farm fields.
As they reached the car park (On foot) the horizon came into view.
A pony-tailed jogger headed south towards the promenade end.
She turned and headed back to the north.
Beach Buoy crossed the vast empty car park diagonally towards the beach access/egress ramp.

It  was strange, this lockdown situation.
Beach Buoy stepped onto the sand, feeling a little like someone stepping onto recently laid concrete, hardly wanting to leave foot and paws prints as they headed for the water's edge.
As often happens on a day off, the sunrise was hidden by low cloud. 

A slight south westerly breeze had picked up by the time the had reached the dunes and the stack.

The headed back along the water's edge.

It was a quiet beach.

The Sun decided to show when it was time to go.


BEACH BUOY.

03 APRIL 2020 ALLOWED EXERCISE WALK ON SEATON SANDS BY THE OBLIVIOUS OCEAN.

It was around 7 pm.

Lots of empty space.

On the way back, Beach Buoy decided to rename The North Sea; The Oblivious Ocean.
After all, it just rolled in and out, out and in, unaware of the battle taking place on land.

BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS, 02 APRIL 2020. AN ALLOWED EXERCISE WALK.

Once again they had left the house to the sound of the
 6-45 pm church bells.
It was a bright and breezy evening.

The beach was a safer option for social distancing; the promenade was more of a risk.

They headed back into the strong breeze.
The beach was theirs.
BEACH BUOY.

SEATON SANDS BEACH 01 APRIL 2020, AN ALLOWED EXERCISE WALK.

The beaches were open once more for allowed exercise.
Beach Buoy had changed into his beach boots whilst sat with the van's side door open.
All this took place on the drive of the house.
They set off for the beach as the village church bells struck for 6-45 pm with bird song for company.
The roads were so quiet, hardly any traffic noise.
By 7 pm they had reached sand, having passed through an empty, blocked off car park.

It was their  (Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog.) first beach for a while.
There was a breeze from the North.
Beach Buoy loves an empty beach but felt ill at ease under the current circumstances.
He would much rather it was an empty beach either by luck or timing.

Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog headed up to the dune stack.
The Sea Serpent  popped up.
Apparently he had been worried.
Beach Buoy shouted across 
'Sorry mate. We weren't allowed on beach.
I'm OK flippers crossed!'

They headed back, back to the reality of a changed world.

BEACH BUOY.