SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL. 22 11 20.

Beach Buoy woke at 5-35 am.

He made a coffee and faffed on.

They left for the beach at 6-45 am.

As he locked the front door he could see the red lights of the wind turbines, out in the bay.

He started the engine of the van and drove the short distance to the beach.

They passed a man walking a back dog.

 The dog and its shadow looked like identical twins.

They reached the dark car park; they were the first vehicle today.

They headed down the access ramp at 7-02 am.

An invisible aeroplane flew high above them.

They reached the water's edge and headed south.

The air had a chill, a chill that drifted from the dunes to the west.

A blood orange glow appeared to the south.

Hopes of a dramatic sunrise were raised.

It was cold.

Beach Buoy had put a hood up over his wool hat and pulled his snood over his face as if he was about to enter a shop...

Beach Buoy watched the Steel Blue Sea  as the socially distancing 7 am  club overtook him.

Out in the bay, black dots of seabirds took flight randomly at varying heights.

They looked like notes on some sheet music.

The Sound of the Sea, the tune.

Others sat out just offshore on a clam sea, in the half light,

bobbing about like plastic ducks in a dimly lit funfair.

A couple headed up to a vantage point, high in the dunes and embraced as they admired the beauty of the orange sky and possibly that of each other?

A socially distancing  fisherman stood trying to catch  socially distancing fish.

He seemed oblivious to the colours to the south?

Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog stacked Stubborn Dog Stack.

They cut through the dunes and headed for North Gare Pier, passing the fisherman as they did so.

It became obvious, once they had reached the Pier that there would be no visible sunrise today. 

The promising orange glow, replaced by a disappointing grey.

Beach Buoy scanned the river for a while then decided to return to Seaton Carew, the van and a warm cup of coffee.

A Mermaid cloud accompanied by some Dolphins passed over the Sea Serpent marker.

Beach Buoy looked over to the doomed structures , awaiting dismantling

Back on the beach, heading North.

Lines of sea coal had been left behind as the sea had retreated.

The scene looked like a work of art in progress as the artist tried to decided just where the strand line would be.

They headed back.

They were being watched.

They reached the van.

Coffee time.

Transporter a beach hut in disguise.

Beach Buoy drank that coffee and headed back.

Later ... they returned to the beach.

It was bright and fresh but so much better than just sat, waiting for the day to become night.

BEACH BUOY.

 

SEATON SANDS , HARTLEPOOL, 21 11 20. AGAIN...

Afternoon coffee with a sea view from the mobile beach hut.

The sunshine was most welcome.

Seaton Carew seemed to be bursting at the seams?

BEACH BUOY.

 

SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL.. 21 11 20

Beach Buoy sat with a cup of coffee.

It was just before 7 am.

Stubborn Dog waited patiently in the back of the van.

There was only one other vehicle in the now vast car park.

Beach Buoy sat looking at the break in the clouds, wondering if the would be a bright sunrise this morning?

No was the answer.

They headed to the beach, then southwards.

It was 7-01 am.

The breeze that was blowing across from the dunes wasn't as cold as it sounded.

Beach cleaned tennis ball.

They stacked Stubborn Dog Stack.

The breeze blew on their backs as they looked out to sea and pondered.

Gulls twisted almost playfully in the air, just offshore.

They seemed as pleased to see the daylight as Beach Buoy was?

They began a slow walk back.

Beach Buoy beach cleaned this wire brush / scraper combination.

The sea claimed more and more of the beach as the tide came in.

   Beach Buoy beach cleaned this Visor headband.

They headed back to the van.

They dropped the items into one of the promenade bins.

Cars began to arrive and as you would expect, people too.

An impromptu keep-fit class assembled, all socially distant.

They leaned and stretched together but alone...

Their cars parked uniformly thus;

Park one.

Miss one.

Park one.

Miss one.

Someone was sat in  the rear of their small hatchback with the tailgate open.

They must have asked a newly arrived motorist to take their photograph as they posed in the rear of the small car.

Possibly the photograph for social media?

'Am at the beach.'

Who would do that ?

🙋

Beach Buoy didn't stay for a while as he normally would have done.

He had  "Stuff" to do.

He drove off, passing the newly installed CCTV camera as he did so.

That should put an end to the Boy and Girl Racers?

BEACH BUOY...

🚐🚐🚐🚐🚐🚐🚐🚐🚐🚐🚐

DAY OFF 20 NOV 2020. FRIDAY ... SEATON SANDS.

Beach Buoy had to go to Middlesbrough.

So it was time for a day off.

Four days holiday taken all year.

Today was the fifth.

Some People are like this.

Never sure just who is going to show up.

They are hard times though.

Maybe cut everyone a little slack?

Later in the day they headed for the beach in the van for some more exercise.

They arrived at 3-15pm.

It was a bleak and windswept scene.

The tide was well out.

The dirty dishwater grey sea was wild.

They stacked Stubborn Dog Stack.

They looked down to the water's edge as around Thirty Oyster Catchers stood, searching to see what each wave had delivered for supper.

They headed back to the van that was waiting in the car park like a haven.

Five Gulls flew from the direction of the dunes, heading out to sea, noisily and quickly with a tailwind.

They and their argument drifted into the distance.

Hidden eventually by the greyness of the day and the roar of the sea.

Old cold fingers that had made beach notes and had taken beach photographs were shuffled into warm pockets.

As they left; the rain arrived.

The Owner of The Hungry Seagulls started to store once optimistic tables and chairs.

The lights from his outlet lit up a darkening promenade.

Beach Buoy.

 

SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL, WEDNESDAY 18 11 20

It was 3-39 pm

It had rained and rained earlier.

The Car Park was soaked.

The Sun decided to see just how wet the Car Park was and showed up to have a sneaky peak.

The Bay was full of rain and stunning clouds.

A nod to the seaside ice cream; the clouds had  lemon top.

A little brown dog came running over three times as if Beach Buoy was it's long lost owner. 

The little friendly dog received a very warm welcome and neck rub each time.

Beach Buoy was tempted up to the dunes earlier than usual.

He wanted to watch the light show taking place up in the sky beyond the dunes, towards the setting sun.

They returned to the beach.

What a mixture of clouds and colours over by The Wind Turbines.

It was like a summer sunset and snow clouds all rolled into one.

They headed south to stack the stack.

A boat left the River.

In the blink of an eye, colours faded.

The Carnival was over.

It suddenly felt like a wintery walk back

A slither of Moon kept them company

 

Lights.

Music.

Off we go.

BEACH BUOY.

😁

🚌

SEATON SANDS, 16 NOV 2020.

It was a Monday

It was 3-45 pm.

The tide was high.

There was a fresh breeze from the south west.

They headed south in the already fading light.

They stacked Stubborn Dog Stack.

A fisherman fished down by the grey rocks.

New map arrived today.

Hopefully 2021 will be better.

BEACH BUOY.

 

SEATON SANDS, HARTLEPOOL,15 NOV 2020.

 It was just after 7 am when they reached the beach in the van.

Beach Buoy took a sip of hot coffee from the thermal cup stored down near the gear stick.

He had put the dashboard's colourful Christmas type lights on for a short while.

Beach Buoy didn't like The Darkness; Justin the lead singer was  a  good singer, just not this cup of tea.....

Two ladies unloaded a couple of toddlers from their car.

They all headed for the beach.

It was around twenty five minutes to sunrise.

Sadly the dull orange pre-dawn glow in today's first photograph was all we were going to see of the sun until mid-morning.

Up to the south the 7 am club were following the lockdown rules as well as the strand line.

One plus one.

Together but alone.

Sound familiar ?

Two ladies took a blanket from their car and went and sat down by the dune edge.

Perhaps they were waiting for the sunrise?

Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog headed south.

Two ladies in bobble hats (Duts) and linked arms overtook them. 

The tide was way out.

The beach's vastness was glorious.

Beach Buoy loved a low tide; space, reflections, space... did Beach Buoy mention space?

A couple sat on the large driftwood tree.

They looked like a couple of additional branches, albeit colourful ones.

The dune edge had been taking a battering lately.

Out in the Bay the Turbine blades were edge on to Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog; they all faced south west.

They stacked the stack.

Eventually it will  be know as Stubborn Dog Stack.

The two Bobble hat ladies headed back to the North via the dune system.

They returned to the beach and continued south to the North Gare Pier.

After naming the stack, Beach Buoy decided to name some of the world war two tank traps.

After all they were works of art; designed by the sea.

THE DANCER.

THE TRACTOR.

FEET OF CLAY.

PUTTING THE WORLD TO RIGHTS.

OLD FRIENDS.

THE KISS.

Very slow walk back.

 

They headed back on undulating sands.

They reached the van.

Allowed exercise completed it was time for

Allowed Coffee and Biscuits.

Allowed Turquoise LED lights along the van's worktop.

Time to leave.

BEACH BUOY.