Windy.

Bright and not too cold today. I took a chance and hug some towels on the line and by the end of the day they were almost dry.

We had our usual Sunday treats for breakfast, proper coffee and croissants while we listen to The Archers after which I went out and oiled the garden tables and the light chairs. I'd been wondering if I should wait until after the builders have been and drilled out the concrete blocks that made the base of the old bay window. On the other hand doing it now means I don't need to worry about the teak oil dripping on the new slabs. I gave the tables and chairs two generous coats before we went out for a walk and then a third coat when we came back. Oiling the dry wood is one of those jobs that looks great straight away but then as the oil soaks in you lose the shine and then when it sinks in further the lovely colour begins to fade and you're almost back to where you started. However I have plenty of oil and will keep on going until the wood won't take any more oil.

Down on the beach there was even more seaweed up on the shore and lots of driftwood. Some of the wood from the same source as yesterday's was washed up too. Oh how I longed to be able to get this home. I even wondered if we could make a donation to the lifeboats and get them to haul it up with their tractor which was out for their regular Sunday training but no doubt they can't because of regulations.

There was another small section further up the beach. (I found the glove down by the water and we put it on the railing at the entrance to the beach.) I suppose we could have hauled this bit up to the road and then used our builders' trolley to get it to the garden but I don't think I could have made the best use of it so we left it for somebody else. On our way back I collected lots of driftwood for my outdoor tree project. I think I need to have a sort out and see how much more wood I need.

This tree stump below is part of the petrified forest and is between 3,000 and 6,000 years old. The forest was enclosed in a thick peat layer under the sand until the building of the sea defences 10 years ago after which the sand shifted and some of the peat lost to reveal stumps and many logs. The wood is not so much petrified ie. turned to stone but preserved by the peat and when I've brought home broken off pieces they become soft and flake when they dry.

Back home I did some more oiling and then relaxed (watched tv) for an hour before preparing food and then blogging.