A lovely summer's day for the start of August. The breeze was refreshingly cool in the morning but later died down and was much warmer when it returned in the afternoon.
As usual Friday had taken it out of me and I didn't get up until 7.00 having closed my eyes again after I first woke at 5.00.
Too often I've been working hard, (usually hedge cutting or painting) and feeling sorry for myself when I hear and see people enjoying themselves on the beach. So having drunk my tea on the terrace I decided to put work aside for once and went out for a beach walk shortly after 8.00.
A number of people were out running mainly on the road but apart from a couple of people fishing the beach was almost deserted. Though of course there were a couple of people walking their dogs despite the fact that there are plenty of signs saying dogs are banned from the beach. I did my civic duty and asked both dog walkers if they were aware of the ban. Yes, said one, That's why I come on the beach early. What an attitude. He may or may not pick up his dog's mess but it still contaminates the sand.
Notable today were the many by-the-wind sailors (velella) in the strand line. At first glance their colour and size gives them look of mussel shells but on closer inspection the upright sail and their jelly-like nature can be seen. They have stinging tentacles which are at the worst a mild irritant to some people but are not classed as jellyfish. Sad to see so many blown ashore by the wind which is their only means of propulsion.
Sad too was the sight of a dead cetacean rolling about at the edge of the waves. Long dead it wasn't possible to tell if it was a common dolphin or a harbour porpoise. I took photos and sent a report to a group which keep records of all cetacean strandings in Wales.
Not so benign was this lion's mane jellyfish (as far as I can tell) which has a very unpleasant sting.
My plans for the day were to finish off some bits of outdoor painting and then get out the electric hedge cutter to tidy up the hedges. But painting a pair of metal garden gates as well as some brickwork at the bottom of the garage wall and around an old drain cover with brick red paint (free from the dump) took up most of the time and the hedges had to wait.
It was only at the end of the afternoon that I was able to walk to the other end of the village to Chalkfest. The annual chalking of the back of the sea wall is part of a fortnight of village activities and events that culminate in the Carnival next Friday.
Anyone can have a go and there were lots of interesting entries.
Some of the submerged forest that sits under the sand.
