A gentle reminder.

A gentle nudge on the back of my leg by a wet nose reminds me to hurry up and get our day  started. Dog owners may see it as just another outing to the beach. For my furry companion it's high adventure. For her there's no such thing as  an 'ordinary' day. There's a whole universe out there to explore, dogs to be greeted , or, depending on their nature - challenged. There are sounds to be listened to, vast mysteries to be studied. Hidden amid the seaweed are taste bombs waiting to be uncovered and tasted . 

Sophie was right to hurry me along. We're on the beach an hour later than usual. What a difference an hour makes. Yesterday it was deserted. This morning it's busy. The tide is also in. Sophie stands at the top of the dunes, surveys the activity, and then she's off. A howl of delight pierces the air as she goes. Some emotions can't be hidden.  A pair of senior labradors are greeted like long lost friends. Then it's the turn of a Sheltie, then a poodle and finally an overly friendly small ginger mutt. Collective canine effervescence. This morning Sophie finds a small mackerel in the marram grass. She carries it with her head held high. The joy when those olfactory discoveries explode on her taste buds !

Back at the last wee house before Denmark all is calm. A ship that services the wind farms has anchored in the bay. Does this herald the arrival of bad weather ? 

Yesterday, half a dozen folk wandered along the track to the shore. Their Polish great grandfather was stationed , in this very spot, after the fall of France in 1940. His unit was tasked with manning the coastal defences against the threat of invasion. The old cow byre down by the water was converted into a gun emplacement. 80 years of wind and waves have swept the surrounding pillboxes away but the byre where the gun was mounted is still there.  It was here in the village that their great grandfather  met and 'courted' his Scottish girl friend. The rest as they say is 'history'. Polish names are common here. Many members of the Polish army opted to stay in Scotland when the war ended in 1945 rather than return to life under the new communist order. The sophistication of passionate, hand kissing Poles won the hearts of many of the local girls. 

The farm shop calmer now after the madness of Christmas. The surplus of  heavily reduced Christmas cakes still aren't selling. We buy some sausages for breakast. Sophie knows here day is going to get even better.

 

It's taken a while but they've finally figured out the reasons for the longevity of Roman concrete. https://news.mit.edu/2023/roman-concrete-durability-lime-casts-0106