It is what you might best describe as a 'raw' day. Sleet mingles with hail . Sometimes, for variety, there's a flurry of snow. A strong northerly wind blows all day. This is the perfect weather for those who are doing manic pre-exam revision and don't want to be distracted. At one point our heating goes off but the local electrician is close by and shows up within an hour to sort it out. A rain sensor on the roof of the new conservatory has short circuited and taken out the power on the ground floor. Within three hours the builder is on the phone apologizing for the inconvenience and saying he'll get a replacement system installed. News travels fast in a small North Sea town. Perhaps the builders responsiveness is a sign that business is slowing ?
Low tide . There's a drop of a good ten feet from the quayside onto the harbour floor. The cobble stones are slippery so we opt to walk well away from the waters edge. Twenty or so ducks are contentedly waddling across the mud. They seem to be loving these frigid conditions.
On the golf course a new wreath has appeared. It's next to the bouquet of flowers that was laid out last week. The old arrangement has been tied onto the bench to stop it blowing away in the winter gales. This is a practical touch although the lilies are now looking decidedly storm battered. The new wreath is a jolly red, white and blue affair. It's not tied down. I wonder how long it will be before someone comes along and recycles it as a Christmas decoration. The two benches used to be a good five yards from the edge of the dunes. Now, after last months high tides , they're right on the edge of the shore.
The municipal workers are hard at work dredging the sand that's been swept along the coast. It's pretty much blocked the entry channel into the harbour. Trailer loads are being dragged away and dumped further along the beach. This has the look of a never ending task. The workmen start at six and finish when the dog owners appear at seven thirty. They've learnt that trying to do this when surrounded by inquisitive mutts slows them down.By the golf course a wooden bench that's been positioned underneath not one but two electric heaters. This bench is very popular with the towns octogenarians. It's a dry spot with a great view but even a dozen electric heaters wouldn't warm it up in a wind like this.
On our way back to the car we find another bouquet of flowers. It's been put out since we walked this way twenty minutes earlier. Among the council workers it's not only the tractor drivers who are early risers.
So starts a day when we shall stick close to home .
10 comments:
Commemorative bouquets are very touching. More so are the single flowers left in remote locations to honour a loved one.
Coastal erosion has taken place at pace and will surely continue through the winter.
Flowers, after my mother died, I starting keeping fresh flowers in the house. She loved them, my father thought them wasteful. I'd sooner enjoy them while I am alive.
Hari Om
Outdoor electric heaters... in Scotland...whyyyyy?????? Can't think of anything more wasteful. Or pointless. Dunoon is having such a bright and sunny day today that, despite 3'C temps, the Hutch has just been invaded by a blowfly! buuuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... YAM xx
Have you seen this, Angus?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyx2dnn10gdo.amp
I was having the Christmas tree discussion with myself just this morning. In my family while I was growing up, going out to pick a cut tree at the lot run by the YMCA was an annual event. In Tokyo, finding a tree was always a challenge, as the cut trees were brought in by boat from the US at the end of November, meaning they never actually had any needles by the time Christmas arrived. Then one year, we bought one with a tiny root ball at an even more exorbitant price and it miraculously survived and thrived. So that was our tree for many years, coming in off the terrace every December. And then last year, it suddenly died, so I finally gave up and bought an artificial tree for the first time. I saw beautiful cut trees lined up outside Carrefours the other day and have been pondering what to do, but after reading the article, I guess we really should stick with the fake tree (which is actually pretty good-looking).
Yam, we found that in Sweden outdoor heaters (usually over a balcony or semi enclosed outdoor area) were the normal thing, and we spent winter evenings wrapped up, but sitting in the warmth from the heaters. It seemed rather strange with snow on the ground, but Swedish electricity was very much cheaper, all those years ago, than it was in the UK.
I love that first photo, there's something dramatic about a rough sea, I could watch the breaking waves for hours.
We have a skinny well-ornamented fake 🌳 with no existential concerns. Plus a four-level metal table tree that is home to fox terriers, cardinals, flamingos, camels, and other deserving critters. All in good fun.
Perhaps the builder's responsiveness has to do with the fact that you spent a great deal of money with him last summer and he wants to keep you happy. That first photo is a stunner!
I was never a fan of fake trees and for years bought a cut tree for under $5 st a dime store lot. We referred to them as Charlie Brown treesas they always were a bit wonky. That business closed years ago. I made a tabletop tree using horizontal bits of driftwood with a beach rock base. It doesn’t need decorating, easy to store and everyone enjoys it.
The bench with the heaters is beautiful.
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