A Little Bit of Colour

Another grey start to the day meant another walk without the camera but it is good to see a little blue struggling through the clouds now that I have got home. I will be framing all afternoon for The Old Stables and The Grand Hotel in Swanage so I must really stay focused on not going out again. It is for that reason (as if I really needed an excuse) that I thought I would post a few shots of one of my favourite birds to add a little colour to the day.

From Grey to Blue

There is no escaping the weather and early walks are really suffering at the moment, with fog closing in all around there is little difference between sky and sea and all colours are muted and dull. The walks are fine though, as they always are, but without the camera it feels like I have left my right hand at home.
Now all this means is that as soon as the sky clears and views return the call to be out and about is too hard to resist. Winspit was on the list for a wander the other afternoon for no other reason than I hadn't been there for a while. The views along the cliffs towards Anvil Point lighthouse are superb on a clear day and there was still enough of a swell to make the waves climb the cliffs. 

Apart from that, on this sunny but chilly January day, it was good to play hide and seak with the local lizards, I enjoy this far too much and am never ready to leave until I have a photo or two..

Thinking Time

Sometimes a good walk is needed to clear my head and try to make sense of what is going on in the world, for me it is a kind of therapy that I can’t get anywhere else. This morning’s early wander was one of these and it was made easier by a beautiful sunrise and the kind of clear blue skies that we have been missing over the last few days.
Now I am not saying walking the cliffs will solve all of your problems but for me it tends to put things in perspective and helps me concentrate on what is really important.

It's All About the Wind

The moon was still high in the sky when we reached the cliffs this morning and for once you couldn’t hear the waves as they crashed onto the rocks of Durlston Bay. You couldn’t hear the gulls calling as they circled above white capped waves either but this was not to say that the morning was a haven of peace and quiet. The overriding noise was caused by a wind that forced a path through the tree tops, sounding like a jet engine one minute and shifting sand the next, it drowned out almost everything else. I say almost because somewhere in the darkness of the undergrowth was a Wren, a fine little bird with a big mouth, that was winning the loudest noise competition at least for a little while.
Further along the cliffs a Peregrine suddenly appeared, effortlessly lifted herself high on the updraft and disappeared behind the trees. There were not many other birds close to land but far out to sea Gannets soared just above the waves looking impossibly white even against the breaking water. Far below, white horses were being dragged from the tops of waves and sent spraying across the water before they too were carried up the face of the cliff and into the sky.
On this clear blue sky morning, without a cloud to be seen, you could feel the spray as it fell like fine rain and that wasn’t a bad thing at all.

Winds and White Water.

When walking our cliffs it is easy to forget that pretty much the whole of the southern ridge, from Durlston to Worth, would have once been a big industrial estate. Quarries of all sizes were worked along here, some for generation after generation, and these have given us the landscape that we cherish today. Following the paths that weave between the quarries may not give us many obvious clues as nature has reclaimed much of what man has done but when you reach the coast path, the workings that have changed the cliffs are more visible as well as more impressive. The amount of stone taken from here and transported far and wide without the use of today’s machinery is difficult to imagine but what remains can tell us a great deal and there are many books that can explain what we see.
On a beautiful, blue sky day when these places are calm and peaceful you may be forgiven for thinking that working here, with the superb views and cool clear air, would be a joy and maybe on some days it would be. In Winter though, when the sea is churning white and the wind blows right through you but still your very livelihood depends on every hour worked regardless of the risks, they become different.
No less impressive, no less wonderful, just different.

Wednesday: A Date With Eleanor.

A few things happened on this morning's early walk some were good, some not so good but all can be blamed on Storm Eleanor.
First of all, if you know anything about me then you would know that any chance to watch big seas will be grabbed with both hands and the best and safest place to watch the waves is Durlston, so that is where we went.
From the hills above the clifftop you can see quite a way westward and it looked like the skies were clearing, if only for a little while. As it happened, it didn't take long for dark clouds to fly in and hail bagan to fall, this was added to the list of weather that Sika really doesn't like and she was less than happy. We rushed down the rain soaked hill to try and reach the shelter of the Dolphin Watch hut but rushing is never a good thing when there is not enough grip. So, after I scraped most of the mud from by legs and hands I quickly checked to see that no one had seen me fall over and we carried on. It was a relief for us all when we reached the hut and it was good to sit down and relax for a minute. Well, it was only a few seconds actually because I had sat in the chair with the nice big puddle of rain water in it and so jumped up pretty sharply! At least it washed some of the mud off!
We waited for the clouds to move on, which didn't take long with such a strong wind, and watched the Gannets and Gulls perform perfectly just above above the waves. A few Pigeons flew quickly passed, followed by a Peregrine which is as good a reason as any to get a move on.
So, an eventful wander to say the least and I don't think Sika has forgiven me for taking her out yet either but big seas are superb and are always worth the effort to watch.

Waiting for blue skies.

This morning's walk was later than usual and that didn't please the dogs. It was wet too and although Benny doesn't care, Sika is not a big fan of the rain.
So we headed off above Durlston Bay, through the woods, following paths that had become rivers over night. The waves below were pounding against the shore and that was the overriding sound but birds could still be heard among the falling drops of rain. I would have liked a bit of sunshine, something to chase the grey away and lift the day, but it was obvious that any patch of blue sky would be short lived. It seemed that it wasn't just the sky that was grey.
It is a funny thing though, regardless of the gloom and the rain it didn't long before I started seeing the world through more positive eyes. Watching the waves as they crossed the bay, walking through puddles and riverlets that flowed down the path, listening to the Squirrels as they chattered and raced through the trees, there was suddenly so much to see. Any walk, even a grey and wet one, never fails to improve a mood and this morning was no exception, even Sika cheered up when the Squirrels performed.
So the walk changed, we got wet and muddy and the way back got a lot better.
And then the clouds started to clear...