The photographer got snapped!

This is why I end up covered in sand!

The Photographer got snapped!  It doesn’t happen often ... I’m normally the one behind the lens getting everyone else, and the 4-legged furry friends and winged beasts, to pose ... but today, both Suzanne and Denise thought it high time I got snapped.


It’s all good though .... I have all these images of my buddies on the beach but few of me and I guess it’s necessary sometimes to see HOW I get so wet and sandy.

I cannot get over how absolutely magnificent our weather has been ... there just aren’t enough superlatives in the English language to do it justice. Yes ... the mornings are cooler and crisp but the days are just heavenly .... I’m loving my little piece of paradise even more than I normally do ... and so is the hound.

Her enjoyment of it could have something to do with being able to be on the beach longer and wallow in the waves and sand whilst I have my coffee with Carol. Suzanne had seen me on the beach earlier so she bought Bella down to have some fun with the hound. The two of them are quite contented to ‘do’ their own thing in the sand and the waves whilst we have a chat ... and a chuckle at the antics they get up to.

Squabbling seagulls!

My hound had found a log .... a pretzel size log ..... not her normal mammoth ones .... and was digging trenches all around the beach chasing down her log. Bella was doing something similar with the hound’s ball. Every now and then the two of them would trot off down to the waves ... have a bit of a wallow ... and then trot back up to whichever spot of sand they’d been digging in, and continue with the excavation.

I love this pic ... the outstretched wings as they settle on the water

They were like two kids .... totally engrossed in what they were doing and blissfully unaware of the amusement they were causing. I just LOVE that the summer restrictions have ended!!


Earlier in the morning I’d been feeding the gulls and taking my usual photos whilst Gareth kicked the ball for the hound ... yep, he’s been joining me on my early morning ramble with Julia. I was kneeling in the sand trying to get close-up pics of the gulls when all of a sudden a wet furry bundle tried to get in on the photo action .... the gulls gapped it .... they weren’t hanging around whilst this little fur ball chased them. I think he only wanted my treats though as the chase didn’t last very long and he was back between my legs trying to see what I was feeding the gulls. 

Suzanne and Carol

Today was Carol’s last ramble with us before she heads off to Nepal ... her and Pete are trekking to Everest base camp and then on to Kalapathar, where apparently they get the most awesome views of Mount Everest. They’ve trekked to Everest Base Camp before but not to Kalapathar. They walk for about 23 days with 1 or 2 rest days interspersed throughout the trek, and they climb to a height of 5 545m above sea level. Just to put that height in perspective, Everest’s summit is 8 848m above sea level. A week in Thailand after that should remedy any aches or pains they might have.

The hound and I will miss her ... the ‘Chocolat Express’ , as Pete has dubbed us, has become used to coming back up the hill to walk Carol down to the beach. On her return from Nepal towards the end of May, the serious business of locating a new hound for her will begin in earnest. Chocolat can’t wait for another rambling companion ... and neither can I!!

More sand ... and sand .... and sand ... and hounds!

Abi, showing how clever she is !

Wally (back view) Suzanne, Carol, Denise and Vi (with Bella the Poodle in front)