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Much of a muchness
Things that make you go 'hmm'…
Tag Archives: cliffs
Mud and stuff
Posted by on April 7, 2010
These are the last few photographs from my sister’s visit to Dorset, the weather ranges from wet and windy through misty and cold and on the last day – the sun came out. I thought I would try out the new WordPress slideshow option – quite nice.
My #2 son arrived home on Friday for the weekend. I wanted to show him the fossils at Monmouth Beach so on Easter Sunday, we set out to visit Lyme Regis which was a VERY BAD IDEA. I drove us there at around 11.30am. We drove around and around but couldn’t find anywhere to park, Lyme Regis was full to bursting. We hadn’t reckoned on it being a) the first sunny day for a while and b) a holiday and c) lunchtime so we eventually gave up and headed for Charmouth instead. Same deal, only this time we ended up stuck in a traffic jam along a narrow lane leading down to the car park and the whole queue ended up having to reverse back down the lane to get out as there was no room to turn around at the bottom. Nightmare. So we came home :-(
We tried again the next day at 3.30 as it was Easter Monday and we figured most people would be setting off for home. It was still busy but much better and we had a great time walking along the beach with Milo. We found an area of rock on the beach known as the Ammonite Graveyard. (Click all images to enlarge)
It is quite astonishing and extends for a huge area of the beach.
This my son walking across it…
The cliffs along this stretch of beach are really unstable after the heavy rain we have had over the last few weeks and we could see water streaming off the clay and also watched large chunks of cliff falling onto the beach – which was a little disconcerting to say the least. I read in the local paper that 3 separate lots of children have had to rescued from the mud recently.
In the second image, if you click on it to enlarge it you can see an large ammonite lying amongst the rocks…
Of course all the muddy clay from the cliffs and the wet sandy rock pools were irresistible to Milo who had a whale of a time…
His day didn’t end quite so happily though, as soon as we arrived home he was dumped unceremoniously into the bath…
Have you ever seen a sorrier sight?
My son went back to London on Tuesday morning and Milo has been sulking ever since. He normally spends his days lying at my feet while I work but I am obviously a very poor substitute for his best friend, my son, and right now, he is lying downstairs on the sofa in the kitchen sighing and looks at me very dolefully when I walk in. Even a walk hasn’t cheered him up. Poor pooch.
It’s windy out….
Posted by on April 18, 2008
I love the colours of this book. I’ve always been a fan of lime green and navy blue and this Japanese Katazome-shi stencilled paper from Falkiners (where else) is very pretty indeed.
As you can see from the photographs it is still very sunny here in Dorset. We have had a really long spell of clear sunny days – a bit chilly perhaps but it’s so wonderful to see the sun. It encourages me to take long walks on the beach. I went a couple of evenings ago and watched the sun go down – so lovely, here are some shots I took.
It wasn’t the best sunset I have ever seen at Hive Beach but it was quite nice. Here are a couple of shots I took a couple of years ago. It was earlier in the year and there were a couple of nights when the sunsets were breathtaking. These photographs don’t really do justice to the colours in the sky but do give you an idea how stunning it was.
Today, I went for a walk along the cliff tops. Although the sun was shining there was a freezing easterly wind blowing which was at our backs on the way out but in our faces on the way back. I thought my ears were about to drop off. Here’s a shot of how rough the sea was as we set off on our walk.
Luckily, at the end of the walk, we stopped for lunch at the Hive Beach Cafe and devoured a bowl of wonderful Spicy Seafood Soup with a huge chunk of granary bread. It was delicious and I guess, quite a healthy lunch, which was good as the purpose of all this walking is to try and lose some weight before the holiday season kicks in. So I resisted the temptations of scones, Dorset Apple cake and other yumminesses on display – but it was very hard for someone who has no will power whatsoever. Luckily, my skinny friend has loads (which must be why she is thin) and I was shamed into resistance. On a nice day, (ie warm) everyone sits outside and enjoys the view and the sunshine but today everyone was packed inside keeping out of the icy wind, so we had to share a table with a couple who tucked into ham, egg and chips, followed by a huge slab of carrot cake with a lime frosting – so you can see how I suffered.
Not much else to report really. I received this in an email the other day. It reminded me of the days when I used to have cats, the days before they decided they preferred my next door neighbour to me and moved in there…..
and there is another one….
How true.
Come to sunny Dorset?
Posted by on April 10, 2008
This paper is one from Falkiners, ( gratuitous mention!) it’s a Japanese Chiyogami, which I have actually used before but in a black/red colour way. I think I like the black one best but the yellow is very Spring-like and jolly. They remind me of a Rennie Macintosh design.
Now then, brace yourselves for another Dorset geography lesson! I went for a walk this morning the sun was shining although rain was forecast, so it seemed churlish not to make the most of the beautiful weather we have been having. I went to my favourite spot, Hive Beach (my header image was taken there) but instead of walking along the beach to the east (as in my header image) I went to the west. The tide was in so I couldn’t walk along the beach. I walked along the cliff tops instead. The cliffs are amazing, they are made of layers of sandstone and are called Hive cliffs.
These are some other photographs I took a while back when the tide was out.
It’s a lovely walk along the cliff top but the edge is very dangerous at it is crumbling and prone to slipping.
I think you will agree that the views are very special. I do have a big problem though. The footpath eventually leads to this.
A huge caravan park (it’s about 4 or 5 times the size you can see on this photograph) and in my mind it’s a huge blot on the landscape. I know it’s only fair to share this beautiful coast and I know that I am very lucky to live in an area where people pay to come on holiday but really! These caravans are so ugly and so WHITE! No attempt to blend into the landscape. I must admit they are my pet hate. But then on my way back, I passed this
The white houses are on the top of the cliffs overlooking the beach, one is a hotel and the other is a house belonging the Billy Bragg, the singer. Every time I walk past them I wish I lived there.
Today I thought “Actually, are they any less of a blot on the landscape?’ They are also big and white and I suppose spoil the view – perhaps not so much as a huge caravan park covering acres of land but they are just as conspicuous in their way. Am I being a hypocrite? Or even worse, a snob? What do you think?
Much of a muchness 