Sea Beastie

Me :Whats that worm with the pointie nose ?

D : Its a bit of seaweed .

he pokes it with his toe and it wriggles fast across the sand

D : Sorry . Its a sand eel .

Click to enlarge .

For months at Tynemouth D has been seeking pond life in the rock pools . Today we find a starfish , a hermit crab , a sand eel and hundreds of worm casts all within metres of the beach .

We also hear a seal barking , see a heron on the river at Warkworth and see a fishing boat land a catch of four yes four lobsters at Craster harbour .

eyeing up the chalets , Newton by the sea , Northumberland

and wondering whether any are ever for sale and if they are if we could afford one and if we could do they have internet access ( !! ) and if we could and they did , what is the likelihood of erosion and falling into the sea in two years from now and ....well where would we be without our dreams ?

Alice cant resist the birds , Newton by the Sea , Northumberland

We love the way she initially eyes them up nonchalanantly then saunters closer then just as you're thinking of raising the camera she is off and at them , and then on her way back , flat out or at a greyhound angle ( sideways ) having charged right into the sea after them , including submerging herself but sadly too fast for me and the camera .... maybe next time ....

Click on pictures to enlarge for a closer look .

Its Thursday so we must be skiving ...

Burma Cyclone

The reported death toll in Burma rises today to 50 000 and I'm sure its much higher . My cousin and his family run a school there for children with disabilities in Rangoon . We weren't able to hear until Tuesday morning that they are still alive . Even then all we know is that they have no roof left on the property , no fuel ( presumably to pump water ) , no water , little food , and with two very small babies in the family this is not good news .

My cousin has five children , all of them raised in Thailand for most of their lives . His eldest daughter Christy is a well known pop singer in Thailand , and searching for information about my cousin and the school and their situation ( stupid , Burma ... no information out .... ) I came across masses of info about Christy I didnt even know was out there . YouTube - Christy Gibson sings Thai YouTube - christy&jonas . But for the moment I have no idea where she is . No doubt news will filter through gradually .

Final pilot succeeds

Final pilot succeeds ! We have a long walk at Plankey Mill near Haydon Bridge and Alice negociates the Bridge without mishap though we are disappointed that the old swing bridge is gone .

She relaxes sufficiently to snout her way around the tracks without panicking overly and is so shattered when we return to the car that she flops exhausted by the car as we unpack a picnic and barely raises more than an ear as two little lads play football almost on top of her . Even Mr Grumpy the next door dog couldn't undermine her confidence and she simply dozed on while he griped and complained ( possibly the smell of my fellafels was getting up his nose ) .

July ... Camping ... here we come !

Early morning walk incorporating Lord Collingwood ,and the " pilot"

The pilot failed abysmally .. only because spotting us seated outside Luis' under the canopy , the staff invited us and Alice inside where she was offered a large bowl of gravy bones and one of water . Inside she snaffled sausage sandwiches , collected cuddles and tried to climb onto the leather sofas . Not much different to home then really .