In spite of the rain and the wind (typical August weather indeed), Lord H and I opted for a day's birdwatching in ... um ... Beachy Head today. Goodness me, yes, it was windy, very windy. And there weren't that many people about, at least in the morning - surprise, surprise ... Only mad dogs and Englishman go to Beachy Head in near blizzard conditions, you know.
But, my goodness, it was wonderfully dramatic - which made up for it all. Although not many birds, I'm sorry to say - they were all huddling in the undergrowth and phoning Mountain Rescue ... Mind you, if there had been any birds, we wouldn't have been able to see them - we were way too busy hanging on to our hats, our footing and each other. Though I did suspect that if we had accidentally fallen off the cliff (yes, you can get terrifyingly close!), the wind would probably have blown us back onto land anyway.
However, after the mist came down, we decided that we were probably too wet, cold and confused to have any more fun just then so we retired to the Beachy Head Hotel & Restaurant where we tucked into a glorious roast turkey dinner followed by Eve's apple pudding (me) and rhubarb & raspberry crumble (Lord H). Bliss. The staff were lovely too. When we're next in the area, we'll definitely go and eat there again.
After lunch and a little drying-out session, we trundled along to Seaford, still on the coast, where we spent a wonderful half-hour staring at the kittiwakes from the top of yet another windswept (but thankfully rather less rainy) clifftop. Honestly, the views are to die for, especially as the mist had gone by then. Back down the hill, we had fun dodging the very dramatic waves as we stared at the kittiwakes from another angle but nearer the sea. I do so love the sea when it's rough - there's something about the power of all that water crashing against the rocks and getting the fallout of all that foam. Magic. Though Lord H is somewhat less keen on that part of it ... I also fear that my hairdo (such as it is) will never be the same again.
Back home, I'm planning to do a little more to Hallsfoot's Battle, and I think there's a film on later I might slump in front of. We'll see.
This week's haiku:
The past always waits:
the wasp lurks in the lily,
longing to be found.
Today's nice things:
1. Wild cliffs and wild water
2. Kittiwakes
3. Lunch
4. Writing.
Anne Brooke
Anne's website
2 comments:
I love wild, windy weather, so inspiring, if a little wet sometimes.
Have just returned from a drizzly walk on the beach with the dog, although it's far less dramatic than I imagine Beachy Head to be.
Very true! Walks on beaches are fabulous too, whatever the weather.
Hugs!
Axxx
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