Thursday, June 10, 2010
A Tale of Two Piers
We start and end today with a pier - that's 2 Thursdays running we have walked on piers.
Littlehampton Pier......yes, we have been to the car boot sale at Ford today.
The weather was grey - almost drizzly, but we found lots to look at amongst the stalls; as usual there were some prices being asked that we couldn't contemplate.
And today I returned home with mostly books.
I did find an interesting 1953 coronation souvenir - it looks a bit like a football rattle. It is a sealed tin container on a stick and can be twirled round and round. It makes no noise - did it ever make a noise?
It would hardly be fitting to have lots of raucous noise (apart from cheering) as the coronation procession passed by!
We enjoyed our breakfast in the Balaton. It was warm and cheerful.
Then we took a short walk by the river and out to the pier.
" 'Ere! Oos chucking dirt?"
These words are from Stig of the Dump - a favourite bedtime book of long ago for me and our boys.
The words came to mind as a large splash sound echoed up from the River Arun.
I turned, a little accusingly, to see who was throwing things - but nobody was there.
And then we enjoyed a whole lot more splashes as a common tern dived again and again for little fish.
Those terns fly so fast and dive so fast - incredible.
And almost as incredible is the fact that Bill managed to get a picture!
If you click on this picture (to enlarge the image) you can clearly see the silvery fish in the beak.
It really does look as though we could walk to Anglesey.
The tide was low.
To walk to Anglesey you would have to get to the Menai Bridge - a wonderful structure.
No, she didn't have a windmill!
Ashley does object to having his photograph taken.
And what do you do when you reach the end of the pier? Sit down, enjoy the view and have a chat.
Littlehampton Pier......yes, we have been to the car boot sale at Ford today.
The weather was grey - almost drizzly, but we found lots to look at amongst the stalls; as usual there were some prices being asked that we couldn't contemplate.
And today I returned home with mostly books.
I did find an interesting 1953 coronation souvenir - it looks a bit like a football rattle. It is a sealed tin container on a stick and can be twirled round and round. It makes no noise - did it ever make a noise?
It would hardly be fitting to have lots of raucous noise (apart from cheering) as the coronation procession passed by!
We enjoyed our breakfast in the Balaton. It was warm and cheerful.
Then we took a short walk by the river and out to the pier.
" 'Ere! Oos chucking dirt?"
These words are from Stig of the Dump - a favourite bedtime book of long ago for me and our boys.
The words came to mind as a large splash sound echoed up from the River Arun.
I turned, a little accusingly, to see who was throwing things - but nobody was there.
And then we enjoyed a whole lot more splashes as a common tern dived again and again for little fish.
Those terns fly so fast and dive so fast - incredible.
And almost as incredible is the fact that Bill managed to get a picture!
If you click on this picture (to enlarge the image) you can clearly see the silvery fish in the beak.
Bill has been playing this afternoon, creating different looks for some of his picture.
In this Littlehampton river scene, even the pale blue gasometer on the left looks OK.
Bill had hoped to cut the grass this afternoon - but the drizzle got harder and steadier.....enough to call it rain. Tonight we are promised perhaps 2 inches of rain.
I sat and watched some of the tennis from Queen's Club - until that was rained off - and wrote up all the things I bought last weekend and today.
We have now decided to miss the South of England show this year. We have a free day tomorrow - but after 2 inches of rain the ground could be a quagmire and anyway we have lots to do at home.
Now, back to last Thursday's pier - Bangor Pier.
It stretches out a good long way across the Menai Strait and is just a few minutes walk from A's home. There are frequent strolls along the pier - and maybe an indulgence of scones and tea at the cafe along the end; but not last Thursday morning.
In its day it was considered a very elegant place to stroll and is still a pleasure.
It really does look as though we could walk to Anglesey.
The tide was low.
This is towards the mountains of Snowdonia.
To walk to Anglesey you would have to get to the Menai Bridge - a wonderful structure.
Just like the aqueduct we had walked along the previous day, it is a
Thomas Telford feat of engineering, over 200 years ago.
No, she didn't have a windmill!
I am sure she has had one once.
I doubt that I went very many places as a child that would have offered such touristy things as plastic windmills - but I did envy those that neighbour children would have bought home from their days out to the seaside.
Ashley does object to having his photograph taken.
Why Ashley? You are handsome and mother is very proud of you!
I really like this captured snap.
And what do you do when you reach the end of the pier? Sit down, enjoy the view and have a chat.
Bill took these three pictures of Ecky as we chatted together - and I loved all of them.
This is a web site picture.
This is a web site picture.
The photographer 's view is from Anglesey and shows well the length of Bangor Pier.
Ashley lives just beyond the land end of the pier.
Right - dinner is cooking...... duck egg omelettes this evening (well, they are not cooking yet of course). We bought duck eggs from a stall at Ford this morning.
Have a good Friday.
