THE RAMBLINGS OF A STRUGGLING ARTIST ON LIFE WITH TWO TERRIERS, A PONY WITH ISSUES AND OTHER WILDLIFE AND BIRDS THAT CROSS OUR PATH

5 May 2013

BUDE


What a contrast to the last time we were by the sea in Teignmouth, with sub-zero temperatures only a month or so ago. It took us about an hour and a quarter to drive to Bude, which, contrary to my shameful geography, is just onto Cornwall rather than North Devon. I know this, not just because we whizzed past a 'WELCOME TO CORNWALL' sign, but because it was printed on the top of our parking ticket. More stupidity here....we just forgot to buy a ticket, despite the 'pay and display' signs everywhere. Too excited about being at the seaside no doubt. A £25.00 fine we could well do without but, on a positive note, the diesel is much cheaper in this part of the world, and the parking would have been a staggering £5.00 anyway. Origami Boy ventured into the freezing water - rather him than me! 

Today, I did something I have always been self conscious and terrified to do, and that's taking pictures of the public. The photographers I most admire have always done it, so I gritted my teeth, and they were slightly gritty after dropping my sandwich, and pointed the lens.....not all with people in obviously, but the day would not have been depicted properly without doing so. 


Snippet on the rocks



Many of the horizontal rocks were eroded into these soft, pillowy shapes



The vertical cliff faces, not so pillowy






Preparing to launch....


Launching......It crashed to the ground seconds later sadly


More pillowy rocks 


Happy in the sand







Kidney Vetch....thanks Caroline! 

Sitting with the Antiques Roadshow again writing this and feeding the fire or we won't have any hot water tomorrow. It can be a chore when the weather's hot, but it's usually chilly in the evenings here. Snip is lying on my feet having had to be brought home after some reluctance regarding his evening walk. This is unheard of.....a slight limp on a rear paw seems a likely cause. What on earth has he done this time? Until next time, here he is looking particularly sweet on the rocks again.



12 comments:

  1. I don't know what those flowers are either, but they're lovely.

    Poor Snippet.. perhaps he stood on something spiky in the sand. Hope he's OK.

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  2. What a glorious weather day to be at the beach. However beautiful here still not warm enough for that, Em. We are not allowed dogs on the beaches around here, never mind off leash. Snippet must be such a good boy. xx

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  3. Glad you had a good day out. We sometimes pop down to Bude, it's nice to see different beaches. I've no idea what the flower is called, but there are very similar ones over at Braunton Burrows (that's no help with naming it though is it).
    Hope Snippet's paw is okay, honestly these animals with the things that happen to them, don't they know we worry :)

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  4. Ooh now I want to go to the sea! Lovely pics of Snip- hope his paw is ok. Also super of the woodpecker in previous post. They are fabulous birds but as you say so incredibly shy.

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  5. It looks like you had a lovely time Em. Great photos, I love the one of the exuberant toddler. I remember as a youngster, on one of our holidays in Devon, we had a trip to Bude. The big attraction was indeed that it was just in to Cornwall :-) Sorry to read of the problem with Snippet's paw, I wonder if there was a shard of glass in the sand? Adorable photo of him at the end :-)

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  6. Lovely photos as ever Em.

    You brought back some memories - had two great aunts years ago who had bungalows in Widemouth Bay just down the coast from Bude. Used to stay with them a lot when little and visit Bude a lot.

    Beautiful photos of the rocks - geology round that area is amazing :)

    Sorry not sure about the flower id although I have seen flowers like that at the coast before.

    Hope Snippet's paw is ok.

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  7. Rusty D - I think it might have been grains of sand stuck between his toes, or maybe just faking it due to being tired!

    Cindy - Snippet is a much better boy than he used to be! One of the reasons we went to Bude is because they allow dogs. They're meant to be on their leads but most people let them off if they're well behaved.

    Ann - The reason I wondered about it escaping from a garden is that it appeared in so many colours so close to each other. I'm quite relieved that no one else knows what it is either....I don't feel quite so ignorant!

    CT - I find the bigger the bird the shyer it is....bigger brains perhaps! Magpies are the worst and won't come anywhere near if they suspect human activity.

    Shy SB - I loved that toddler too. It's so difficult taking pictures of children these days in case you're suspected of foul play. There was another one of a little girl, but she was facing the camera and quite close up, so I didn't publish it.

    RR - We were discussing the geology over breakfast this morning actually. Those layers of granite alternating with shale. I need to look at our geological map of Britain. We get a lot of shale in the river valleys on the edge of the moor where the granite ends so perhaps that's relevant. My Geography 'A' level seems a VERY long way off!



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  8. Reminds me of when I was growing up in California-30 miles north of Santa Barbara. We went to the beach every weekend. California beaches aren't like Florida beaches-cold water, around our area small beaches with cliffs. No privacy fences either. You just spread your towel and laid down. Florida has big sandy beaches with warm water.

    Hope Snippet's foot is better.

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  9. I so miss being able to walk down to the beach... and Snippet looks so sweet being such a gud dug !
    Can you share where Snippet name came from and how old is such a gud dug ?

    cheers, parsnip

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  10. Gail - Snippet's foot does seem to be better so I think he was probably putting it on. The water was absolutely freezing so I am told!

    Parsnip - Snippet will be four in August and he came from the small town of Moretonhampstead, about seven miles from here. His mum is a Patterdale Terrier and him dad, a Lakeland Terrier, so we've been told....I'm not entirely convinced!

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  11. I think the yellow flower may be Kidney Vetch ... I've found a pic here. We learned a lot of wild flower names at junior school ... all those years ago! Poor Snippet's paw ... please give him a pat, Em. We love Widemouth Bay and Bude, but haven't been in that direction for far too long.

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  12. Thanks Caroline - that's definitely what it is. I've found images of it in different colours which confirms it. I'll label it properly now. I can always rely on you!

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