A Brief Interlude of Summer

Posts have once again been on the slide.  This is wholly due to the unrelenting and completely unseasonal weather.  I haven't much felt like blogging and have had nothing much to mention which doesn't involve whinging about the masses and masses of rain.  Summer thus far has been a complete non-starter and any thoughts of getting out to my favourite spots in countryside have been a distant dream.

There was one mildly interesting event which took place a couple of weeks ago as the Olympic torch relay came to town.  I was surprised that it actually ran right through Bognor Regis since other larger towns missed out.  We had hoped, with the various events in the town on the day, the weather would break for a few hours.  Alas as the torch reached the town the deluge of rain started once again soaking all 22,500 people lining the route...including myself.  As expected, after waiting around for hours, the torchbearer and ensemble dashed past in a matter of moments and was gone.  I did however get the important snap, the flame still lit even in these most challenging of conditions.  There wasn't much to it really, but then how often does one have the chance to see such events.

 I had seconds to capture the runner...the flame it hanging in there despite the horrendous conditions

 The Torches on standby in the official Olympic relay bus

A little over a week later and the news we had all been waiting for broke....The Jet Stream was finally moving north and in its wake the most glorious, hot, sunny summery weather.  Temperatures have for the last few days been better than many of the top holiday spots across the world and so I tried to make the most of it.

First up a bike ride along the canal to Chichester Marina/ Dell Quay area to watch the sail boats and yachts on the estuary.

 The canal running south of Chichester to the marina

Rain? what rain

The footpath which runs from the marina to Dell Quay, lots of idyllic

viewing spots

How the other half live

Time for lunch, a relaxing and peaceful spot

Looking north to Goodwood and the South Downs with Dell Quay in the foreground

At one point there was an Armada of boats

Then as the mercury continued to soar I contemplated a walk on the Downs.  A few problems presented themselves, an ongoing foot problem which I'm seeking treatment for at the pace of the NHS...6 months and counting and the fact that the temperature and humidity was so suddenly high I was worried I'd over do the walking and end up making myself ill.  So I decided to go somewhere much more appropriate and local...somewhere which I take so much for granted I very rarely stop and enjoy the occasion in such perfect conditions...The beach.

Ours isn't a flash Beach.  It doesn't host an iconic frontage or have a multitude of amusements. The Pier is so rusted it seems to lose chunks after every storm which rolls in. Hell for the most part it doesn't even have any sand (someone made a bad decsion a long time ago and the beach went all FUBAR...sand was washed away and replaced with shingle)...but when it hits 32 degrees C, it doesn't suck to hang out for a few hours.

One of the seafront cafes has for years had a display on the roof of Marilyn Monroe and a Blues Brother with a donkey...then this happened.

I even had a actual proper swim in the actual proper sea, for the first time in over 10 years.  The water temperature was, as expected, somewhere between cold and freezing and the funniest part of my day was listening to the reactions of teenagers as they ventured into the water.  One lad voiced his thoughts on the retractive qualities of the water none too eloquently and rather loudly much the the amusement of the elderly couple nearby.

  Fancy a dip...guaranteed to refresh at around 16C

There was lolling, dozing, catching up with Dirk Pitt's latest escapades, eating of a picnic lunch, aforementioned swimming, people watching and generally a relaxing time.  According to the reports the rain drenched summer is making a very unwelcome return next week and already the temperature has dropped so whether I'll make it onto the Downs this year at all is a bit TBC....grr arg!

Excitable Cows and Wiggly Trees

After spending a ultimately lazy day in the garden yesterday enjoying the sunshine I began to feel a tad on the energetic side.

Dad had plans to go cockling at Dell Quay early evening and suggested that I go along. Now, I remember cockling....wading out into a fetid smelling bog of a harbour at low tide, reaching into ice cold shallows to find shells which contain small slug like creatures which are apparently edible....I also remember that these same fetid shallows claimed at least one of my favourite wellington boots somewhen in the eighties. I had no plans to relive this particularly fun sounding past time and instead choose to wander the local coastal paths.

There were two choices...north from Dell Quay to Fishbourne or south to Chichester Marina. I began north. The path followed the river and occasionally crossed through fields in which cows were minding their own business chewing the cud, sleeping and other unprintable activities. Giving the herd a wide birth I contiuned on upstream.

Shortly thereafter I happened upon an area of braken which was a hive of activity for local bunnies, feasting on the short cut grass. Naturally they took one look at me and scarpered. Figuring they'd be back I planted my bum and contemplated the age old questions such as: what kind of an animal is Goofy? and what superhero name should I take? Time passed, a few bunnies made brief appearences, but were soon chased off by insane blood thirsty hounds (FYI I'm thinking cow/dog hybrid and am leaning towards Stupendously Luscious Ultra Transmodizoid)

Heading back to Dell Quay I, once again, had to pass through the field of cows....field 1 was passed through without a care, however, upon entering the next field which had been cowless on my first visit I suddenly realised that my exit had been blocked and I was going to have to walk very close indeed....It was at this point that I considered that my choice of a bright red t-shirt was had its drawbacks.

I managed to not poo my pants and made it through the herd and was soon behid the safe haven of the gate....even though while posing for a picture one overly friendly cow decided that my Rainbow Brite top was completely lickable....ewwww!

The rest of my walk was uneventful...though on my way down to Chi Marina I came across a wood full of wiggly trees, what's the crack with wiggly trees?