Home and Away - Part II

 From the Low Lands of Portland Harbour to the Dizzy Heights of

PORTLAND

this compelling snap across the 18 miles long Chesil Beach (said to have been washed up in a single night) and the village of Fortuneswell, if nothing else, proved to be a stroke of luck even though we didn't know it at the time. Deliberating as to whether we would strike while the iron was hot or leave it until our return the former option was taken with the view totally obscured by mist and rain on our way back. Via the wide thorougfare known as Wakeham we stopped to view

built in 1797 in the Revival Gothic style, once a private home and laterly including a

Fine Restaurant
it would now seem to be in the hands of a corporation?? and with no more than a fleeting glimps of the far more ancient

15th Centuary
RUFUS or BOW and ARROW CASTLE
both overlooking Church Hope Cove.

Heading to Portland Bill both the Lower Light (the home of the Portland Bid Observatory) and the more distant active Lighthouse hove into view as did an obliging

RAVEN
The next signs of Wildlife was not a bird at all but a small carpet, under the shade of the

PORTLAND BILL LIGHT,
of the edible

FIELD BLEWIT

FUNGY

with both perched and fly-by

SHAG
along with a small number of

MEDITERRANEAN GULLs

in its wake and while the none to severe Wind and Waves

(we've seen rougher ripples on our Tot Glass)
continued in from the South West while continuing to seek a lee behind the

TRINITY HOUSE OBELISK of 1844
Of all the Birds thus far logged the most bizarre came in the shape of a

SHORT-EARED OWL
that looked as if it was arriving from seaward, but in fact makeing sorties back and forth from the coast, occassionly as far out as the northern extremity of the notorious

PORTLAND RACE
running over the Shambles Bank and where it is said a number of different tides meet!

SHORT-EARED OWL
from the archive just for clarity given the shot above.
A stimulating place to be in such weather with a look to the

east along a boulder strew coast with a 'string' of

COMMON SCOTER
(sea ducks) with a trio on the surface and with a determined effort already put in to find the most favoured Wader in this locale and only one more corner to search. The walk to

PULPIT ROCK

past one of the ancient

QUARRYMEN's SHELTERs
and beyond

there in the mouth of the shallow sea cave

were half a dozen of the little darlings

PURPLE SANDPIPER

flying from side to side and feeding between sorties.
Leaving the car park the final Bird of the visit was this irrisistable juvenile

HERRING GULL
drinking and

bathing in the recent rain water before remembering the

CHESIL BEACH PEBBLE
found at Ferrybridge emblazened with this

Interesting Little Sketch

which will do no harm to the surrounds or the environment, and having changed my mind of
Living Until I Die to living until they are ALL painted!
and so Castles Made of Sand fall into the Sea, eventually!

The Jimi Hendrix Experience