13th February

Finally the temperatures are rising - today is a comfortable 6 degrees... Yet, to my surprise, much of the snow that fell 10 days ago remains on the shingle.

Sea defence work is finshed but it doesn't look so at the northern end. I understand that a shingle bank is hoped to form over time as a result of the geotextile bags.

The eroding cliffs reveal fascinating textures and falling sand is scattered on the snow.

There is some angling litter (telltale signs: discarded newpaper and frozen fish packaging) and an unusual number of large bottles. There is also a considerable amount of foreign language items: eg water from Malaysia, juice from Dubai as well as the usual Dutch, Belgian and French offenders - almost certainly jettisoned illegally off ships. The high tide spits plastic cups and sanitary towels onto the shoreline.

A cormorant (or is it a shag?) flaps its wings by the water's edge.

low tide: 08.26 hrs 0.3m, high tide: 14.38 hrs 2.6m

time of arrival: 14.01 hrs

weather: cloudy with some drizzle and occasional near-glimmers of weak sunshine, wind NW 15mph, temperature 6c
marine litter: large amount of plastic bottles and litter from foreign sources (presumed to be from shipping)

 

 

2nd November

A sunny day with lively seas. An industrial-scale operation is being undertaken beyond the barricades and the bags are multiplying, lying in formation beneath cliff.
It is low tide and a large heap of sand is piled up just by the water - has this been imported for filling the bags or has it been collected at the site? Will it be used before the tide washes back up the beach??
There are signs of a fresh earth fall from the cliffs north of the works.
An unusual amount of seaweed remains at the high water mark.

The Coke can washed up with the weed (an all too frequent sight sadly) reminds me of the often forgotten global benefits of an Enviro-marketing TM approach to brand marketing... Once washed up, never forgotten.

Among the items I collect is an ancient Eden Vale tub and a 'Fleet Foot' rubber sandal, made in Canada. An internet search turns up the ads below. Fleet Foot was a brand of Dominion Rubber. The rubber shoes were manufactured from 1911 at St Jerome, Quebec, forty miles north of Montreal. In their heyday in the 1950s, 37000 rubber shoes were produced all over the world.  The newspaper ad is from the Montreal Gazette, June 11th, 1924! I would love to know the age and history of my new old sandal...

low tide: 09.21 hrs 0.6m; high tide 16.18 hrs 2.6m

time of arrival: 10.07 hrs

weather: sunny, wind SE 21mph, temperature 14c
marine litter: mostly larger pieces and heavier plastics; a headless teddy bear, three sanitary towels and, unusually, no identifiable foreign packing.

12th October

Work here has been continuing apace. The shingle shoreline seems like an industrial landscape - yet is ploughed like a field as 'erosion response works' continue... 

Very little marine litter to be found.

high tide: 10.41 hrs 2.9m; low tide 16.53 hrs 0.3m 

time of arrival: 11.37 hrs

weather: cloudy with sunny spells, wind 9mph W, temperature 16c
marine litter: minimal.