here I am again..... back in blighty......lost for words but feeling lucky

wild bluebell and anemone

Spring has sprung.

I am back in the UK, and I have nothing to say.

I am trying to settle back into noisy, litter strewn suburbia. And I don't find it easy.

I do like my own bed though.

And being reunited with my friends.

And weeding the garden.

wild garlic

 As for a blog though, I am stuck.

So I thought I would try tying the numbers 123 as a search into my vast collection of photos on my hard drive as a way to find images randomly. Images containing these numbers consecutively pop into view.

And what you see here today, are the results of this random search.

I find spring flowers.

And some water.

A Finnish tit.

bird on a boot

A Scottish mountain.

Ben Eighe

An Applecross blackbird in a tree

who can resist the song of the blackbird?

A Norwegian camp fire

fire was here

Some Camber cones.

the cones of Camber

Some South island sand

sand patterns

A highland grit pile with a cannister on top

grit installation

A French fountain in Trelex

fountain, Trelex

Some random beach matter from New Zealand

random beach material

A hiking sign from Geneva

this way please

Some New Zealand coffee

refresfments, Kiwi style

A Yorkshire snail with cone

refreshments, Yorkshire style

A dry stone wall

dry stone wall

What do these say about me?


I like trees, water, cones, stones, birds, mountains, beaches, hiking and travel.

That just about sums me up.

I certainly should have smiling eyes today.

I have travelled the world and lived to tell some tales.

I have been lucky.

And you get to see some of the very strange images lurking on my hard drive.

You may feel that I am luckier than you.

Japanese t-shirt

Thoughts of a tourist on the massage table in India

marigolds

I am in an Indian hotel. 

OH has been here on business, and I have been persuaded to join him for a few days. He likes it hot. I like it cold. Currently it is 34 degrees. 

On arrival we got one voucher for a free beauty therapy at the spa.

OH ( my other half) insisted that I use my free voucher. 

15 minutes of beauty therapy. 

Unspecified. 

Designed to get me into the spa and wanting for more. I was reluctant, but he insisted...

As we have been up since 5.30 am to see the local sights before the heat of the day, I succumbed to his pressure after breakfast. We have a long day ahead, and the weather is very, very hot.

A young man at the spa reception desk looked in his diary. As far as I could see, the day had no bookings whatsoever . 

'When would you like to come' he asked

'Now please'.

No time like the present.

He pencilled me in with care. No discussion of what treatment was being offered. OH left me in his hands and I was ushered into a room. 

Door closed, curtains drawn. I expected a young lady to appear. But no. I was in the hands of the male receptionist, behind closed doors.

The young man instructed me to lie down. I lay on my back. He told me to turn over. I lay on my front, and through the head hole gazed down onto a bowl of beautiful red flowers floating in water, carefully placed on the floor below. How very relaxing , thought I. 

I still had no idea what to expect, and felt somewhat apprehensive alone in the room with this silent man. No one else around. As always, I expected the worst……..

I'd rather be at the beach.

the beach, Mahabalipuram

And then it began. Fifteen minutes of therapy in which my mind wandered……..

Ah ha!

It is a leg massage. 

He oiled my left leg and started massaging my calf. 

Ow. I cried 

Sorry, said he.

Up and down the calf and then down to the ankle

This is meant to be relaxing. Relax. Try to enjoy this. At least I have all my clothes on....

I wonder where the other staff are?

Why is massage always so painful?

At least there isn't any whale or dolphin music.

Now the toes. Each one individually crushed between his fingers.

That hurts too. I'll try to keep quiet and pretend it is nice. 

Does he expect a tip? Oh dear. I have no money on me. What will he think? And I haven,t shaved my legs properly. All this running around in long trousers in the heat in order to be respectful to local custom has allowed my standards to slip. 

Are my legs a lot fatter than local ladies' legs? Does he think they are disgusting?

At least I had a shower before breakfast, so my feet are clean.

Back to the calf. 

Don't laugh. It is not supposed to be funny. Pinching and flicking. And now bending my leg and ankle . I hope I am as flexible as I should be. I am so 'relaxed ...

Second leg.

I know what is coming now. A facial would have been so much more relaxing. Slick, pummel, pinch, stretch, press toes, press heel,stretch ankle, flick  vigorously and slide hands over tender muscles from ankle to knee.

7 minutes each side.

All over in a jiffy. 

Would I like the oil wiped off?

No thanks, I think I'll keep it as a souvenir .

blossoms

I am not sure I'll be back. Not for a bridal body massage or a Serena mud rub. Certainly not for the deep body massage, and not in a million years for the Serena Dhara synchronised body massage with two 'therapists' simultaneously, which will have a  balancing effect on the deepest recesses of my brain. 

Not a good idea. You never know what might be hidden in there.

Time to relax by the pool.

It's free, much safer, and I can listen to the sound of a hundred crows cawing under the shade of a coconut tree. 

crows and a coconut tree

the cone man cometh.........

morning light on the English Channel

I was down on the beach at dawn this week.

Fortunately dawn is getting later, but I had to forgo my breakfast when I saw a pink tinge in the sky and knew that any proper photographer would already be on the beach, waiting for the light, rather than drinking tea under the duvet and trying to talk themselves out of bed.

I wanted to see how the rock men were getting on rebuilding the sea defences.

The tide was far too high up to allow me to walk unnoticed along the shore. I therefore decided to be a law abiding citizen, observing the action from a safe distance, well away from the dangerous rocks.

The light on the sea was soft and silvery. Low in the sky. Metallic. Calm.

morning light on the channel

The seagulls were entirely oblivious to the action around them.

The lorries and diggers studiously ignored.

Seagulls, rocks and lorries

I crept towards the action, but heard an engine approaching across the beach.

I was in trouble again..........

Cone man had arrived, probably to tell me to keep away from the rocks.

cone man 

I soon realised that he was not bothered by my presence. After all I was not crossing any invisible lines into a 'no-go' area.


He was merely here to put his cones out.

Cone

He had three to arrange on the beach.

Three cones

He did a fine job, even if one was a little on the small side.


They formed an orderly line.


Ready to keep people away from the dangerous rocks.


Optimism in life is a good quality to have.


Cone man then hopped back onto his quad bike and was gone; into the sunrise.

Cone man returns from whence he cometh

Men and dogs arrived for their daily exercise.

man, dog, cone

The seagulls studiously ignored them all.

man, dogs and gulls

 I felt very hungry and went off to find some food.

all day breakfast

Cone man will return at dusk to fetch his cones.

I will return at low tide to see what I can see.




And so it will go on.

An Indian Summer at Camber Sands

saturday evening

There are a lot of people in Germany reading this blog; they seem to be interested in what goes on at Pontins. I know they love to visit Camber, and who can blame them. The beach is something special for those who live in a land locked country.

camber sands, September 2014

Walking on the beach last night as the sun set, and again this morning at low tide I felt very lucky.

My other half is enjoying the daffodils in Sydney, Australia, so I am living it up and eating lots of fish while he eats lots of meat down under.

each to his own.......

As the sun set there was an extraordinary calm sea.

the ship that carries the rocks

Of course I didn't go anywhere near the big rocks down at Jury's Gap that are being used to build the sea defences, and nor did this man and his children

nowhere near the rocks

or this dog and his owners.

a little bit near the rocks

I just enjoyed the setting sun, and the incredible stillness.

This morning was equally calm and still. An Indian summer in every sense.


The beach spotlessly clean.

the litter pickers do a great job

So it was surprising that the Sunday peace for many people in Camber today was completely destroyed by the voice of one man, who could be heard right down on the water's edge.

Pontins was having a '24 hour party'. And it seems that the whole of Camber was expected to listen to the compere.


I drove to Rye for some peace and quiet.

There was a rock concert on the salt marsh, and about 200 men in leathers on bikes at the harbour.

Must be the weather..........

I gave in and went for a run.

Indian Summer at Camber Sands 

Undercover at Camber Sands

Welcome to Pontins

It had to be done.

My good friend LP and I had been planning this for a year................we had discussed our outfits, and decided what cameras to use. I wanted to wear a lovely elasticated topped dress like everyone in Camber wears , but let myself down by failing to find time to buy one. LP did much better, in her pink jeans, colourful top and matching pink bag.

what I should have been wearing

A cloudy Saturday in late July was our nominated day for exploring what goes on behind the hedge at Pontins, Camber Sands. The hedge is high, and long.  Starlings like to flit in and out of it.

I have walked beside it many times, wondering what goes on behind.

As a child I longed to get behind the fancy railings of Butlins, in Bognor Regis.

A  dream unfulfilled.

No high hedges there. Just a tempting display of fun and games.

So whilst not necessarily fulfilling a dream, I was at last going to see what goes on behind closed doors.

Security on the gate at Pontins is tight. We spent the grand sum of £5 each for a day pass, left £10 deposit against the possibility that we might trash the place, and in we went.

It was quiet; uncannily so. Our  desire was to experience the place and take some photos, without getting thrown out. We certainly didn't look the part, being about 30 years too old, and without any kids in tow.

closed curtains means someone in residence

lonely chairs

We saw endless quadrants of apartments arranged in blocks with a shared central lawn.

We saw chairs; abandoned randomly. No sun loungers here.

pontins seagull

We saw seagulls standing , waiting for action, and rabbits hiding in the electricity substation.

And the staff quarters with a randomly fenced area of grass.

the main building in blue

We saw blue, and pink.

What we didn't see was much sign of any action. And the staff whom we asked about the bingo and quiz advertised on the days' activity programme were completely clueless about whether and where they might be taking place.

So we had a cup of coffee in the pub, and watched a young man win £70 on a slot machine in £1 coins. He was down on the morning, as we were too after spending a happy ten minutes on the penny falls.

We discovered the games room; upstairs and resembling a sauna.

We had a game of table tennis , and enjoyed the decor.

I shocked LP with my lack of ability to play chess ( years of being really stubborn to achieve that one)

but did win at table tennis ( years of playing in our garage and garden).

the games room

Suitably sweaty, we headed downstairs for some lunch.

Healthy eating not really an option. We weren't in the mood for pie or burger and chips, so headed back to the supermarket on site to find a sandwich.

meal deal?

We asked about the meal deal...............  no answers on that one. Just more blank faces.

We browsed the pound shop; some delightful Christmas earrings on sale, and the most amazing jewel encrusted emery boards took our fancy.

Back to the big blue building for Bingo.

Not a soul in the hall, and no-one to tell us anything at all.

A man did come in and turn the screen on and off............

And then left us alone in the empty room.

the 2.30 bingo session 

So we plodded off to the beach.

Where people were having fun, and we had a cup of tea or two and watched a seagull wait nonchalantly for chips at the Kit-Kat cafe..

We pondered over the safety regulations on the inflatables that were for sale at the beach. So many instructions, most of which completely fail  to be self explanatory ( bottom right).

'no protection from drowning'

We returned to camp, and realised that the punters were beginning to arrive. But by that time we were tired and our batteries had run out.

Time to escape................

looking out 

Back past the front gate

front entrance

and home for more tea.

We need to go back on a day when all the visitors are settled in and doing their thing. Saturday morning is change over day........... we at least know that now, which would probably explain why the place felt like a ghost town. We have worked out how to take pictures without getting arrested.

At this point LS had to wend her way home, so OH and I got to return later for what turned out to be a really fun evening of entertainment and magic for all the family, fantastically well run by the previously invisible 'blue - coats' . We had to laugh at the prize for the children's talent contest; a free holiday for all winners and runners-up at Pontins in Wales  in November !

OH wanted to stay up late for the Miss Pontins talent show, but I spoiled his fun and dragged him home for bed. 

Next time then.