Snow

Yes, we woke up to some snow this morning. Quite surprised actually, and rather gutted actually, because two days ago, after sheltering my latest purchase of potted daffodil bulbs on the kitchen windowsill for several days, I decided it was safe to plant them out because the cold snap in the north of the country hadn't reached us properly here in the south. I suppose I was asking for it. Yesterday we had a sharp frost and then today, the snow.

Not a great deal but enough to make me put on the snow and ice stud belts (bought recently from the AA via the internet) over my boots when I took Jade to the park first thing. By the time we went out again after lunch the sun had chased all the snow away, and I felt safe driving my car. (I'm a real wimp about things like that.) So we had a brisk tramp harbourside around Hamworthy Park, with some beach play thrown in, and I took a blanket to wrap her in when I had to leave her in the Asda covered car park for a quarter of an hour. She was still under it and warm as toast when I returned to the car with my groceries.

Walking at Baiter

I wanted to get a few small stocking filler presents for my great grandchildren today, as we are hoping to go and see them on Saturday, so the gifts can be taken along and left with my eldest granddaughter, their mother. This is very exciting as I still haven’t seen the baby girl born in May. We’ve had several attempts to arrange to get together, but they haven’t worked out. Anyway I decided to take Jade for a walk at Baiter Park as it is not far from the Sainsburys car park and we could go there afterwards.

  pic by Mike Faherty

The photo I found at Wikimedia Commons  was actually taken nearly seven years ago, but it still looks virtually the same. Even the waterlogged areas are the same at this time of year. Today there was colony of Canada geese parked right across the middle of the field. 

The path you can see in the foreground runs alongside the shoreline of Poole Harbour, and we walked past this seat on our circuit of the field. Here’s the footpath again (in one of my own old photos) looking in the other direction past the old ruin that makes the picture more interesting.  

Beyond are boats that are moored and one of the local yacht clubs. If you follow the road around the harbour in that direction, you eventually come to the Sandbanks peninsular with the open sea on its far side.

Walking at Sandbanks

pic by Nigel Mykura

We went to Sandbanks this afternoon and did a loop from the car to walk the beach past the ocean facing backs of the multi-million pound dwellings and then back to the car on the harbour side of the peninsular. It was windy and the tide was quite high; there wasn't much beach to negotiate in places. The photo above showing some of the luxury houses was clearly taken in warmer weather.

Jade had her usual fun with the pebbles and we met a few other dog walkers. Lots of kite surfers were out on the waves adding bright blobs of colour to the greyness of the sea and sky.

pic by Tony Hisgett

Walking was tougher for me coming back with the wind in my face, but not as bad as the last time we did this. Then we were with George and he had to grab me a couple of times to stop me being blown back. I don't think it affected Jade at all as she is so close to the ground.

pic by Mike Faherty

It's going to be a week or so before I can post again as Jade and I are off on our travels once more. I'll report on that when I'm back next week.

Sandstorm on the Beach

We didn't get to Old Harry on Saturday which  I reported in another post that I had hoped to do. The weather was dry, but we thought underfoot would be a bit too sticky after all the rain. I didn't fancy having to scrub even more mud than usual off jade on our return. She wouldn't have appreciated it either.

Instead we parked at Sandbanks again and went on the beach. We only walked the beach half way though because the wind was behind us and  the sand was blown into streams ahead of us. It stayed fairly close to the ground, at just about Jades' height actually. She still enjoyed chasing stones and digging them in and out  of the s and on the ground, but we didn't rate the idea of turning to walk back into the wind. Most of those sand streamers would have blown straight into Jade's eyes, and we wouldn't have escaped unscathed either.

So we trudged up to the Sandbanks Hotel and out to the road so we could walk back on the harbourside of the peninsula. Even here the wind nearly took our breath away and my ears started to ache as I hadn't brought a hat and my hood was blown straight back off my head.

The photo was taken on a calmer day from the path alongside the harbour, looking towards Brownsea Island. which sits opposite the entrance to the harbour.

A Poem

I'm not sure if I've posted this before, but if so, here it is again.

Strolling

Behind the park, the sea was still – like glass –
and quiet – just a ripply murmur where gentle waves met the shore.
Below the wooden pier the posts seemed elongated,
then their reflections shimmered, for the breeze stirred the water
as I strolled by.

To the right, the wooded shores of Arne loomed dark against the sky and sea.
Far ahead the massive ferry liner soared over tiny boats
as it slid slowly and silently into its docking place,
two small spirals of grey smoke climbing from its funnels,
as I strolled on.

The sand was polka-dotted with prints of people, dogs and birds,
yet empty of life until, around the corner, one brave sunbather stretched out.
The line of beach huts closed and shuttered, except for one
which an old man painstakingly painted bright green before the winter,
as I strolled on by.

Places Where I Have Lived

I’m a Devonshire lass really as I was born by the sea in Torquay; my mother came from Kingsteignton, near the market town of Newton Abbot , and my father from the lace-making town of Tiverton, deep in the heart of the county.  My parents lived in the house I was born in all their lives, and my sister still lives near it.

After leaving school I joined the air force and spent most of my four years’ service at a base on the edge of the Chiltern Hills near Aylesbury. Then I married an airman and our first home was near there in Tring, just across the road from the stables of Pat Smythe, who was a famous showjumping star.

When our son was three months old, we were posted to Singapore for two and a half years. We lived at Changi, not too far from this beach.

pic. by Calvin C Teo

The next move was to the Kingston upon Thames area, where our daughter was born. Kingston is a town on the River Thames, surrounded by Royal parks and within easy reach of Central London.  I stayed in the area even after a fairly amicable divorce, and my return to education to get my degree, and I was there for over twenty years.

pic by Matthew Black

In 1997 I moved half way back to my roots, to Gillingham, a country town  in North Dorset. After 12 years there, I was desperate to get back to the sea, and moved to my present house on a peninsular in Poole Harbour.

Stormy Weather

The weather was wild at Hamworthy Park today. We battled the wind to walk down to the shore line. There it still tried to push us inland. The tide was high and in danger of overwhelming the promenade which was splashed with angry spray as the roaring waves hit the beach wall.

Jade was alternately excited and fearful. We braved the muddy grass and went behind the beach huts for shelter, but in the gaps between them it took our breath away. Jade wasn’t buffeted as much since she is so low to the ground. Overall I think she enjoyed the wild weather.

And what we saw was inside Poole harbour, where it usually looks like this.

 I almost wish we had braved an extra 20 minute drive to see the open sea from the top of Canford Cliffs.

Wordless Wednesday: New Twin Sails Bridge over Poole Harbour

Pics from Wikimedia Commons by jeffowenphotos

Wordless Wednesday: Channel Ferry Leaving Poole Harbour

My Life by Jade - 3

 I love playing tag with birds. It's great fun, but I can't understand why they never let me catch them. They always fly off just before I get to them.

I don't think mummy told you about the adventure I had before Christmas. We were walking by Poole harbour in Hamworthy Park, right past the spot where you can see Eryn and her Uncle Sye in the picture. They weren't there on that day though, but I saw some birds sitting at the endof the little stone pier. So I ran out there to play tag with them. I was concentrating so hard, honestly, I didn't hear mummy calling me to come back.

When I got near, those silly birds flew off, and I saw I was getting close to the end, but I was going so fast I wasn't sure I could stop. I sat down and tried to dig my paws in but I just kept skidding on, and I was right - I couldn't stop. I skidded right over the end and into the cold water.  I've never swum before, but I learnt how to do it that day. The trouble was, I couldn't get out as the pier was too high and the waves kept pushing me about. I did catch a glimpse of mummy looking very frightened, then I realised that daddy had run after me and he got right down on the ground so his arm would reach my collar and he pulled me up onto the pier.

I was so happy I ran right back to mummy before I shook most of that water out of my hair. I think daddy was bit cross as he told mummy to put me on the lead, but she said I had to keep running around to get warm again  until we got back to the car.

Anyway it was quite an adventure, don't you agree? But I don't think I'll run out on that pier again as long as I remember it.

The RSPB at Arne

We went to the RSPB nature reserve at Arne today. You can take dogs as long as they are kept on the lead. We have an extending one for Jade so she can run around but we can still control her. Arne is just a hop,step and jump across Poole Harbour from our little local beach, but we had to drive about 15 miles around the shore to get there. I've been wanting to visit ever since we moved here so I'm glad we finally made it. 

There's a small car park next to an information hut where people go to report the birds they've seen. Every day they write them up on a white board. We didn't go especially to view the birds but to have a nice walk and see the scenery and any wildlife that cared to show itself to us. There were quite a few deer and some of them posed for me very nicely.

 

We walked as far as this little beach where we could look across the water to Hamworthy, the part of Poole where we live.

I was surprised to see lots of red berries on some of the holly trees. I hope that doesn't mean we'll have a particularly vicious winter this year. Last year I didn't go out much when it was icy. This year, of course, I will have to brave it to take Jade out.

But today, the sun peeped out every so often from behind the clouds and we had to take off our jackets and tie them around our waists as it got so warm.

Wordless Wednesday: Silhouettes

Sandbanks Chain Ferry

pic by peter lloyd from Wikimedia Commons

We crossed on this chain ferry from Studland to Sandbanks today as part of a round trip drive out through the gorgeous Portland countryside and back to Poole. At first waiting in the ferry queue was a pain. Then we moved up near to the slipway and had a first class view of all the sea-going traffic heading in and out of Poole harbour.

Because it's a bank holiday here today, it was really busy. The short crossing is the only entrance to the enormous harbour area from the sea. People were enjoying themselves in craft small and large, slow and fast. There were water scooters zipping along in a shower of spray; cruise boats loaded with passengers; Sunseeker power boats with millionaire owners on board; fishing boats and pleasure boats.

And once we were on board the ferry had to wait as the harbour master's little boat led the way out for a small tanker with half a dozen containers on its deck. That crew had to work, bank holiday notwithstanding.

Bournemouth Beach

The beach that starts at Sandbanks, the entrance to Poole Harbour stretches east for several miles past Bournemouth to Hengistbury Head. When I was in Bournemouth recently, I took these pictures of the beach.

The pier and beach from above.



Looking east from the pier.



Looking west from the pier towards Sandbanks and the direction of home.

Brownsea Island

On Sunday I went to Brownsea Island with my weekend guests. It was a first visit for all of us, but hubby and I are the lucky ones because we live close to it. You have to get a ferry from Poole Quay to get there. The picture is of the landing area. I'm not sure when it was taken but it hasn't changed.

I will go back alone and take my camera. I rarely take it when in company because it is a bulky SLR and I get distracted, either from my friends' conversation or from taking my pictures.

Most of then island now belongs to the National Trust. The exceptions are the church, which belongs to the Church of England, and the castle, which belongs to the John Lewis Partnership. The current castle probably bears no resemblance to the original defensive fortification, which was built to protect the small entrance to Poole Harbour with its 100+ mile perimeter.

Beyond the castle is an area of varied countryside dotted here and there with buildings. To the north is a wildlife sanctuary, but the red squirrels people the woodlands all over. We were lucky enough to glimpse one - unusual for such a warm day. Red squirrels are natives of the UK but they are now very rare since grey squirrels were imported from the US bringing a deadly disease which killed off the local population. Brownsea Island has been protected from the greys by the surrounding sea and is one of just a couple of places where you can still see them.

The island's walks are delightful and offer wonderful views across the water to the eastern shores of the harbour and the Purbeck Hills. But its main claim to fame is being the birthplace of the scouting movement because Lord Robert Baden Powell set up the first scout camp there in 1907.

We really enjoyed our visit there and the ferry trips, which included a tour round the island and some Whitbread fizz on the way back. (For the uninitiated, this is a frothy British beer.)

I can't wait to go back, do more exploring and get some photos to share.

Poole Quay

Photo by Adrian Pingstone at Wikimedia Commons

This picture of Poole Quay was taken in 2002, but if you take away all the people, it is very much as it appeared when I walked there this morning. It's very early in the season and the weather was drizzly, so not many people were braving it today. The Quay is on the far side of the swing bridge from where I live. So far I have concentrated on showing you the park, beaches and walks on our side of the bridge, and haven't shown you this before. But it's definitely one of my favourite spots and one of the reasons I choose to live here now.

Unless I have heavy shopping to get, I usually leave the car at home and take the bus, but today I just missed one and decided to walk. It took me about 45 minutes to get this far. I was heading for the shopping street behind all this, but I really enjoyed my scenic walk on the way.

Scenic Sunday: Poole Harbour View

I didn't actually take this picture today, but I could have taken one very similar because we went for a walk on Ham Common behind our little beach and passed very near this spot. We saw boats on the water, although not a nice colour one to put in the middle of the frame like this.

Home Again

Here I am back at home again, after a great weekend with my grandaughter and then a pretty long morning driving. I'm feeling too exhausted to write, so instead here's another picture taken from the footpath along the shore of Holes Bay - my nearest spot to the sea in Poole Harbour.

Holes Bay with Camera

When I went for my walk today I remembered to take my camera.

After about 10 minutes I came across this view across Holes Bay to another suburb of Poole.

Some lucky people only have to look out of their windows to see it.

This dead tree covered with fruiting brambles, bindweed and other vegetation, makes the flat panorama more interesting.

Moving Dreams

I’m feeling rather envious of a friend who has just moved into the home of her dreams, after spending a frustrated six months in rented accommodation waiting for it to happen. She sold her previous house very quickly after putting it on the market several months after mine went up for sale. Now she’s in the new house and I’m still waiting for a buyer, and likely to be doing so for quite a while to come, by all accounts.

Studland Beach is not far from where I hope to be living next. To reach it from there, the quickest way will be to cross the narrow entrance to Pooles natural harbour at Sandbanks on a ferry, as long as the queue is not too long. I understand it is very popular in the summer months. To reach it you drive past the famous millionaire homes, supposedly some of the most expensive coastal properties in the UK.

At the far end of the beach on the other side are some varicoloured cliffs. I took the photo there a couple of years ago in early summer. The second one is a view across the harbour taken from a layby where we stopped on the drive home.