Play Misty For Me: Walking and Some More...

After quite a while not walking across Hastings Country Park, for many reasons, I ventured across to Fairlight and back early(ish) yesterday morning, and you've got it! It was a wee bit misty... I walked along the seafront to the East Hill, stopping for a chat with Paul (the street cleaner), always a great chat, then up the 200-odd steps of the East Hill; looking back in the photograph above, and mist...

I crossed the East Hill to Barley Lane, for a while walking along with, and chatting to, one of my new friends I made in the first lockdown, he mentioned he hadn't seen me for a while, and I left him to get into his car in Barley Lane, whilst I carried on eastwards until I was above Fairlight Glen, which I walked down into, and back up out of (above), and, yes, it was still misty...

I then walked across to, and down into, and back out of, Warren Glen, across the top and into the larger of the old Fairlight sand quarries, where I spotted this new information board, maybe someone had read my blog last year, certainly this information could have been shared long ago, better late than never. 😉 Interestingly, there are not just new information boards around, another at the new visitors' centre at Fairlight, Bale House (blog), but quite a few new direction signs too.

And some bullocks have turned up during my absence (above, just down from the information centre), this in addition to the usual 6 Belted Galloway, which can just be seen in the photograph below, way down across Warren Glen, honest!

Warren Glen, still misty!

And walking back, to my right, is this field (above) with wild flowers, including sunflowers, it will likely have a crop planted next year, and still misty! Oh yes, and I collected sufficient sloe berries for this year's vintage sloe gin...

And from Fairlight to St Leonards, indeed, even as far to the north as Westfield, the weekend just gone, and next weekend 11th and 12th September, there are the Coastal Currents Arts Festival Open Studios (website), keep your eyes open too! Examples...

I'm sure I wanted to say something else too, I'll likely remember by tomorrow, cheers!

Oh yes, the West Hill Lift is working again! 😀

Fishing Fleet, Foxes & Frost! There's an Alliteration for you...

Reading the Guardian online recently (website), I wasn't too surprised that it reported that members of the Hastings Fishing Fleet are unhappy with the Government's 'deal' with the European Union. I have written many times about the local fishing fleet since I wrote about the Greenpeace visit to Hastings nearly 6 years ago (blog), which included a meeting where Paul Joy voiced similar thoughts to those he discusses in the Guardian article. A "passionate Brexiter" and knowledgeable about the industry, he had admitted that the UK government department responsible (DEFRA and their website) was guilty of badly translating the Common Fisheries Policy quota details, disrespecting the smaller fishing boat fleets whilst favouring the larger fishing boat fleets.

But I was surprised to read that Paul's fishing boat is not going out fishing now, especially looking back to seeing the lights of 3 or 4 fishing boats out at sea this morning, when I began my daily exercise before 07.00. I have since spoken to one of the fishermen I know who told me that he had gone out this morning at about 06.00 to lay nets which they will return to tomorrow morning. He told me that there aren't many fish around at the moment, but he suggested it's likely that Paul's boat will be out again in the Spring, though there is no hint of that in the Guardian article. Anyway, you will be pleased to know that members of the local fishing fleet are still fishing in local waters. Developments will be very interesting, I believe...

Field above Fairlight Glen

Anyway, foxes! Recently, I heard a couple of foxes 'screaming' in someone's garden just around the corner from where I live in the town centre, and this morning, whilst still quite dark, I spotted what I at first thought was a dog chasing after a fox across the East Hill... But no, it was a second bigger fox, presumably a dog fox, and yes, January is the mating season for foxes, so if you've been hearing foxes screaming at one another, you know the reason why, it's January and foxes are procreating!

Why the photograph above? Well, it was too dark to photograph the foxes, and they were running too quickly for me to get out my mobile phone anyway. And Fairlight was the destination for me to turn around at for my daily exercise today, nice sky too. 😉

And frost? I have to admit I've not owned a car for many years now, mainly using public transport, or walking, to get about, although not so much public transport for the last 10 months! And frost isn't really something I take notice of, although I do remember the inconvenience of having to clear windscreens. But the first lockdown last year changed the way I look at nature, and this morning, whilst walking back along Barley Lane, I couldn't help noticing the wonderful leaf-like patterns not just on windscreens, but on car bonnets too, like in the photograph above that I took this morning. I just looked up why this happens (most references are about patterns on glass, for example this reference), which explains that it is caused by tiny imperfections in, or on, the glass.

Isn't nature wonderful, and Jack Frost an excellent artist?!? 👍

Have a good weekend, and stay safe folks! 

Sunday Ramble, and revised public loos opening times...

As I mentioned an update about the public toilets opening times I thought I'd get it out of the way first, meaning you don't have to read through my rambling to get there. On my way back from my daily exercise/walk I met up with Judy who informed me that the public toilets at the Stade and those at the Pelham Beach car park, are now open from 9.00 am to 10.00 pm daily, or from 09.00 to 22.00 in 24 hour-clock-speak.

Above is the wee stream that descends Warren Glen, this morning at about 06.35, now I think it's quite cute, and the lighting wasn't too bad, considering, however... 

Before I reached Warren Glen I had a very quiet start to the morning, I saw a couple of lads from a distance in the town centre soon after leaving home, I think they were either acting suspiciously at 05.20 in the morning, or they feel the cold! They both had hoods up, it looked like from jackets, but they were a way away, so they could have had hoodies up plus jackets on top, anyway folks, was this suspicious, do you think, or are modern day youths just that soft? I'm wearing a polo shirt at the time... 😉 

Oh, and I didn't see anyone else until I got up to Barley Lane, when I think it was Neil and his wife walking along in front of me, at pretty much the same speed as me, so I didn't catch up with them before I turned off right, and down into Fairlight Glen, where I actually met someone for the first time. It was about 8 someones actually, all aged somewhere between nappies and 18, probably about 15/16 years of age, give or take, but acting closer to 12. I was nice and friendly, as I always am, said 'hello' and smiled, all I got back was some strange animal noises from one or two of them, giggles, and a shouted "BALDY!" Now, they'd probably been out all night, I couldn't smell alcohol, so I'm guessing they'd been sniffing gas (which I have mentioned in a blog before), seems to be the drug of choice for youngsters these days, and the only reason I can imagine for 8 young lads to be spending the night 'out in the country' together...

This (above photograph of pony and Warren Glen) is after I had passed the posse, and walked back over into Warren Glen, took the photograph of the stream, carried on up to Firehills and the far eastern edge of Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve, then walked back to above Warren Glen, where I had a wee chat, more sensible discourse this time, with the 6 ponies (the other 5 are to our left/the east of the photograph). 

But I had been walking along, musing about my own teens, and how I had never taken drugs (a big NO NO for my parents, and for me, fortunately), but had enjoyed the similar benefits of testosterone and adrenaline, played football most of the time, or watched football, or tried to 'get off' with girls, sometimes did, sometimes got into fights (another big NO NO for my parents was carrying a knife, so I never did, fortunately, my mum always said that if you carry a weapon and get in a fix, you'd use it, she was most likely correct there, indeed, my brothers and I weren't even allowed one of those wee little penknives!). Oh yes, and we used to go to clubs to meet girls, drinking in a pub beforehand, or to parties with alcohol (usually a large bottle of cider or a Party Seven), and like all youngsters, we knew which pubs we could get away with drinking in whilst underage... But where did those 50 years go?!?

Thank you for bearing with my rambling, it was pretty quiet for birds this morning, but I shall be writing my latest 'Bird Blog' very soon, anyway, cheers folks and be careful!

And I didn't even mention Led Zeppelin (youtube) 😉

My Daily Walk Today - Just a few photographs

Firehills

My daily exercise/walk earlier today and another stroll to the far eastern edge of Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve and back, as I said, just a few photographs...

Looking across Warren Glen 

Not such good light as the previous photograph, but looking down into Fairlight Glen.

Rock-a-Nore Invasion?!?

You know something's up when 7 police vehicles and the Coastguard go tearing down Rock-a-Nore Road with 'blues & twos' blazing, and they're still there as I write! And ambulance. Though no UK Border Force yet apparently... 😧

Since discovered that the Lifeboat is now out and helicopter too, cheers Rod!

10.47 the helicopter is now at Pett Level apparently, again, cheers Rod!

Vehicles are now leaving (10.51), apparently moving on to Pett, maybe?

Out there, Fairlight Glen most likely, it appears illegal persons have landed, no sun today so the naturists shouldn't be disturbed.

Fingers crossed people are safe, whatever.