Menootanaboot; Beachery

There were two very bright days while Mac1 was here. The other days tended to the more usual xx shades of grey, with the occasional dash of liquid. This did not prevent outings. Mainly to the beach. When I say beach, you must not think in terms of palm trees and acres of golden sand. The shoreline here, as you will be by now familiar, is mostly of pebbles and rocks. Add in some seaweed, driftwood, sea glass and the occasional bit of china or plastic**, and it is one of those strands that invite beachcombers. Mac1 is rather a serious devotee to beachery. 

One can always be assured of interesting light effects along the Clyde. Especially when there is a storm lingering on the fringes.

Amazingly, the temperatures were more than kind. If the wind rose, it had a bite but sheltered from that; it was borderline balmy. Not a problem at all for me to sit and watch. Not that I am averse to a wee bit of beachery myself - but my spine won't cope with more than fifteen or twenty minutes of it. So I sit for the ninety or so that keeps my sister happy! 

On the day this first little set of silhouette images was made, Mac1 found some proper little treasures. A shard of crockery with a pretty blue pattern; several bits of sea glass; pebbles with interesting colour and texture; and the piece de resistance - a little rusted metal tag. A simple inch-and-a-half long by half an inch wide by 1/8th thick sliver of metal punched with a hole for attachment. Perfectly rusted. All such things go into her arsenal of print-making materials and fabric-dying goods.

On another day by the shore, we were entertained watching this fellow...

He was very close to shore, little more than 50 meters (55 yards), and I admit I was a wee tad concerned as there are some rocks not far beneath the surface along there. However, he clearly knew the water well, puttering along to the mouth of Blagaidh burn as it enters the firth and threw down his anchor, raised a tented shade and proceeded to eat lunch. As Mac1 beacheried, I kept a weather eye on the lone yachtsman as he then dropped the shade, raised the anchor and motored out to mid-channel. There, he cut the engine, raised sail and off he went, back in the direction from which he had arrived. You can't really tell from this, but it was rather a fine boat. Fully wood construction, painted blue and red on the exterior hull, and red sails. I watched and remembered fondly my twilight sailing days on Sydney Harbour...

Anyhoo, Mac1 was protected from any breeze by the water due to my fulfilling a request for a headband. One of the YAMster multi-yarn specials. I obliged while we watched Vera and Great Pottery Throwdown...

** Given the amount of shipping that passes this way, and the number of non-resident visitors, we actually do rather well in not having much plastic on our shores. At least, not here by Dunoon. As the tidal current comes right up against the West Bay area, it would make a natural 'catch pot', but somehow we fare better than other shores for such detritus. That said, it is also a fact that the waters of the firth are far from 'quality'... but that's a whole other discussion.