Saturday 8 June 2013

Sitrep

Not much in the way of 3G signal at the moment, hence the lack of posts.
But rest assured, the Tense Towers team are in fine fettle and good heart.

At the moment, we're sat on some rocks eating our lunch (bread rolls filled with either tuna and onion or JD's home-made houmous). Tucked beneath some low cliffs for shelter, we are looking at a small cove. The tide is out and the piles of seaweed are providing food for a host of wildlife. For company, we have Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Dunlin, Sanderling, Knot, Oystercatcher, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Fulmar, Starling, Pied Wagtail, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Great Skua, Eider with chicks, Mallard, Shelduck with chicks, Snipe and Grey Seal.

One particular Fulmar is whooshing past us at very close quarters, the sound of the air over its wings like the crashing of a wave on the shore. The male Eiders are calling, with their comical "Whoo-oo!" which never fails to raise a smile. A Snipe is drumming in the distance and there's a constant background chatter of tern calls.

It's all rather pleasant, in a rotting seaweed kind of way.

6 comments:

biobabbler said...

Sounds HEAVENLY. =)

Wanna do a house swap, and y'all can visit Yosemite and dodge 105 degree temps, whilst caring for 2 hens & 2 kitties? Bear & I could then acquaint ourselves with your beachy friends, compare them to their California cousins, and weed your garden. =) And feel our core body temps lower.

Imperfect and Tense said...

We wish we could take you up on the generous offer. Sadly, we're staying in a rented cottage on the island of Westray, about 600 miles north of home. The temperature is 10 deg C cooler than MK (home) and much cooler than the 105F you're experiencing. Please say "Cluck!" and "Mew!" to the chickens and cats. Stay cool, guys.

Martin said...

I love reading your blog and can really get the feeling of where you were. What interests me here is whether you noted a few thoughts on a piece of paper and wrote the blog later? or actually pulled out a piece of technology to interrupt your idyll and tell the world about it? Maybe it is only me who feels this is odd aka. a sign of the times.

Imperfect and Tense said...

Good question. In past visits to Orkney (and other holiday destinations), I have kept a written diary of what happened each day and then typed a series of blogs later. This year, I had the option of blogging from Orkney, but suffered with poor 3G reception where we were staying. As luck would have it, the corner of the bay where we stopped for lunch that particular day DID have 3G signal. My muse was inspired by the wildlife and the scenery, so I wrote it live as it happened. More to catch the immediacy of the moment than to pass the baton from pen to touchscreen. OK, whilst I was engrossed in the keyboard, I couldn't see all that was going on, but I could hear and smell it. Being there does help capture the mood, I can't always replicate that later. I was happy with the result, but you raise a valid point.

Katie (Nature ID) said...

Samantha, aka bb, I might be up for a house-swap sometime (not this year since our summer schedule is already crammed full). We'd love to go to Yosemite, but find the lodgings/camping to be soooo crowded during the summer. Then, you and Bear could spend an economical visit in Monterey (average hotel rates hover ~$250/night in the summer season) with full-on Bay views from our balcony, a 1 minute walk to the Rec Trail, and only 1/2 mile to the Aquarium. It's currently 59 degrees and foggy at home. Think about it.

Imperfect and Tense said...

Two words, gals, 'finder's' and 'fee' :o)