BACK TO NORMAL. (28/02/13)

I woke this morning to a waning moon and a sky full of stars. I should have put another couple of layers on prior to my trip to the shower block. Minus ever such a lot it was.  Clear skies and normal. Great!

I had medium to cool ablutions went back to the van, got the dogs harnessed up and with the chest harness toddled off to the sea with Bertha clattering around my knees.

                                               This handsome chap is me with Bertha…Fill flash, soft box the works. I’m happy, I look pretty….. The shot was taken by KEITH a month ago whilst I was down advising on all matters ornithological. I told both he and Trevor if it has feathers it’s a bird. I’m not daft!

I arrived at the seaside and settled the dogs behind the fishing boat. Plenty of birds around, as usual, they were miles away but they would come closer.

      As close as they got……..I suffered over half an hour of serious sunshine and brass monkey weather. Sunburn on my bald pate and my nether regions reduced to a fraction of their former glory. The boat people arrived.

    I gave up and retraced my steps to feed the dogs and breakfast. Bertha takes a nice enough shot of boat folk. Just as well…. damn nigh cripples me carrying it. Ice under foot doesn’t help….were I to slip slidey over then not only would Bertha suffer but I could be crushed.

I decided to go and look at the biggest port on the Cumbrian coast, Cumbrian Riviera I meant. It was built ages ago. It is better than Millom but not by much.

      This is Ravenglass station. The journey time to Whitehaven is about half an hour and the fare is £5.60p return on any train, the ticket is purchased on the train……no messing about…..dogs go free….Cheap. Why does it cost a hundred pounds or more Sheffield to London? Why don’t London trains go to airports? It only takes twice as long and a bit as this. I can only think it is MPs inflating their expenses yet again. It is cheaper for me to fly than go by train from the north of England to take advantage of cheap London flights. Probably would be here but neither Ravenglass nor Whitehaven have airports and anyway airlines can be funny about dogs. It is a wonderful system one tells the guard if you want to hop off at halts along the permanent way and he gives the driver the nod to stop. A proper service and the train was fullish so it is appreciated. Thank you Northern Rail. Alf was excited and stank the carriage out but all was well, I blamed his putrid flatulence on the Collie two seats in front.  His owner said Bob give up with the farting.! We’ll soon be there. Bob did not look happy.

       It is a big port…..Built to provide a safe haven for fishing boats and for merchant vessels shifting coal. It’s massive but redundant.

This is what the EEC used to spend money on….a posh bandstand.

   This man does deserve a mention. John Paul Jones the only American to invade England. Here he is depicted spiking the battery gun in Whitehaven. They forgave him and gave him the freedom of the town. I suspect they put his behaviour down to a quaint colonial custom.

Another memorial. To the miners. The inscription reads ‘The End Of An Era’. Thanks Thatcher!  I doubt she will ever be forgiven. The sculpture is surrounded by street lights and notice boards so is difficult to snap. I missed the bright blue sign…..That just gives information on parking charges…..I thought the machine that gives tickets did that but what the hell! Signs are big business about the only business round here.

       The outer harbour.

           The inner harbour wall. It is a good place and worth a visit but like so much of the UK it needs to be seen on a sunny day.

That’s it for today……I’ll see what tomorrow brings. Like it or not so will you.