Toe dipping in the North Sea

Back in October, Naomi and I went to the beach.  Being an 'inland' type of person, I was surprised at just how far the tide retreats. We went because I had this crazy idea that I wanted to dip my toe into the North Sea.  A romantic notion, I guess, since there was no common sense involved, i.e. it was October, overcast, cold and wiiiiiiindy.  Brrrr...no wonder those invading Vikings were so cranky.

Look at all that mud... and those are clean, new, white-inside shoes... hmmm... you gotta know, this didn't end well. LOL!

I'm generally afraid of natural water: ocean, lakes, big rivers.  You can't see the bottom.  There are 'things' living under the surface.  Oh, and you can't breathe under there either.
 


Luckily, toe dipping isn't scary.  It is going close enough to feel the water lapping, without the shiver of things swimming around your legs. 

When we got to the beach, the tide was out.  This meant walking quite a ways to get to the edge of the water.  As you can see, the sand closest to the pier is dry, followed by a rocky bed, and then wet, squishy, mud that never gets completely dry. 

The watermark on the poles showed that we were walking in an area where the water is usually 15-20 feet above our heads.  *eeek*

In all, it was fun, and we found lots of seashells and scrambling crabs.

I brought some of the more interesting shells home to paint. On the advice of a friend from Japan, they made great tea light holders for Christmas candles and presents.


Cheers!
x

Twitter and Facebook and YouTube, Oh My!

I've been busy exploring the wonders of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube the last two months. 

It's been exciting.  First, I connected with friends and family on Facebook.  It's great to be able to exchange photos and bits of news with everyone back home.

Then I uploaded videos of my amazing husband, LAWRENCE DEAN, onto YouTube.  Law is a singer/songwriter.  The videos are from a filk concert at Confluence in Pittsburgh, Pa.  Confluence is a Science Fiction / Fantasy Writers' Convention.  It's also the venue where we originally met!  Law sings regularly at the Faversham Folk Club, which meets weekly at the Chimney Boy pub.  The songs from the concert are a mix of Filk, Folk, Country and Pop. 

Having survived my foray into social media - - today I decided to tackle Twitter.  Talk about a sensory overload!  That is going to take some getting used to.  But I'm determined to watch and learn.

If you want to follow me I'm  @ideabasket

Not that I'm saying all that much at the moment.  But I'm sure to settle into the swing of things in my own sweet time.

Oh, and our Channel on YouTube is: MrLawDean

HUGS!
x

The Florentine Boar

For the last three years, every time we went to Whitstable to visit the Potters, we went past The Boar out in front of Warehams antique store.

Every time, I said:  "I want to look into his eyes.  I want to sit on his back and have my picture taken."

So, finally I get my big chance . . . only to find out they SOLD HIM!!  He was gone!!!

Obviously, I was heartbroken.  Luckily, Naomi had this picture she'd taken ages ago, so I can share him with you. 

FYI:  Apparently, there are similar boar statues to be found.  Howard Castle has a Boar statue.   A marble copy of the Florentine Boar is at the Louvre.   The original was an ancient Greek marble statue, which was probably part of a larger group of statues creating a hunting scene.  On doing a Google search, there are many of them around, most a bit different from the fellow at Warehams.

Cheers!
x