Hosted by www.Geocities.ws



District Diary January 2007

With the weather we�ve been experiencing recently, the fields near to where we normally walk have become waterlogged, so much so that a flock of ducks have taken up short term residence. Pathways are ankle deep in mud and even the shortest of excursions requires ample supplies of towels kept in readiness when we return home, to deal with wet fur and dirty paws.

So, a better alternative when time permits is a walk along the beach. Sunday mornings, when it�s not raining, we head for Newton. There�s plenty of parking space here, and easy access to either the dunes or the sand. It�s a scenic location; across the Bristol Channel you can see the lovely Devon hills, whilst along the coast, the houses of Ogmore On Sea glisten in the sunlight, and in the distance, waves can be seen breaking against the cliffs at Southern Down.

The beach is well used by joggers and people just out for a stroll. It�s not compulsory to own a dog whilst visiting here, but most folk seem to have at least one. You see all shapes and sizes; it really makes you wonder if God was having an imagination overload when he designed the canine species - and that�s only the pedigrees! The result of mixed assignations creates even more variety.

Dog walkers are a friendly bunch; they will readily seek out owners of similar breeds to their own, and chat for ages about ailments, habits, and peculiarities affecting their little (or not so little) darlings, whilst dogs, communicating with other dogs as only they know how, are smiled upon by doting owners who accompany their acceptance of this ritual with cute talk such as �Say hello to that nice little doggie� or �He only wants to make friends�. This may seem odd speak to the non dog owning fraternity but, believe me, is quite normal to the rest of us. There�s dogs chasing balls, dogs swimming in the sea, dogs just about everywhere and its good to see responsible owners cleaning up after their pets; they carry their little green bags like badges of honour.

On a really nice day, we walk as far as the river mouth at Ogmore, The beach when the tide goes out is firm sand, so much so that people ride horses here. It�s a spectacular sight to see them chasing through the waves creating lots of spray; I don�t know who enjoys it most, the horses or the riders. I love a spot of beach combing and there�s plenty to find amongst the seaweed and debris though admittedly most of this is rubbish � drinks cans, plastics, and discarded fishing gear as well as odd shoes, rubber gloves and lots of timber; its quite a sad sight really, and this is in spite of regular clean ups. On the way back, we detour around the rocks, and love looking in the pools for crabs and small fish, it�s amazing how much marine life there is here This is the sort of place where you can spend as little or as much time as you like. Our typical Sunday morning walk takes about two hours � that�s enough for a little dog, and if I�m honest, enough for me as well. On the way back home it�s not unknown for us to stop off at a local hostillery to enjoy a beverage or two before lunch. Now that�s what I call a perfect day.



Disrict Diary December 2006



Disrict Diary March 2007



Disrict Diary April 2007



Disrict Diary May 2007



Disrict Diary June 2007



Disrict Diary July 2007



Disrict Diary August 2007



Return To Top

Home Page

1