Stormy weather & a splash of colour

Another mixed bag for your delights.

We call these the soldiers as they seem to be standing to attention from a distance. Heavy seas have destroyed yet another one recently. We wonder if they're groins or remnants of an old jetty.

A few posts ago I shared a photo of very menacing weather on the way to Angles.

These three were taken walking to l'Équipage to meet friends for a drink.

The heavens opened whilst we were there but I got home as dry as a bone!

Finally our floral plantations to the side of the house.

A lovely splash of colour.

Embarcadère de la Maison du Marais

We were only back in France for a short while and one day we went for a walk round the waterways near Longeville-sur-Mer.

In the past these were all marshlands...

...now drained with many waterways to take the water (eventually) to the sea.

You can see what time of year it was from the beautiful display of wild iris.

The wheat-fields looked very healthy...

...as did this pretty field of flax.

Goodbye England (but not for long)!

A swift next post to apologise for the delay last time!

We decided to drive down to the Portsmouth waterfront as we had a bit of free time before boarding the ferry.

We came across the very impressive HMS Warrior, built in 1860 and beautifully restored in the 1980s

Alongside, a trawler back from its fishing expedition.

You can read about mudlarking on this information panel...

...and here's the wonderful statue remembering the children who 'played' here.

After a good night's sleep it's breakfast time on the ferry as we near Saint Malo.

Bradford Science & Media Museum

An old favourite of ours when we lived in the Bradford area, the Science & Media Museum has gone through many changes. The day we visited several exhibitions were under preparation but we loved what we saw.

Fun in the mirror maze.

I'm sure you can spot Papy, Mamie & Alfie as well as Betty of course.

There were many interactive displays, this one 'bending' Alfie & Betty.

Oops, we can't remember what this one was!

Here Alfie is blowing air to the Tree of Life

More digital magic...

...distorting Alfie & Betty's faces.

You can guess whose hand is whose here. It's good to see how warm-blooded we are.

Farewell

What a great time we had, catching up with old friends and enjoying Raye's expert catering (you should have seen the Tesco delivery man's face)!

Girls Aloud? Lucy, Eve & Betty with one of the three dogs.

Boyzone? James, Arthur & Alfie having a break from playing football.

And now all together

A final wave as we set off.

A few days later, it looks like the dogs are missing us 😏😂

Rock pooling

Having earlier bought fishing nets it was time to sample the delights of the many rock pools.

Bamburgh Castle in the distance...

...Tine & Les enjoying the view (well wrapped-up notice)!

Kids in action!

Now joined by George, definitely in his element.

Alfie with one of his finds...

...and George with one of his.

A couple of arty shots to finish...

...looking into the bucket!

A big thank you to Les, Clare & Anna for sharing their photos used in the last two posts👏😀

Boat trip

Don't be fooled by the lovely weather in these photos. It was bitterly cold!

Approaching one of the main Farne Islands (there are between 15 & 20 islands depending on the tide).

Thankfully there's no 'smellovision' with this blog. Can you spot the puffins on the rocks?

The famous lighthouse where Grace Darling, the daughter of the keeper, helped rescue 9 people from a grounded paddle steamer.

And no, your eyes aren't fooling you. The islands are home to a colony of seals too.

Betty reckoned they looked like giant slugs!

Now some group shots

Simon & Nadine

Betty, Nadine & Anna (your faithful blogger gazing into the distance).

Betty with her Papy.

Nana Les with her two grandaughters, Eve & Lucy

Clare, the back of James, moi & Anna

The six children got on so well: Alfie, James, Arthur, Lucy, Eve & Betty

Is Betty warming Tine up, or is it the other way round?

Finally, Simon with Alfie & Bets.

More about Grace Darling here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Darling