It’s been a hectic few weeks and it’s nearly the end of January and Christmas has faded into a hazy memory!! Finally, in a quiet moment I eventually uploaded photos from our visit to the beach on Christmas Day which is now a family tradition. This year we ignored the weather forecast of heavy grey skies with the odd shower and drove over to Waxham.
Naturally, as is often the way, the coast has its own weather and although it was very, very windy it was sunny skies and racing white clouds. It was delightfully refreshing. However, there was a downside and that was the occasional slap in the face from sand whipping along the shore. And, boy did it sting!
It seems each time I visit there are additions to and deletions from the sea wall graffiti. These new, free form ‘faces’?? may yet be filled with colour before the images are either painted over by the authorities or worn away by the winter waves.
One poor little seal pup had missed the receding tide and was stranded on its own between the rocks at the top of the beach. I used a telephoto lens for this photo. The pup didn’t look too happy and I didn’t want to disturb it further by getting closer. We hoped all the dog walkers would keep their pets away too.
Immediately the other side of the sea defences, on this part of Norfolk’s east coast, farmland runs along the dunes. It looks a little odd to see sheep grazing on muddy earth, but they are actually grazing the brassica crop, which looks like it’s turnips.
Time to leave. Interestingly, and I’m not sure why but there were far fewer walkers this year than in previous years. Maybe the WRONG weather forecast had put people off!
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Agnes Ashe 
Wintry beach! They look great. Was it cold? Oddly, I didn’t smell any sea water when I stayed in Martello Tower last summer. Did you smell it when you were there? And the seal pup! Was he/she ok on its own, I wonder. And the sheep! They are hardy, aren’t they? Staying out all winter. Even if they are wearing their own woolly coat, they must feel cold sometimes. I don’t think I can survive in wild…😅
It was very cold in the wind, but we always wrap up. I’ve been coming to the east coast since I was a child and we know whatever the season it’s usually windy. Couldn’t smell the sea as the wind was off the land this time. And, the poor, wee seal was very sad. I think it was left behind as it was sick. It might have been lifted at the next high tide, but probably didn’t survive. Nature is harsh.
Oh noooo!😭😭😭
Mmm, I know. Too sad to think about. 😭
Ah Christmas, whatever happened to that? The seal looks lovely to have on your doorstep – I have no clue about Waxham but assume it’s close – but does it really have six fingers?
Do you know I didn’t notice the flipper, but looking at the photo it’s hard to tell if it’s a pattern in the fur or residual finger stumps?? As they are mammals I suppose they have evolved from land creatures possibly with paws – do you know?
What a nice tradition to have! The first photo with the clouds and shadow is lovely… and who knew sheep feed on brassica although as I’ve now discovered since looking into it after reading your post, its been a common agricultural practice for over 600 years.
That animal feed was probably mangelwurzels, grown specifically as animal fodder. It’s such a wonderful word I have to find a chance to use it whenever possible 😉
Fantastic word! Wonderful and I’ve just see on Google that our local, Norfolk, 18th century Parson James Woodforde writes about it and calls it the scarcity root. You learn something new everyday. 😁 Thank you.
It’s not an everyday-useful word, but I like it.
Yeah – I was surprised about the sheep. And, I found out loads when trying to establish exactly what they were eating. I felt very ignorant although I did grow up in a country village. We were surrounded by wheat/barley/oat fields and my first job was working in the lab of a flour mill.
Great photos. I love a wintry walk by the sea. We lived for a while in Southsea and while I’m genrerally a summer sort of person,. winter at the seaside was definitely the best!
Yes, I agree with you. Summer is nice, but winter is often moody and dramatic or even violent and scary. Mind you I wouldn’t like to have been there the other week with the storm surge and high tides. I know that the bird reserve at Cley on the north Norfolk coast was submerged and the see flooded Walcot, a village about 10km up the coast from Waxham.
Well, ‘not liked’ obviously.
Hmmm walking along a cold windy beach is probably not the first thing that springs to mind when I think of Christmas 🙂 We did sit around my sister’s backyard pool, chat and eat summer fruits though.
Oh my goodness – I know it’s your summer, but I still can’t quite get my head round a Christmas that has hot weather. 😄 Of course, all those traditional Christmas cards with snow are also a misrepresentation of an average English Christmas these days – like today, more often as not just dull, grey and cold. (ish)
The funny thing is that even we down-under exchange such cards!
😁 that’s tradition for you, heart over head everytime!!