Taking the sun

It has been a lovely sunny day, one of the few recently. I picked up my camera, which seems to have been hibernating most of the winter, and went for a stroll along the sea front.

The seagulls appear to sit in flocks on the beach, soaking up the sun.  I've always thought that was what they were doing but in fact I'm beginning to believe they face into the wind and the sun is incidentally coming from the same direction.  I don't suppose they like having their feathers ruffled any more than I do.

My aim is always to try to approach slowly so that I can get a shot from close by.  I never succeed.  There seems to be a certain critical distance when they all decide at once that enough is enough, and they all take off.

And yet within seconds they come in to land again, almost in the same spot. 

One of the small fishing boats came in to land at the same time.  They attach a winch, put rollers underneath, and pull it up the slope of beach.

The larger boats, and the lobster pots, were having a day off.  I believe the lobster fishing season tends to be April to June, then August to the end of October.  They often have their catches on sale at the beach but it tends to be either sprats or herrings. I don't know what to do with either of those.  I've never yet seen a lobster.  I imagine they keep their prime offerings for restaurants.

And talking of restaurants makes me think of development plans for the area, and the most contentious are those for the old local cinema.  It is right on the sea front.  It originally opened in 1928 but closed in 1965 and was converted into a bingo hall and has of course closed once more.  All sorts of terrible plans have been put forward but I hear it is once more to be a cinema.  A full circle.

And by now it was time for me to make my own full circle and return home.