Fish Out of Water

A fish forever leaping on the flower banking of Grange Over Sands promenade caught in April when the spring flowers were in bloom.. There was also a flat fish nearby always associated with Morecambe Bay,

the fluke (possibly more commonly known as flounders).  I don't know if people still go fluke treading in the bay but it was a method of catching them by feeling for them with ones feet and then grabbing hold of them by head, gills and tail.  I've never fished in my life but have in the past waded across the silty channels of Morecambe Bay and suddenly felt something stir under my feet which made me and it move a whole lot faster, a very strange experience, and I'm never sure who is panicking more me, or the fish.

Here flying into view is one of our feathered friends. 

These wooden sculptures along the promenade are relatively recent and I wonder what they look now amongst the summer planting rather than the rather restricted cover of spring  They are all the creation of Andy Levy wood sculptor who works with both traditional tools and chainsaw carving.


A fondness for fish in the artistic sense has also just appeared locally as mosaics on the Haverigg foreshore but the sunlight was in the wrong direction for photography.  No problem, I'm just grateful that the sun is making an appearance after a less than stellar summer.  I contented myself with taking an image of this rather charming 

fishy embellishment on the new Haverigg information board.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at F here

 

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Fishing, Flags and Framlingham

Orford Quay, Suffolk

Fine fishing paraphernalia at Orford quay, looks like good teamwork and a lot of concentration is going on here. Meanwhile

Orford, Suffolk

the professionals have netted their fish and are flogging it at the fishing sheds. No high tides at the moment but

if there were they will be well protected from flooding with these footings.  Perhaps you wanted more than fish?  Then travel not too far away to the market town of

Framlingham.  This is the market square but on the day I visited it was not scenic with stalls but just parked cars, still the town sign is pretty. It shows the mere fed by the River Ore, the village pump, the post box (it is one of the oldest in the UK if you are thinking its a bit random), the castle and the 16th century church

Church of St Michael, Framlingham

which is famous for its organ, its ornate tombs and one of the rare wall paintings to survive the Reformations white paint but I did not take any of those pictures only its flowers and flint walls  

The town itself was en fête and festooned with flying flags of all nations for  the Olympics

Market Hill, Framlingham

 Yes I failed to take a picture of the historic postbox, or even see it, but here is a stand in. You can see I was taken with the flags but wished there were less cars and

more bicycles.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet. 

Cycling through the Counties

Haverigg, Cumbria

 Like the track seen here what passes for summer this year has been a bumpy ride but it hasn't put the cyclists off.  I travel up a hill on the way to work each morning which has a lay-by popular as a meeting place for road racing cyclists about to set off for mega miles.  No matter whatever the weather there is never less than three cyclists waiting for the rest of the group to turn up.

Coniston Water, Cumbria

They may be travelling past Coniston Water which is not too far away.  Monday here, as can be seen by the clouds, was a day of sunshine and showers, just the day for messing about on boats, or under cover in the launch. 

Cherry Orchard, Boughton, Chester, Cheshire

Or if it turns really wet, travel south to relax in the Cherry Orchard pub in Cheshire.  I see they too have a special Wednesday but rather than an ABC it is a quiz night with sandwiches at half time to keep those little grey cells in shape.

Clown Fish, Blue Planet Aquarium, Chester

Not too far away another indoor attraction at the aquarium are the fish that Disney made famous in Finding Nemo - Amphiprion osellarais - the clownfish, in its natural habitat found in the coral reefs of the Pacific.

An entry to ABC Wednesday - a journey through the alphabet now on its 11th circuit