Lapwings

 Granite pavement embellishment on the Stone Jetty, Morecambe.  

There are number these whimsical bird plaques with beautiful lettering created by Gordon Young and Russell Coleman.  

One of my favourite birds.  A lapwing flying high with its cry of 'pee-wit' carrying on the breeze down to those of us earthbound.  Look up in springtime and there may be something even better, a pair of lapwings dancing and tumbling  through the air.  In winter they might be spotted near to this Stone Jetty and the mudflats of Morecambe Bay. A bird whose numbers have sadly declined in recent times.

    

Boats and Barriers on the Bay

A boat on Morecambe Bay. What a convenient place to park ones boat just on the promenade no chance of it breaking away. I wonder if those cross-hatchings mean no stopping - unless you are a boat.

Morecambe

In the middle this weeks snow how nice to think back to a summer when just chilling out on a beach is possible without being chilly. Last week's tides were high so those large chunks of stone that form a barrier will take the sting out of the waves.

A more substantial barrier by the coast road on the opposite side of the bay to the previous photos and on my side of the bay.  Possibly one could  peek  through the holes from the other side while keeping dry in high tides with the wind behind them.. Although this year it has been remarkably still, possibly because of the billows of clouds coming across the Atlantic. But even a sunny winter day like this it was calm.

So  peaceful, and a bundle of seaweed waiting to be taken out to sea again.

Meanwhile on a tidal creek for these boys there is some exploring to be done and with a  bit of  imagination some great adventures to begin,  while never setting sail.

An entry to ABCWednesday. The start of the  journey through the alphabet, our second port of call - B

Ices

My local ice cream van is Roy's Ices with his 28 great flavours but if I travel to the other side of the bay then I could call by the My-T-Fine. These two vans may even face each other across the water. One in the little coastal village of Bardsea and this one in the seaside resort of Morecambe.

An entry to Signs, Signs

Shrimps Travel

This was a cheery sight on a dull day, a bus decorated with Morecambe Football Club's colours, a team of the lower leagues. An idea of two fans which is now reality.  On the left is the team's captain, Tim Bentley and in the background the red roses of Lancashire and a sailing boat which was until recently their badge. The nickname of the club is The Shrimps, the ingredient of  possibly the most famous food of Morecambe Bay (Potted Shrimps). On the bus towards the front is their rather understated new badge of a lone shrimp, together with the motto of this seaside town and of the  club  "Beauty surrounds, health abounds".  The old badge and the new rather ghostly shrimp:

An entry for Signs, Signs

Gardeners

"There is no spot of ground, however arid, bare or ugly, that cannot be tamed into such a state as may give an impression of beauty and delight" - Gertrude Jekyll

 

ABC Wednesday - Beach(ish)

A beach hotel for baby who is looking out over the bay while watching briskly trotting horsey.

A blue sky day in Morecambe, further down there is a breakwater by the side of the jetty and railings in the popular seaside colour of blue.

Perhaps I will look at the birds,

 Oh he is a bit scary with that big beak, what a bonza bird.  Beach café in the background on the Stone Jetty, a nice place to take a break.

While watching  real birds, bombarding this boat, they must have a benefactor of fish.

 On the way back down the Stone Jetty there are lots of places to sit and rest your bike or browse amongst the sculptures.

 Or enjoy some birdy beachside humour

As Basil Brush would say Boom Boom 

(For those outside the shores of Britain, Basil Brush is a glove puppet fox who tells corny jokes and after the punch line laughs and says, boom boom)

You can bank on lots more words beginning with B over on the  ABC Wednesday meme.  We are now on our 7th blitz of the alphabet.

Saturday Mix - Flying

Sister is flying a kite. Unusually for the north west coast of England there is hardly any wind. But she has it fluttering.  Brother approaching.....

 No I want a go at flying. Why is it not flying?

Here comes Dad to the rescue.

 Never will fly wrapped round your ankle.   Tricky business flying kites.

My entry to Shannara's Saturday Mix photomeme whose theme this week is Flying (Flyga, flygande, flög)