It came ….

In my previous blog ~ “Before the snow …” at

https://southshoretidewatch.blogspot.com/2023/02/before-snow.html ~

I mentioned that we were due a snowfall, well I can report that it came and on time too.

After some snow clearing and with the accompanying cold air stinging my cheeks I pulled my scarf up closer to my face and went for a local wonder. With what seemed like a white blanket covering the trees, the ground and houses, I started out down at the river before venturing into the forest at the back of the house. It was perfectly quiet and still, the only sound I could hear was my boots crunching in the snow. Such an incredibly peaceful wonder in the company of undisturbed snow and long shadows.

Before the snow …

With a threat of snow over the next couple of days, this morning was a perfect time to get out and enjoy bright sunny beach wanders on both Rissers and Crescent.

With the tide retreating from an extreme high, I also found myself enjoying the views from one of my regular winter sun traps, it is always absolutely wonderful.

Bring on the snow, I am ready ….

Chilly and Warm …

Today’s wander, as it normally is if I am not on a beach, was around the local empire in what was a silent, misty and gray sort of day. 

I felt that due to the conditions (misty and gray), that it was perfect to try black and white photography. 

It was amazing during my time out walking, how I would alternately experience pockets of chilly and then warm air.

The complete silence was broken only by Woodpecker Buddy, who was being aggressive with a hydro pole ~ the last photo in colour …

What is going on ...?

I said in a previous blog from April 2021 ~

“Often when I am out wandering, my thoughts go off in many diverse directions. Other times, I may pick a subject or a current issue, then completely analyse it sometimes to a satisfactory conclusion and sometimes not.”

An addition to that is ~ I never have any idea what my thoughts or chosen subjects are going to be until my foot hits the sand …

So, with a bright blue sky and the tide retreating from its peak, my morning beach wander subject was all about the current state of everything out there in our world.

This week we are witnessing the tragic results of an earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, where currently it is estimated that upwards of 20,000 have been killed. International aid is pouring into the affected areas of Türkiye, but not so much for those suffering the same fallout in Syria. The reason is that the affected areas in that country are held by not too friendly “rebels” who are involved in the on-going civil war.

An earthquake is a natural phenomenon over which we have a limited control, unfortunately it creates a natural disaster of death and destruction. Also, this week we continue to witness coverage of the unnatural (man-made) disaster of death and destruction taking place in Ukraine. This appears (as usual) to be down to the outdated egotism of one man, in this case he works out of the Kremlin in Moscow. We have seen this more than a few times before during the last 120 years, but it still seems to happen in abundance.

Only yesterday another egotist, who lives in Pyongyang, North Korea held a celebration and military parade. With national pride and in my opinion a misguided sense achievement, he had on show intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which a number analysts say could potentially challenge the defense systems of the United States.

As a side issue, we also have on-going threat from the balloon flying people's democratic dictatorship run out of Beijing, China. It is possible via military means; they may attempt to bring a yelling and screaming Taiwan into the Chinese fold. The land mass of China is huge, 265 times larger than Taiwan, but incredibly egotistical thoughts may think the grab is worth all the potential death and mass destruction.

This planet in relative terms is perhaps no more than a grain of sand in a gigantic universe. It is a perfect accident, which created an incredible but delicate environment, for us to evolve and to share equally and respectfully with all the other living species. As a result of this “perfect accident”, we have been provided with the sun, the seasons, water, an abundance of resources, lots of beauty and much more, all of which we should be extremely thankful for, but no ~ we continue to be hell bent on our own destruction and that of the planet. A perfect example of this, on a daily basis we are dumping tons of plastic into the oceans. Also, through our selfishness and sense of superiority we continue to drive many creatures to extinction. As a direct result of a century or more of technological achievements, our planet is overheating and our landfills are expanding with our resource consuming junk, into places where forests once thrived.

What is going on ~ and how long can it continue …?

 

OK, that’s it … I will now carefully step down from my soapbox and attach some pics from this morning’s beautiful and equable wander.