These days I get a very early start, with an alarm clock which goes ‘WUFF’ rather than the traditional buzz or ring.  At this time of the year every glimmer of sunshine is precious so I bounded up stairs with a cuppa for Tim, not quite with a ‘Hi-de-hi, campers’ but to suggest a trip to the beach to enjoy the early morning brightness.  The baleful eye that glowered from under the duvet made me realise that not everyone does the ‘lark’ thing. However it was even more off-putting to get back from the shower to find a second pair of eyes peering out from under the covers, just as determined to stay snug and warm.  Given a choice of whom to wrestle out of bed and get into the car  I went for the eight inch tall option rather than the six footer.

It was worth the effort.  Coming up over the dunes, out of the shadow and into the bright blueness of the sea,  sky and crisp air and on to the deserted sand was an exhilarating feeling.

The North Sea has a reputation for being wild and cold, but catch it in a benign mood and it’s as lovely as any far flung ‘Paradise’ shore.
As I’m sure is the coast of the Baltic, where my sons have been staying.  From their description all the wildness usually associated with this time of the year has been  there in full force.  Thomas talked about amber, and the petrified forests under the sea, and on investigation I found the amber found along the Norfolk coast comes from those very same forests, brought here from Scandinavia by the glaciers.

So as we walked we looked for amber too, my little sea dog and I, and we didn’t find any either!

Follow