High Tide	00:50 (2.60m)
Low Tide	06:44 (0.70m)
High Tide	12:57 (2.80m)
Low Tide	19:14 (0.50m)

Sea temperature: 15.8
Sea conditions: perfect
Weather: magically misty
Joined by: The Usual Suspects
Topics of conversation:
Welcome back to Sara and The Poet - they've been on holiday, celebrating the end of their respective courses, to a relaxing Spa style Hotel break in the south. They had had a much deserved indulgent time and had found an unexpectedly deserted beach, the location of which shall remain secret, but had been enjoying the warm swimming in a pool so much that they hadn't swum in the sea. DK was singularly unimpressed at the reports of 25 degree water.
Congratulations to DK, who has finished the recording of his memoires and is knackered. I've always thought that a good indication of the success of a recording/edit is the response for technicians working on it, and his had clearly had a thoroughly entertaining week, and he now knows more about DK than most. 
Tyres - I'd had a blow out on the way to Norwich early yesterday morning, not a great start to the day, which got progressively worse as I managed to get grease on my new scarf (a present from one on the LOTVs) whilst changing the tyre, was late for a haircut as a result so look like Ringo Star, and had subsequently discovered that both front tyres were bald and one of the back ones was distorted. To make matters worse the tracking was totally out, so 7 hours later and £430 lighter I finally made it home, greeted by the owner as if I'd 'broken' his car. Not a great day, but it ended so well as I went over to The Artist's suite at the hotel, where she was preparing for her 80th birthday party, to do her hair and make and help her get dressed up. Blimey she scrubs up well. I took these photos over to show The Drapers, with whom we had dinner, and they've asked her to do some modelling for them as a result.

Low Tide	03:55 (0.90m)
High Tide	09:56 (2.60m)
Low Tide	16:30 (0.50m)
High Tide	22:52 (2.50m)

Sea temperature: 14.9
Sea conditions: perfect
Weather: perfect
Joined by: The Usual Suspects
Topics of conversation:
DK's mémoires - he is recording his life story this week and yesterday was day one, he got through 7 chapters out of 28, so he's on target but his throat is already suffering a little. We discussed the merits, or otherwise, of milk for the throat as I'd always thought it was good for dry scratchy ones but bad for phlegm and having googled it seems that the jury is out. Once it is recorded and produced then the world will get to hear the stuff that we are kept amused by on a regular basis. Legs put this great picture up on Facebook last night, and yes, he is the little one.
Micro climate - the village is renowned for having it's own pocket of weather, when my Mother was a kid they called in the golden triangle as we'd often have sun when no one else does along the coast, but it also works the other way as we get the frets that roll in but get no further than to A12. Today was a golden day and it was very evident from the dark front to the south and the dappled cloud to the north. I discussed it with a village elder and we recall that Wally used to say "the sun shines bright upon the righteous". 

It made The Artist smile

Connections - I tried to map out a sequence of events which had connected perfectly over the last 24 hours, but that started with The Pirate lending me a book last year. To summarise: The Pirate and I discuss Oliver Bernard, poet, and the poem he wrote about Walberswick that I hadn't read, he lends me the book. It sparks a thought, so hang on to it, and the thought, till I have time. 2 months ago I pick up the book again and begin to research a little, only to discover (as mentioned before) that he recently died, but that a recording exists of him reading the work I am interested in. I search in vain, The Poet searches in vain so eventually I write to the estate to see if they can help, but get no reply. I promise to return the book to The Pirate and ask if his son would be interested in recording it for me and we both agree that it would be much better for him to hear the author read his own work first. I decide to order my own copy of this slim volume, produced in 1978 and track one down online. I think I've bought it but I get a message from Abebooks telling me I've made an error, typing the wrong credit card number, or some such, then I get one from a very nice man, who is the actual source of the book. I notice that his address is very close to where Bernard used to live, next to my old village, so on replying and requesting that he takes over the order, as he suggests, I ask if he perhaps knows where I could get the CD. He replies straight away saying he has a copy that I can have and he'll send it with the book. To top it all his surname is Hamburger, Michael Hamburger lived in Middleton, just down the road from here and was the subject of one of my favourite films/artworks by Tacita Dean. The nice man, Richard, is his son. Tacita Dean is currently showing a work inspired by her correspondence with JG Ballard, a contemporary and friend of Hamburger's which I'm hoping to see next month. Everything connects.
Sauce - I've been making lots of chilli sauce recently as we have a glut, in fact there's been a batch bubbling on stove pretty much every day since the weekend. Last night I went round to help The Artist with some technical issues she's been having and we got side tracked, considerably. We ended up crushing velvet, discussing canvas preparation and push up bras, and trying on shoes - as you do. After about 2 and a half hours I had a sudden flash of memory that I'd left the pan on, so abandoned her in an instant, fearing for my best pan. When I got home the house smelled like a pickling factory but the sauce was not only unharmed but it was even better. So Legs - that recipe I sent you, which said "cook for an hour" - add 2 and a half.
The Bear - The Bridge Captain has been very disappointed that none of us could see The Bear on the Bridge, so yesterday we all looked hard and it's one of those things, you don't see it till you do, then you can't see anything else. I think I might give him a trim this evening as my shears are in the hut.

Low Tide	01:56 (1.00m)
High Tide	08:04 (2.40m)
Low Tide	14:33 (0.70m)
High Tide	21:14 (2.40m)

Weekend overview
Sea temperature: dropping, yesterday we recorded 16.4, whilst today's reading was 15.8 - it didn't seem that cold though and DK and I had words about it - he was in one of those moods
Sea conditions: very high tide today, so high that we couldn't cross the crabbing bridge, this was very different to yesterday, even though we were swimming at the same time. The wind has been increasing gradually and had swung around from north west to south during the night, after the rains.
Weather: sunny despite early evening and late night rains. Yesterday we had a mackerel sky, which I now know is Cirrocumulus stratiformis, having consulted The LE's book
Joined by: The Usual Suspects (The Bridge Captain has joined on a semi permanent basis now), Mertz and The Arctic Princess on Sunday
Topics of conversation:
The tide - it really had been a remarkable high tide, according to a village elder we often meet on the way down this was due to the strong winds overnight as well as the 2.4m predicted height. It was still coming in as we swam and the northern bridges were un-passable unless you had wellies on (or gum boots as he called them - I love that name and haven't heard it in years)

We'd had The Arctic Princess staying this weekend, and true to adventurous form she'd swum with me, staying in as long as the hardcore of the group even though it was her first swim of the year. She's trying to make the most of the sun as she returns to Northern Lights country this week and the daylight hours are shrinking fast up there. The poor thing had had a terrible journey up here, taking 5 hours in stop start traffic, she might have made it quicker using her usual form of transport. She'd been chatting to The LE and confirmed what a small world it is by discovering that she knew The LE's tour guide from her holiday in Norway, they'd taken part in the same race - Finnmarlslopet. Here she is looking a little tired during the race: Marianne The Artist is thinking of taking a cruise around the Norwegian coast, so there was lots of chat about the best way to do this, and still get to see dry land. I'd love to join her.

The Princess's usual mode of transport

 Channel swimming - there have been a number of endurance swims recently, including a rash of Channel crossings, as it's the best time of year for such endeavours, but The Arctic Princess's friend had her relay attempt put on hold on Friday due to the storms. She's seriously thinking about doing one herself and trying to recruit me to her team so we discussed the risks as we swam against a strong current on Sunday morning, hardly getting anywhere. Apparently you just swim for your allotted time, regardless of how far you get, then you hand over the baton. Doesn't sound so hard...
Gloves - DK, as mentioned above, was in one of those 'take no prisoners' moods today, he and The Pirate had a faux heated discussion about the right time to start swimming in gloves, I couldn't quite work out who was suggesting what, but there was a good deal of swearing (from DK) and harrumphing (from The Pirate).
Jagger's playdates - he's found a firm friend in Mabel, who loves playing with him and he clearly has a social calendar more packed than mine. We've been debating how Willow would get on with as she has a bossy streak, maybe he could squeeze her in for a short slot and we'll see how it goes.

High Tide	01:27 (2.50m)
Low Tide	07:18 (0.70m)
High Tide	13:38 (2.70m)
Low Tide	19:50 (0.60m)

Sea temperature: confusing. We took it in the shallows, which felt really - 17.8 degrees, but then, once out into deeper water it was tasty. The tide was coming in and the sand and stones were cooling the water. 
Sea conditions: perfect
Weather: perfect
Joined by: The Usual Suspects, 3 LOTVs and Mertz
Topics of conversation: 
Running in the shallows, which The Pirate did whilst holding my hand, we must have looked bonkers skipping into the water. @Redsnapper had taken this video of me playing with the dogs on the beach on Saturday and he and I discussed how reassuring it can be that nothing changes on this edge of the world we live on, I was doing exactly the same thing in exactly the same place with different dogs 45 years ago. 

The Vicar's wife came down later, when we were having coffee on the beach as Mertz is on holiday and we agreed that it is 'as good as the Med' at this time of year, now that the visitors have all but gone. 
DK's event - he's performing at the local tomorrow and it's such a hot ticket that it sold out immediately so he'd been discussing the emergency seating plan with the Landlord last night, he joked that he'd seated one of the LOTVs by the loos so that she could get in. We are too late for a ticket, but have promised to go in and heckle from the bar, which is where we had met him and Legs last night for a catch up pint and the poster had had us all wondering who the young man in the picture was.
Right, off to the estuary as the first of our 'holiday walks'.

High Tide	00:52 (2.50m)
Low Tide	06:41 (0.70m)
High Tide	13:00 (2.70m)
Low Tide	19:14 (0.50m)

Sea temperature: not taken - therefore 19.1
Sea conditions: good
Weather: Stunning clouds, warmish
Joined by: The Usual Suspects, The Torpedo, A LOTV and @Redsnapper
Topics of conversation:
We were late... @Redsnapper was staying with me this weekend, and she has 3 lurchers at the moment, although one, Alice, is a foster dog so she went to stay with people from the rescue group up the road for the night. Comet, the boy, thought he'd go to look for her this morning and snuck out whilst we were having our coffee/tea, so when we went to leave he was nowhere to be found. After much searching he was spotted in a neighbouring disused tennis court, which has a 12 ft fence round it. How he got in is still a mystery. @Redsnapper fosters dogs for Southern Lurcher Rescue, a spectacularly worthy group who look after the increasingly large number of abandoned and mistreated dogs, found in terrible states. The group is made up of volunteers, many of whom take the dogs into their own homes until their 'forever home' can be found, hence Alice. Alice has found her way into everyone's hearts, but as yet hasn't found her forever home. She's beautiful, kind, gentle but vocal, so we've been doing some training this weekend and she responded very well so @Redsnapper has taken one of my spare water pistols home with her (yes, I have a stash).

L - R Willow, Comet, Daisy, Alice, Socks, Luna and Paddy

Comet relaxing after his stressful morning

Daisy 

DK couldn't get his head around out 24 Hour Menu, so I tried to explain that when we get together we like to cook and eat, but not as one big meal, so we just graze all day, which we find more civilised as we both like to cook, eat, drink, walk the dogs and chat at our leisure, this weekend menu was:
3pm    Gazpacho with wild garlic pesto and Bigod Brie
6pm    Mulberry cocktails
7pm    Silver pearl corn (first pickings of the year)
8pm    Roasted Aubergine Napoleons with mozzarella and tomato with pesto
          Black Dog Deli salads (giant couscous, pea, bean and feta, coleslaw)
9am    Porridge with Munchie Honey Seeds
1pm    Gazpacho cocktail, Roast Portobello Mushrooms with parmesan, blue cheese and chilli jelly fresh from the harvest (Black Dog Deli salad leftovers)
          Beetroot and orange cake with mulberry and cream cheese topping with mulberry ripple ice cream
2pm    Tea and more cake
The LE had very kindly brought a wonderful book on clouds down to the beach for @Redsnapper to look at as she has a mild obsession with photographing them (she's promised to send me some of her images, which I hope to share), The Cloudspotter's Guide by Gavin Prector-Pinney. If you are reading this LE, it may have to live here for a week or so - wonderful book, very inspiring.
Having a late start this morning was a contrast to yesterday, when I'd watched the sunrise at 5.30am and spent a couple of hours at the hut before the swim. I'd been joined by a bouncy Poet at 6.30am. He arrived at the hut saying 'Aren't you swimming this morning? Everyone is late!" This was not the case; he had resurrected an old watch, which he'd managed to set an hour early, so we sat and drank coffee and watched the clouds. I had my camera this time so wasn't a very good hostess and kept dashing off to photograph the sky, but the dogs weren't moving from the sleeping bag...

Sky dog running

          

Low Tide	04:21 (1.00m)
High Tide	10:36 (2.50m)
Low Tide	16:51 (0.70m)
High Tide	23:19 (2.40m)

Sea temperature: perfect
Sea conditions: perfect
Weather: perfect
Joined by The Usual Suspects and a Scotsman
Topics of conversation:

Dog chews packaging - Luna had bought some chewies for Jagger, in her role as Dogmother she felt it would be a good way to keep him occupied so that he didn't just follow her around or lie gazing at her, waiting for her to tell him what to do. We all decided that packaging really has gone too far; each chew (and they are the smallest ones for smallest mouths) had a label, which was attached with a cable tie so that the brand could be seen. Like Jagger can read, he's only 9 weeks old!

What now?

My new part time job - questions were asked about what, exactly, I am doing now that I've scaled down the teaching and am helping The Architect in his new office. I explained that one of my primary functions was attempting to stop a fat muddy dachshund from wiping his belly on the carpet every time he walks past with his owner. The Pirate knows his owner, who is around 80 years old and still cycles everywhere with placards attached to the front and back of her bike stating her political allegiance and asking for donations to the RNLI. The muddy offender's name is apparently something like Tiggy, or Tilly, or that could just be the name that was on The Pirate's mind as I'd also explained that one of the reasons I enjoy working there so much is that the The Architect bought me eggs Benedict from Tilly's cafe for breakfast last week. We're having kippers on Friday, I'm excited. 
Wylie Baths - The Ellies' son gets a membership from them each year to this amazing swimming venue, tidal pools that are open 365 days of the year. They had been in touch the Manager, Zac Kratovil, by email and he'd seen this blog (thanks for the comments Zac). It transpires that he used to run Tooting Bec Lido and has even swum just up the coast in Wells, a favourite summer haunt of mine, near Holkham. He clearly gets us, and admitted that cold water swimming kept him sane in this country in the winter, he even ventured in off Tyree in the Inner Hebredes. It's great to know there are kindred spirits on the other side of the world. The images of Wylie Baths are amazing and we discussed the point at which it would become scary, with waves scouring the man made pools. It's going on my bucket list.

Wylie Baths

Today however, I don't think there could have been anywhere better in the world to swim than our little strip of the North Sea. The soft Suffolk September is here in all its glorious mists, dewy mornings, golden evenings and dramatic sunsets, warm sea water and the village is slowly emptying of visitors, I want time to stand still. This was my walk to the beach this morning.

DK and I discussed TM all the way home as I'm fledging and it was so reassuring talking to him as he's been at it for 25 years, as have Wolfie and The Shaman. My teacher, Annie Renwick, is wonderful and supports me at a distance, like any good teacher, but soon I will be feeling I have to make it without her (unless I undertake further courses) so talking to DK gave me confidence that I'll never really will be on my own.
http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org.uk 

Low Tide	03:09 (1.10m)
High Tide	09:19 (2.40m)
Low Tide	15:34 (0.80m)
High Tide	22:19 (2.30m)

Sea temperature: 17. something - 1 or 6 depending on the thermometers
Sea conditions: good
Weather: cool and sunny
Joined by: The Usual Suspect, apart from The Pirate, who is still in France and Mertz.
Topics of conversation:

We mourned the unexpected loss of Sir David Frost, DK knew him well in the '60s and remembered playing a mini ping tournaments in their respective London flats. All the tributes have been so warm, he seems to have been universally loved. I liked Andrew Marr's particularly: "

... he changed the whole style of political interviewing, what could be said, how it was done, the whole approach. And I think today there are two types of political interviewer - those who've learnt from David Frost, and second rate interviewers." Full BBC Obit: Sir David Frost
Autumn - it's official, DK has put the time back to 7.30. Not all of us got the message, so there was a staggered start, but everyone was in agreement that it would be appropriate, given the height of the sun and the temperature drop in the water, so we will all rejig for tomorrow. Mertz and Sara discussed how much longer they will swim for, given that his threshold is 15 degrees the sudden drop made him think about it. He's taking a week off at home next week so it may be his last swimming window. We'd missed Sunday's swim due to a late night and it being his turn to set the alarm, and having had a pretty ghastly day looking after his poorly mother he needed it today.
The late night had been due to a village wedding, to which I wore another pair of Leg's shoes. I explained to Sara that we have now established a communal 'shoes closet', being the same size, although I certainly have been plundering it more often than she has recently. The shoes were high, very high and at the start of the event I'd sent her a picture of my feet with an estimate of 200 paces being the most I'd get out of them. She thought I was being over optimistic. She and the LE had spent the afternoon together introducing Mabel to Jagger (video evidence suggests a match made in heaven and will be shared at some point) and so I'd texted regular updates from the reception and my breaks during the afternoon, when I snuck home or out for a dog walk. I was bored, so were the shoes.

I'd also had the following yesterday from The LE: J

ust DK and LE this morn. Very 'autumnal' but the sea extremely warm and lovely. 

We discussed your texts to Legs with pix of your sparkly toes in the shoes and your estimation of your staying power.

I reminded DK of the fabulous Kirsty McColl song 'In These Shoes' ( and also her great song There's a guy works down the chip shop swears he's Elvis) and we mourned her loss - killed by an out of control speedboat, while snorkelling ( she headed towards it to push her sons out of the way).

Also talked about other smart lady lyric writers, like Cyndi Lauper.

We were joined at the end by one of the LOTVs.  Didn't recognise her because I think she's become a redhead since last week....!

Jagger still talking about his new BF Mabel. Hope you got the vid Legs took of their game, which I sent on.??

1st September today and DK suggested a 7.30 start from now on - but I'll let him confirm with you.

Happy Sunday!