Shingle Street

Sunday 16^th February 2025, a trip to Shingle Street, the first time since January 2024.  Cloudy with occasional breaks of wintery sun; finger-numbing north easterly wind off the sea.  Rising tide covering the bars and spits and rattling the shingle.  Strand line littered with the chalky ellipses of cuttlefish bones.  Gulls flying by aimlessly; a cormorant heading south purposefully; two waders foraging in the margins of a percolation lagoon nervously.  Strollers and dog walkers swollen with padding.  Two fishermen huddle in their tent by the shore.  No sign of life in the houses, though parked cars may suggest otherwise.  Sheep graze the rough meadow; a skylark pours its song over them.