Thursday 12 August 2010

2010:365:224 Holidays are for ...


 … watching the sunrise.

A verse from John Ellerton‘s hymn came to mind as we walked on another beach this morning while watching the sun rise over Kilkeel Harbour. 

As o’er each continent and island
the dawn leads on another day,
the voice of prayer is never silent,
nor dies the strain of praise away.

Today we went down to the Manse shore just after half past five 
and enjoyed the broad stretches of sand walking first a good distance to the west and then all the way back to the harbour, snapping pictures at every opportunity.  
The average was one per minute for the hour on the beach!
Catching photographs the hundreds of sand martins was impossible 
but the heron posed nicely and some seagulls perched just out of reach of the dog who loves to chase them! 
The best bit of the walk (for me) was watching the sky turn from the earlier pale light to the glowing dawn.  
The camera produces only a pale image of the beauty of the real thing.  The beauty and incredible silence need to be experienced.  All these pictures can do is encourage people to be there for six o’clock and enjoy the drama by being in it.
Like so many other things you have to be in it, or commit to it, in order fully to appreciate all that’s going on.  Seeing the images second hand is okay … but the reality is so much better.
I, however, wasn’t prepared to commit so totally to the entire experience as Eliot. 
One look at the sea and he made a straight run for it!  Can you imagine how cold it is?  Yet he happily paddled along getting wetter and wetter as he tried to catch the teasing gulls.
I’d hoped that the climb back up to look a the boats in the harbour and then a walk along the grass of the Esplanade would dry him off; unfortunately a still very damp dog is lying watching me now, with one eye just about half open.
Eliot never did work out what to do with two slightly deflated and abandoned party balloons!  Much barking and running around them but they just bobbed about in the morning breeze!


Lord, be with us to guide us,
within us to strengthen us,
without us to protect us,
above us to raise us,
beneath us to uphold us,
before us to lead us,
behind us to guard us,
ever about us,
this day and evermore.

The Rhythm of Life (Celtic Daily Prayer)
David Adam. 

3 comments:

keneva said...

Lovely pics and a relevant blog as usual. Blessings!

Loey said...

Such lovely photos.
Oh! to be the only ones on the beach - how good would that be.
Thank you for another lovely read :D

whiskey1951 said...

Just saw your picture on BBC Newsline Weather and I liked it, Well done REV..