Sunday 30 March 2008

Seals!

Yes, this is the second exotic species to be seen by your correspondent within the past month!

So, today (after there was no organ music since the organist forgot to set his clock forwards and didn't make it to church, so they had to ask a nice lady to play the hymns on the piano with 30 seconds' notice -- titter), we had an excursionary activity!

Just for the Mama, there was a chaperone to make sure there was no sealing (or Horse-ing) about (tee hee -- this joke will come clearer momentarily).

Anyhoo... There are grey seals (Halichoerus grypus, meaning "hooked-nosed sea pig") which live off the coast of England (again, who knew? well, I actually did; but only since my move here.) and specifically off the Norfolk coast. There are boat trips out onto the North Sea to an island where they live, but but my abstemious nature for any spending of money on frivolity and my lack of planning ahead for personal gain have prevented my excursing there 'til now.

However, this past week during my food research day (when the vein search involved 3 stabs and I didn't even get woozy -- hoorah!), the cook told us about the seals at Horsey.

Horsey is a village with a pub and a windmill (actually a drainage windpump), on the coast north of Caister-on-Sea.

Liz is a student whom I met just over one year ago (eek!) at an exchange fair in Wollongong (just south of Syndey in Australia, where the water goes down drains backwards), and she is now at UEA for the Spring 2008 semester. She is brave and lives with 19- and 20-year-olds. She is awesome! So, we invited her to come along on our excursion today.

It was really good that I urged us to stop and get some wellies for her for the journey, as she had on very cute shoes at the beginning. We now have matching wellies in a black and white toile pattern (I do like to psychologically influence people to be just like me).

From the windmill, we were instructed by the nice National Trust man (as an easier route than going to the pub and walking from there as initially instructed by the cook -- which turned out to be slightly erroneous since they just wanted/needed our car park money, but it was VERY entertaining, fabulous exercise *at least 5 miles*, and got the wellies dirty which made me happy!)... anyhoo, we were instructed to go across the road, over the first stile, through a field, turn left, go over another stile, go to the end, turn right, go to the beach, cross the dunes (which are more than piddly little Florida dunes), turn right on the beach and walk for 10 minutes.

This is some of what we saw and did.

The first stile (to L). Note: There were no stock animals to chase us as in Carry On Camping (which I happened to watch just last evening).

The second stile (to R).

The Long and Muddy Road. It was rawther muddy. Poor E had to tuck his jeans legs into his socks and was therefore disguised as a Twitcher, with his new Zenith 10x50 binoculars (only £8 from the auction!) around his neck.

The Goal, the Gap (in the far distance). At the last stretch of road, we could see the gap which had only been visible through the bins before. And we headed for it.

It was a really pretty walk, and this was (I think) the hottest day of the year so far. It was 18C when we got back at 5 o'clock (this is almost 70F!). There is now a slight pinkish tinge to my face :)

Once we got to the beach, however, the seals were in the water right in front of us! Flitting about, surfacing and diving quite flirtatiously. It was all very exciting.

Turning to the right, we proceeded towards a large bank of rocks... oh... no, wait! Those are freaking SEALS! As Eamonn will now show us...

Seals do this sort of noise somewhere between cats rowwwwing at each other and cows mooing. I shall be happy to demonstrate to interested persons, as I enjoy making animal noises and teaching small children to do the same.

Several of the saucy ones followed us in the water as we walked along the beach observing their compatriots. Here is a video (this is a little slow in the upload, but just keep your panties on) of some of the sauciest ones, absolutely amazing when you consider that the camera was in my hands not more than 12 feet away, which you can see from the waves crashing outside the bottom of the frame.

E did some seal stalking and got some enviable pics (to R). In this pic of his, you can see both the (precious and massive) seal as well as the track of his galumphing movement across the sand.

These creatures are so cute and yet so unbelievably massive(!) [bulls weigh about 660 pounds and females weigh about half that], their eyes are huge, and they watch you extremely closely but not like they are afraid at all.
Truly thrilling, this was.

Have also discovered (despite protestations that this was silliness) that it IS possible to photograph through binoculars! However, this technique has much skill yet to be developed.

*******

Afterwards, we slogged back up the dunes (whew!), and then down the long road to the Nelson's Head, and then back through the fields, and then across country towards Cromer for some fish and chips (mediocre from Mary Jane's Fish and Chip shop, I must say).

*******
Along the drive, we passed daffodil farms, which clarifies the origins of the bunches of daffs that you seem to be able to buy everywhere...

This image also demonstrates the honor system of British culture for everything from free range eggs to hyacinth bulbs, and which I find refreshing, quaint and sad all at the same time (sad, because it is like the last gasp of a civilised society which is now turning to binge drinking and ASBO behaviour at both age 14 and age 65). The sign at the back says, '1 bunch, 35p' and '3 bunches, £1'

*******
I am now pooped and shall retire to my beddy bye.

1 comment:

getmeaguiness said...

I take it I am now grazing stock? Pray tell, what am I being fattened up for?

If you are confused, look closely at the first photo!

:)