An artist’s & birdwatcher’s paradise…

We awoke to the sounds of a row going on in the vicinity of the caravan next door.  It wasn’t until later in the morning when Peter set up the windbreak, table and chairs in front of Bessie that we found out what it was all about.

Our neighbours, a pleasant elderly couple whose Saltire appeared in the last post, had been verbally abused by another camper for daring to ask her children politely if they could avoid running around the front of their caravan where they had their flag and satellite aerial set up.  They were clearly shaken but were pleased to report that the abuser had moved her caravan further up the ground.

I fear that this particular type of campsite can be a breeding ground for disputes such as this – you tend to get a mixture of people from all walks of life, some of whom aren’t your typical dedicated campers.  We’ll try to keep our noses clean!

It was wonderful to be able to do some painting au plein air for a change.  There was a strip of mist laying over the water in the distance but the sun was shining brightly.

Peter set up the tripod for the camera and we were all set to enjoy a wonderful day of sunshine, with lots of interest in the ever-changing scene in front of us.

Peter took some great bird photos during the day…

Female Eider

Red-Breasted Merganser

Gannet

Pied Wagtail

Hooded Crow

Great Black-Backed Gull

Great Northern Diver

… and flying overhead:

Shag

Red-Breasted Mergansers

Oystercatchers

Ringed Plover

Juvenile Gull

Plus he saw, but not photographed, a couple of Whimbrels, Common Gulls and Arctic Terns flying past and some Common Guillemots swimming in the distance.

The mist that was lying over the water earlier came back and created an eerie atmosphere.

The sun soon burnt it off, however, and it never re-appeared.

I had set up my painting gear on the table and painted happily away for most of the afternoon.

In the early evening the sun glinted brightly on the water…

… and, although it wasn’t as spectacular as the night before, the sunset was nonetheless beautiful – bronze rather than gold.

A wonderfully relaxing day…