Thursday, July 6, 2023

Leisurely Last Day


Yesterday was a pretty quiet day, spent mostly at our beachfront cottage. I walked Olga on the sand in the morning, at low tide, and spent several hours reading "Crossroads," which I like and I've almost finished.

This pretty much expresses the mood:


I did see a hummingbird moth on the valerian in the garden, which was exciting, but it moved quickly and I couldn't get a picture with my phone. I've also seen a handful of bees and red admiral butterflies out there.

It's been liberating just using my phone for photos on this trip, but there have been moments -- like the hummingbird moth, or when I wanted a picture of the distant lighthouse on the horizon, or of the moon over the ocean, when my big camera would have been better. The phone doesn't do distant objects well. It reduces them to the size of a pinhead.

Still, I'm not sorry I left "the monster" at home.


In the afternoon, we took Olga up to Pevensey on the bus, and walked around the open fields behind the castle. That area is marked on the map as a dog park, and we thought she would like a grassy space to run -- and as you can see, she did. The ramparts of the castle were peeking over the treetops (they were behind me when I took the photo above). That's as close as I was able to get Dave to Pevensey Castle!

Today, we're headed back to London, catching a late morning train. We should be home by 1 p.m. or so.

24 comments:

  1. Can you use your fingers to "expand" the phone image so it's like a camera zoom? I've done that with mne and it works as long as what you want to photograph isn't too far away.
    Your getaway sounds perfect.

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  2. what a nice holiday, I think I might be jealous. Your phone shots are really great, jealous of that as well. Mine are so weird, pixated-ish and I don't know...Olga in the blowy grass is so crisp! Have a sfe trip back to the city, where it will likely be hot . It is hot here and we have pretty much the same weather as you. 85 today!

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  3. This looks like the perfect idyll and makes me wish I were there.

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  4. The last picture makes me think you should publish a picture book titled "Where's Olga?" Of course she would need to wear a red and white striped dog jacket, a bobble hat and round black-rimmed glasses. Pevensey seemed like a great place for a break from the city.

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  5. That was certainly a great trip. So funny that Dave firmly declined to go to any castles. I bet he had his no castles today expression on.

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  6. Looks like a peaceful day and you gotta love those in these times.

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  7. Thank you for sharing your get-away with us. I think we all feel a little refreshed.

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  8. What a perfect vacation, Steve.

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  9. Such a beautiful vacation you, Dave, and Olga had there. Thank you for sharing it with us.

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  10. Sounds like you had a lovely, relaxing vacation.

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  11. A nice, relaxing day for your last day at the beach. Olga looks like she enjoyed the break as much as you did. It looks like the weather cooperated beautifully for your mini-vacation.

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  12. Always a good thing to get out of the nest and experience different space.

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  13. Like you I couldn't get a picture of my Humming bird Moth last year. I haven't seen any this year so far.
    Briony
    x

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  14. She looks such a happy girl! My phone pix are lousy; fortunately my pocked digital is (used to be) very good. It's been dropped more than a few times and the zoom isn't what it used to be. Before I travel again I will replace it. Sorry about the moth! The beach looks lovely.

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  15. Looks like it's been a fun, relaxing trip for all three of you! I love that top photo...

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  16. Wonderful to get away and relax! I love a change of scenery but am usually ready to go home to my own bed and routine.

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  17. I do love the top photo. I could use a lazy week at the beach in temperate weather. beach is an hour away here but been too damn hot all summer.

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  18. I'm back from a vacation myself. Hope yours went well. I'll read back a few posts to see if I was right.

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  19. I was struck by the absence of people in your photos. Were you the only ones there?

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  20. You've had such good weather for your break away. I fully agree about the camera for amateurs, now only useful for long distance zoom.

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  21. I love that first photo; it's the kind of thing I would hang on the wall and enjoy every time I caught sight of it. For a person who doesn't like bodies of water, I love beaches with surprising fervor :)

    What a nice getaway. I wish I could do the same.

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  22. River: I can do that, but as you said, it only works when the object isn't truly a distant one.

    Linda Sue: I think your phone shots work well! (Assuming that's what you're blogging?) This new phone is better than my old one.

    Mitchell: It was just what we needed!

    YP: I think Olga truly could have been a social media phenomenon if I'd put her on the right platforms (not Blogger, LOL) and really worked at it!

    Boud: He is more and more a stay-at-home kind of guy. He's never been that into sightseeing.

    Bob: Absolutely! They are to be cherished!

    Bug: Agreed agreed agreed!

    Ms Moon: I hope so! Vicarious refreshment. :)

    Ellen D: It was just what we needed.

    Robin: Thanks for coming along!

    Pixie: We did indeed -- comparable to yours in BC, I think!

    Sharon: Yeah, we got really lucky on weather. It did rain but it only really happened at night.

    Red: Everyone needs a change of scenery now and then.

    Briony: They move pretty quickly! I've photographed them in our home garden with my big camera and long zoom lens, but I couldn't get close enough with the phone before it flew away.

    Jeanie: I still have my old pocket digital as a backup camera, but I can't imagine I'll use it again. (Maybe I should try for the zoom, though!)

    Kelly: I took lots of pictures of rocks and sand before I got one that I really liked!

    Margaret: The best part of vacation is coming home, as they say!

    Ellen: Yeah, we used to go to the beach in August in Florida, but we stayed inside at midday.

    Ed: Glad you're back! Hope it went well!

    Catalyst: We weren't the only ones, but it isn't a crowded beach, that's for sure. It's a very small town and I suspect many of the beachfront cottages were unoccupied. School is still in here in England so maybe when it lets out (any day now, I think) they'll fill up.

    Andrew: Yeah, we got very lucky on the weather, as I said to Sharon above. It rained only at night!

    Jenny-O: I have no need to get IN the ocean, but I love seeing it and walking beside it!

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  23. These Travels And Olga Girl Photos Are Beyond Outstanding There Brother Reed

    Well Done,
    Cheers

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