Rebuild complete

7.5C dry with grey cloud, becoming rainy around lunchtime.

Maeve the Deerhound and I went out for our walk earlier today because the weather forecast was predicting rain around lunchtime. We decided to go round our usual route. The water from the top fields has stopped pouring down the road from the church. The field with the bridle path had lots of standing water but it is walkable beside the hedge. There are two empty trailers sitting by the bales.

We went along the cycle path and through the gate in the field. Across the level crossing and down onto the beach where the place we climb down has no sand left. Stones exposed. Hopefully the sand will return after a few more tides.

The tide was just starting to go out. There was a lot of flotsam on the beach. We walked along to the Fishermen's huts. As we got near to the creel rack we saw the owner of 'Shamara II' come down onto the beach and add a plank to the rack.

We stopped and said hello and that we hoped he had not lost any gear to the high tides and wind. He was happy to stop and have a blether. He told us that the sea had gone right under the creel rack structure and it had collapsed. He had just finished rebuilding it and adding what he hoped would be better supports at the front. Old anchors turned upside down.

He was off for his dinner, then he would come back and start packing the creels back on top of the neatly arranged pallets which are fitted in the base of the scaffold pole frame.. No gear was lost as far as he knew. He was very cheerful. Completely unbowed and undaunted. Much more concerned with the flooding people had suffered in their homes in Stonehaven and other places. Admirable.

We discussed the way the tide had rushed up the burn and into one of the gardens. He told me that the burn runs right under one of the houses. We wondered what on earth it must sound like when the tides is high and the burn in spate. We decided it must be quite deep under the house as it passes beneath the railway line too.

Later the rain arrived as Maeve and I were heading home. We didn't get wet but I decided to wash my jacket anyway. It might be going in the cupboard for a while. I think Santa might be bringing me a new one :-)