Paddle Boarders In Paradise, Broadstairs

I've been trying to stay away from "the screen" a bit more on my days off. My work involves staring at a screen for hours on end so it's been lovely to be away from that process for a while. Of course, when I want to edit my images I'm right back there but at least it's my choice!
Today it was such a beautiful winter's day we decided to go to Broadstairs. We made sure to wrap up warm as it was bitingly cold - I had five layers on including my coat plus a big scarf. It was so fantastic to be back by the sea. We felt engulfed in all the fresh air and it was glorious. I love British seaside towns out of season even more than I do in the summer. Broadstairs felt particularly majestic but also melancholy and very quiet. Mondays seem to be when many of the shops stay closed all day but for some reason it made me love it even more.
The sandy beach has the wonderful name of Viking Bay and is surrounded by high cliffs, so looks so dramatic.It was almost completely empty. As we walked along we noticed huge snakes of raised sand across the beach, I'm presuming to protect the seafront from winter storms.
Today's main image is of paddle boarders I spotted from the sea wall. I knew I wasn't close enough to capture them close-up but I thought they looked amazing framed by the red barriers. The one riding the wave crashed head first into water less than a second after I took this image so I was chuffed to catch him on the crest. They all looked like they were in their own little paradise, soaking up the sun and probably wishing they could stay there for ever.
On the way to get a coffee and a slice of cake (or in our case cheesecake) from the famous Morelli's Italian cafe I decided to walk along the edge of the tidal pool (see last extra). In under two minutes I'd dropped my lens cap in the sea water and fallen over after slipping on some slimy seaweed. "Accident Waiting To Happen" should be my middle names! I hope my other images capture what a stunning day it was. We had such lovely time and even managed a drink on the way home in the lovely village of Chilham.