Tuesday 11th July 2023
I woke up this morning with the birds singing outside my window around 5am. I remembered that I was now in a different town called Poole and that I could continue to sleep. But my brain said nah, so at 6am I picked up my phone to flick through my emails that I have neglected while on the ship. My friend has a bout of flu and is coughing so I didn't want her to wake up early to try and be social with me. However I heard her up and about so I joined her.
The weather was dull and windy but my friend was determined to show me her new town. I protested as she didn't feel great. Late afternoon our other friend arrived and took us down to the sandy beach. It's a beautiful area and we drove past some huge houses and land so I tried to take some photos but I was reminded of South African houses with tall gates, hedges and fences blocking my camera view. The thing I realised that I wasn’t seeing was electric fencing which isn't common in Britain.
The beach was pretty although the wind was yucky and cool so hoodies came in quite handy as we walked past the beach huts, which cost more than a modest sized home in Johannesburg now. Behind the long row of huts in the steep, green bushes were free ranging goats, keeping the foliage under control and confusing people with the occasional bleat. There were some with some long horns, and after a quick search, I discovered that they're Cashmere goats which I think is rather cool.
We sat and had a coffee while I watched some dogs frolic in the waves, a Labrador dig it's way to France and some cute French bulldogs wiggle their bums on the promenade. We could see the Bournemouth pier and a week ago this beach was packed with people enjoying the sunny skies. Today I had to wear my reading glasses for a bit to ward off the sand getting blown in my eyes.
We had a lovely catch up and a good giggle over dinner and I've spent the last hour searching trains, hotels and jobs for the next phase. I enjoy searching hotels and towns unexplored, it's just a pity that the prices have hiked up so ridiculously this last year as now it's taking far more time for decision making. Sigh. That's not a total complaint, lol. I know I'm still in a privileged position to be looking at all.
My eyes are getting heavy now, and again I must apologize for any typos. Late night reading of this blog often doesn't spot the mistakes and my 'proof reader' only reads them in the morning.
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