Gone Crabbing

 We all love the fun of dangling a line, with a bit of bacon tied on so on Saturday we headed off with the grandchildren in the direction of Sturt Pond Bridge to partake in a seaside classic - crabbing!

We arrived at the first 'crab bridge' armed with a net, bucket and crab lines.  We weren't allowed on the bridge because of Covid but we tied on our bait (we used an old pair of tights to hold the bacon in) and found a suitable spot for the intrepid crabbers to cast their lines, and waited......patience is the secret ingredient.

A small crowd gathered and within seconds Chloe felt a pull on the line.  Inch by inch she carefully raised her line and had scooped up a ten-legged crustacean.  She popped him into the bucket with Grandad's help - he carefully held the shell behind the pincers with his fingers and thumb, to avoid a nasty nip.  Jamie very quickly caught the second one.

They caught 21 crabs altogether!!

The children loved the idea of a race for putting their precious new pinchy pets back into the water.  We didn't make the crabs run too far - I have no idea about crab stamina but I have in the past noticed people who started way back were losing their crabs to waiting seagulls!  And that's never a great way to end your day at the coast with wailing children who have just seen their new friend smashed and eaten in front of them!  We made sure our crabs were well submerged and the lurking gull did not eat them!

We then rewarded the Champion Crab Catcher efforts with a delicious pizza from the Fire Engine at The Smugglers.

When done responsibly, crabbing is an excellent way to introduce children to the marine ecology.

Some interesting crab facts:

1.  To tell the difference between a male and female crab, carefully look at its underneath.  A male will have more of a geometric triangle flap whilst the females is more rounded (and will often be covered with eggs).

2.  The collective noun for crabs is a cast.

3.  Crabs have blue blood because of the copper it contains.

4.  Crabs are covered in lots of tiny little hairs called setae which help them detect chemicals, touch and movement.

5.  Crabs belong to a group of creatures known as Decapods which means 10 legs.  Lobsters, shrimps and prawns are also included in this group.

Cruise ships off Bournemouth

 One of the biggest cruise ships in the world is among five anchored off Bournemouth beach.

Allure of the Seas is one of four Royal Caribbean ships which can be viewed from the Dorset coast.

Three more of the company's impressive ships - Anthem of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas - are among the group.

The fifth is P&O's Aurora.

Many different cruise ships have come and gone during lockdown and have become a tourist attraction.  Cruise ships are currently at anchor around the world as coronavirus restrictions rule out a return to business.  They are both magnificent and sad at the same time.

These wonderful photos were taken by Graham Wiffen.

Back to School

 It's more than 160 days since schools sent home pupils at the beginning of the lockdown.  No-one at the time, in those bewildering March days, could have known when children would return.

The leaves that were starting to appear on the trees when children hurried home are now about to turn brown.  It's been a long and strange summer.  The family holiday was cancelled.

Exams were cancelled and there were replacement results.  And then those results were cancelled too.  There was constant confusion over whether or not pupils were going back to school.

Home-schooling didn't always really happen and rites of passage such as leaving events had to be called off.  There were more u-turns than a handwriting text book.

But children are now going back full-time for the new school year.  The "new normal" became a lockdown cliche, but going back to school in September is a rare case of the old normal.

So what's it going to be like for these returning pupils?  What should parents be saying to them?  Are they going to be able to get back to learning after months of lie-ins and Netflix?  I think there's a real need to recognise the physical, mental and emotional impact of going back.  But on the other hand, there were positive experiences during lockdown.  They have not had the stresses of school and they have enjoyed spending more time together with their parents, especially Daddy. The lockdown saw a temporary reinvention of family life, with those parents working from home seeing more of their children than would ever usually be possible.  Perhaps children and perhaps also their parents will miss this closeness.

Follow the lines; join the queue; please keep your distance and wash your hands.  I am sure the schools will institute a regime of hygiene and precautions to keep pupils safe.

A Day Out at the Needles

 The Needles is one of the most beautiful spots on the Isle of Wight and perhaps it's most famous landmark.  After living in Milford-on-Sea for nine months the grandchildren were desperate to visit.

The Needles is a row of three distinctive stacks of chalk that rise out of the sea off the western extremity of the island and is a must see.  Actually, there used to be four stacks, but one of them collapsed during the great storm of 1764 - one of the tallest Needles in the famous rock formation - all that is left of it today is a large gap.  The formation actually takes its name from the fourth needle-shaped pillar called Lot's Wife.  The remaining rocks are not at all needle-like, but the name has stuck.

The Needles Lighthouse stands at the outer, western end of the formation.

There are a few ways to see this famous landmark.

We boarded the 10 am Lymington to Yarmouth ferry.  It's an attractive trip sailing down the Lymington River and across the Western Solent.  The crossing took 40 mins and we had good views of all the sailing boats through the big windows.

We then headed for The Needles - Landmark Attraction (previously known as The Needles Pleasure Park) situated at the top of the cliff at Alum Bay and is a small amusement park. Parking costs £6 for all day or £4 if you show your National Trust card. We started our day with a trip from the top of Alum Bay cliffs down to the beach below.  Spectacular views of the picturesque Needles Rocks and Lighthouse as well on the chairlift which operates between the park and the beach.  (You can walk down lots of steps instead).  It was nice and quiet when we arrived and it was great fun, especially the drop over the cliff with fabulous views.  Chloe thought it a little scary!!  I have to say it's not for the faint hearted.  The staff were fab with helping the children on and off - they had to wear masks because of this. 

  The beach is stony at the bottom but the colourful cliffs are very interesting and unusual to see.  You can take a boat ride to The Needles.

Safely back at the top Chloe and Jamie opted for a Dino Jeep Ride.  Well the Isle of Wight is also known as Dinosaur Island.

Our car was parked by some grass with lovely views so this is where we chose to eat our picnic.

Because of the Corona Virus our visit to the National Trust Needles Battery had to be pre-booked (we were 2 p.m.) so there was time for a game of Jurassic Crazy Golf before the mile walk up to the top of the cliff to look down onto the Needles.

The walk is incredibly picturesque and leads you to the National Trust Needles Battery.  A former military installation where rockets were once secretly tested.

The Needles' pointed shape is a result of their unusual geology.  The strata have been so heavily folded during the Alpine Orogeny that the chalk is near vertical.  This chalk outcrop runs through the centre of the Island from Culver Cliff in the east to the Needles in the west, and then continues under the sea to the Isle of Purbeck, forming Ballard Cliff (near Swanage), Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door.  At Old Harry Rocks (east of Studland and north of Swanage) these strata lines moving from horizontal to near vertical can be seen from the sea.

Just off the end of the Needles formation is the Shingles, a shifting shoal of pebbles just beneath the waves.  The Shingles is approximately three miles in length.  Many ships have been wrecked on the Shingles.

Such an enjoyable day and the visibility was superb.