#Dogs & fashion?

It is early Sunday morning and I am just back from a bike ride along the the sea front. It is a very quiet still morning out there today. The skies are heavy and dark grey but the very light drizzle almost mist is warm and enveloping. It is lovely.

As usual I am in my own little world of thought and something triggers a theme or comes together to create one.

This morning I saw a man with 3 little pug dogs on separate leads walking along the prom. (a slightly chaotic scene - ha!). Earlier this week I had read a news article talking about these little French or American Pug dogs?

The article explained how popular they have recently become but how problematic their health can be - particularly respiratory issues and skin problems. The thrust of the article was people should be more aware of these potential issues and questioning whether the dogs should actually be bred in the numbers they currently are - that almost it was cruel to do so. I have no idea if this is right or wrong.

However what I have observed over the last 6 months or so is a large increase in the number of these cute little dogs that I see on my bike rides. They have definitively become very popular.

That led me thinking about other dogs that used to be popular but I now see nothing like the numbers of out exercising. There was a stage when there were lots of the Pit Bull Staffie types. Now I hardly see them but there was definitely a time when they were the dog to have for some.

After the "Staffie" the fashion dog was a "Husky" type. They were around for a while but now you hardly see them. 

I assume both breeds were found to be challenging in a normal domestic setting and the fashion cooled off as the practicalities became apparent. It leads you wonder where these dogs are now? It is a real shame that the "dogs are for life and not just for christmas" truism does not seem to be widely appreciated and considered. Dogs seem to be not a lot more than a must have fashion accessory in some cases and people do not think through the implications behind ownership and the characteristics of dogs they are taking on. Fox red labradors are now selling like hot cakes. However there is concern about over breeding and inbreeding to meet demand and maintain the vital colour. Neither are apparently a positive thing in the prospect of producing and maintaining a healthy robust dog.

Certainly a lot of people have taken on a dog in the covid period. Hopefully a lovely thing. They have had time during the lockdown and dog walking fits in well when all we could do was exercise in our locality in relative isolation. Let's hope the dogs continue to be appreciated when people return to work and life becomes more "normal" again. 

Fox red Labrador have suddenly become very popular. The poor old yellow lab is no longer getting a look in! These are beautiful looking dogs but are they actually the right breed for you? Maybe - maybe not. Do you know their characteristics ? Have you thought it through?

  

#ThreeTenners IOW visit

I have just hosted a weeks visit from my two brothers - Rob and Mike. So the Three Tenner's were reunited for a few days - and to coincide with my birthday. It has been a long time coming because of covid restrictions.

What did we get up to apart from beer drinking ?

Well I have written a number of Three Tenner blogs before. They have all been based around some sort of outdoor activity. 

This time we had a plan to do 3 main things over the week. They were cycling, fishing and sailing.

The first - cycling. Over the years I have completed the IOW Randonee many times - either on the official Randonee day or following the signposted route under our own steam at other times. My brothers have never had the chance to do it - and fancied it. So this is what we did on my birthday - we cycled the 100k - the 60 + hilly miles. Mike and I did the John o' Groats to Lands End over 3 weeks last September but I don't think Mike had been on a bike much since. Rob hasn't done much either but he did come over with his super light hi tec racing bike. Anyway we did it - not bad for 3 bruvs with a total age of 193! We had a good run - some drizzle but we got around in 8 hours or so and had a laugh doing it. I am always proud to show off the Island and the randonee route is perfect for that. Talk about perfect - as we approached Ryde it was obvious we had earned a beer in the full knowledge it is was a flat ride back to Seaview thereafter. The sun came out. We headed for the Solent Inn. We had a perfect seats in the beer garden - the bar maid was a laugh - the other customers were intrigued it seemed - particularly by brother Rob's lycra get up. His short shorts looked tight lol! The piece de resistance was the beer. 3 pints of the most perfect real ale - from a new barrel of Timothy Taylor. They went down well! When we got home the twins were there and we had a massive Indian takeaway. Not a bad day at all! 

On the fishing - well there was a big build up to this! Two things ! First - no this was not a competition - lol. Second - we each wanted to win ha! My fishing boat is called Iggle Piggle. She is a 16 ft open fishing boat - with three bench seats and an outboard - an Orkney Longliner. I keep her on a mooring off Seaview from end of May until late September. I fish in the eastern Solent - and don't go very far. I only catch fish to eat and put everything else back. 

We had two sessions - an afternoon following my bruvs arrival on the Tuesday - and all day on Thursday. 

Now I am definitely not claiming to be an expert fisherman - far from it but over the years I have come to these conclusions about fishing. The main ones is there is over hype about fishing tackle and particularly end tackle. My brothers turned up with an assortment of rigs - paternosters - various combinations of hooks, beads, swivels, sliders and weights. Which to use? My approach when bottom fishing is always the same - a weight - a bead - a swivel - a hook length - a hook to reflect the size of fish expecting to catch. Everything else in my view leads to complications and bother especially as complicated rigs usually means more weed problems. The key I think is always the freshest best bait possible. I dug lugworm for us on Tuesday morning and to be safe I ordered some live ragworm. Thereafter it is to get your hook in the water - tight lines and concentrate on your rod tip! I think back to my dear late dad. He didn't get as much opportunity to fish as he would have liked - but he loved reading about it and bought all sorts of tackle, specialists rods and reels in anticipation. But when he went fishing he was always faced with the same dilemma - how to set up - what system to use? If he didn't start catching - he must be using the wrong system - so hook out of the water - change the system etc etc. My view with bottom sea fishing is if the fish are there - my lovely fresh bait will attract them. If they are not there - then no end of systems will make much difference - ha! 

One thing that did surprise me - we were heading back to the mooring on Tuesday and Rob put on a flashy Bass lure. We were keen to get in so I was giving the engine a bit of throttle. I was sure we were going too fast to catch and apologised to Rob. Low and behold - Rob lands a nice Bass. A lesson learned about trolling speed as we were going in the direction of the tide rather than across it.

Thursday was a fun fishing day too although the weather was not quite so nice. Mike hadn't caught and we of course we hadn't mentioned it! And then a hit and a nice bass. Mike as usual is understated - but a big smile! It was a laugh the three of us in a small boat for the day. Casting - tangles - crossed lines - banter - accusations of poaching - excitement - not to mention peeing in a bucket. We caught a few. Photos below!

One other issue. On the way back on Thursday I had an engine breakdown. It came as a suprise as the engine had been running like a dream. Several attempts to restart were not successful but rowing to mooring was thankfully possible. Mike - the young gun did the lions share. Rob and Mike are both mechanically minded and they went through normal causes - spark, fuel etc. Eventually it turned out to be plug failure under compression. It was a great relief that it was something relatively simple and harmless. Have you seen the price of outboard engines? 

That leaves the sailing. I have mentioned before I have a Seal 22 called Gold Crest which I keep on a pontoon in Ryde Harbour. Ryde Harbour dries out and access in and out is therefore determined by tide times. Tides were not ideal on this day but we were set for a day's sailing with a good breeze which is exactly what happened. It was good to be out with my brothers especially as our late dad had a hand in building Gold Crest all those years ago. We went up to Cowes - criss crossed the Solent and eventually ran down to close to Chichester entrance. I cooked bacon sarnies and we had plenty to eat. Rob had a go at handline fishing but alas a bit to early for mackerel. We had plenty of time to chat and dream and talked a lot about boats of course. Mike is seriously thinking about getting a much more substantial boat to sail around the UK in. I am trying to convince Rob he should buy a narrowboat for the UK canal network! Both would be great for the Three Tenners! 

Coming back in was slow progress - we were down tide and beating. The wind had picked up and cloud had built. Not great planning! However we get off Ryde sands - and the advantage of little Gold Crest comes to the fore. Wind up the lifting keel all the way and she only draws 2 feet. Raise the lifting rudder plate and we go in while other boats have to wait.

We get home by 8.15 pm. Quick showers and back for a covid Saturday night in the pub with burgers. 

My bruvs went back on Sunday morning. A priceless few days. Brilliant to do. All three of us knew it was special. All 3 of us are optimists but realise we cannot take anything for granted. Simple pleasures are usually best. Cheers bruvs. To the next time xxx

Some snaps from the mob phone :

Rob in the fore ground - Mike behind fishing on Iggle Piggle

The finish after the pub. 193 years in total. 100km cycled.

Bruvs on Gold Crest

      

#ComptonBay an Isle of Wight beach

The other Sunday ( a few weeks back now) we spent some time down on Compton beach. It is an especially lovely area and not on the normal tourist track as such. This is a short blog - but one I promised to Compton Bay I would write - as a thank you for offering up its outstanding solitary natural beauty and special atmospherics yet again.

Compton Bay is found towards the western end of the Military Road. It is therefore on the "back of the Wight. (By definition the Solent side is the front of the Wight I guess although this is not a term you hear used.). Compton Bay faces out into a huge sea vista - it is The English Channel of course and it is wide open to the south westerlies that blow in off the Atlantic. It can be a surf beach.

While I think of it - Compton is a great beach - not particularly shelving. However it is a surf beach and there are no lifeguards. It is very easy to be caught out by back wash and or rip tides - so take great care even on a hot sunny day.

Here are a couple of guide book extracts :

Compton Bay is a sandy beach located beside the coast road between Freshwater Bay and Brook. Offering a two-mile stretch of contrasting golden and dark sands snuggled between rolling surf and multi-coloured sandstone cliffs it is a favourite with regular beachgoers and a few local water sports enthusiasts. The beach is peaceful all through the summer there are great views of the white cliffs of Freshwater.

Steps lead down to the beach from Hanover Point/Sheppard’s Chine where there is a large National Trust (NT) car park, toilet facilities and fresh water tap or drive further west to Compton Chine/Farm and find a smaller NT car park on the opposite side of the coastal road and tiered steep steps down to the beach. Whilst there is no café, a refreshment van can be found there throughout the summer and during the winter months at the weekend. This area is popular with fossil hunters and at low tide, dinosaur footprints can be seen imprinted in the rocks. Notices explain beach safety are found by the car park. It is important to read about the local conditions and how to stay safe.

Compton Bay is a bay located on the southwest section of the Isle of Wight, England. Its north western edge is defined by the distinctive white chalk cliff of Freshwater Cliff, named after adjacent Freshwater Bay, which forms a small cove with the village of Freshwater situated just behind. Its north eastern edge is formed from the soft red and orange lower cretaceous rocks of Brook Bay, which are rapidly eroding.

Due to the lack of grazing on the cliffs above the bay, the native chalk ecosystem has thrived. Atop the cliffs, the Island's county flower, the pyramidal orchid, can be found, while the rare Glanville fritillary butterfly also lives in large numbers supported by the native flowers. There are also other hardy plants, such as common gorse bushes and wild cabbage.

The bay is popular with wave and kite surfers due to the waves that form when the prevailing south-westerly wind is blowing onshore. The beach is gently shelving and consists mostly of sand, with a few lengths of submerged rock, although at high tide the sea covers the beach almost completely. The car park and its public facilities are owned by the National Trust, as is the coastal strip of land. The Isle of Wight Coastal Path runs along the cliff around the bay.

There are dinosaur footprints visible in Compton Bay when the tide is low, and this is one of the best areas to see the dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight. Fossil hunters can often be seen searching for smaller fossils on the beach.

Both extracts above refer to dinosaurs and coastal erosion.

The Isle of Wight has adopted the name "Dinosaur Isle". Compton and along the back off the Wight is a hotbed for dinosaur finds. This is linked to the coastal erosion - because as the sea eats into the soft sandstone cliffs it exposes the fossils to be found by the avid hunters.

Coastal erosion is certainly a very evident feature and the National Trust have to regularly maintain and rebuild the flight of wooden steps that gives access to the western end of Compton. This is much my preferred end because the walk down and especially the walk up is a bit of a test - and consequently it is quieter.

On coastal erosion - years ago I met a structural engineer who lived on the Island. He conceived a plan to " save the IOW " On the Solent side - particularly off Ryde there are sand banks. He pointed out the Dutch would have reclaimed the land from the sea without a thought. His idea was the valuable reclaimed land would generate capital to provide sea defences to shore up the back of the Wight - places like Compton. His plan was never given much credibility. Certainly around Compton the sea seems irresistible.

Here are a few photos of Compton that I took on the day :

Down on Compton beach looking east

Looking west

The full west 

view heading down to Tennyson Down and the Needles. Freshwater Bay in the dip - centre of left.

Looking down from the cliff top.

I have borrowed this one to provide some information regarding the geology and coastal erosion.