...and the winner is

Supplemental...

I'm thrilled that my photograph entitled "Sand Beneath My Feet" has been chosen as the winner of this year's AONB photo competition.

In 2019 it will appear on 50,000 copies of the Northumberland Visitor's Guide.

The title of the photograph comes from these words from one of my songs:

I wish I was in Northumberland with the sand beneath my feet.
In the early golden light of dawn, there's a chance I'd never meet
another living soul to share the beauty that I'd see.
Oh, I wish I was in Northumberland 
staring out to Sea

top and bottom

30th November 2018, Embleton Bay, 8am

The sunrise was hidden from view as we climbed up the dune...

but it was nice from the top...

 and from the beach.

at last light

29th November 2018, Newton Point,

Eventually the morning rain moved away and left us a scrap of afternoon sunlight

clouds of all colours

27th November 2018, Embleton Bay, 7:30am

It was good to be back on the beach after a couple of days away.

The grey clouds held promise for a nice sunrise so we headed off for a walk in the meantime...

Worth waiting for...

An odd 'double-sun' effect caused by the clouds.

Away from the heat of the sunrise there were beautiful clouds all around the sky.  The same clouds that were stony grey in the first photograph have come to life for a new day.

waiting, waiting

24th November 2018, Embleton Bay, 7:30am

It was half an hour until sunrise and I was wondering if it was worth waiting around...

We waited until the sunrise and watched the sun rise straight into a grey blanket of cloud.

Daisy is angry at people who let go of their balloons. They are litterbugs.  We soon deflated Mickey's smile with my penknife and hoyed him in the bin on the way home.

last light

21st November 2018, Newton Links, 4pm

A last glimpse of the sun as it dipped into cloud just before sunset

We've been joined by Bessie for a few days.

reversed weather

19th November 2018, Embleton Bay, 4pm

After a sunny weekend in the West, it was back to rain in the East - A reversal of the normal run of things.

20th November 2018, Embleton Bay, 8am

The rain is blustery but the wind is strong enough Daisy had to lean into it to sit still.

20th November 2018, Bamburgh Castle, 11am

A hint of sunlight brightens up the windy landscape in all its glory...

20th November 2018, Embleton Bay, 4pm

A hint of sunset colour at The Skaith.  The foreground object is concrete sandbags from a WW2 structure.

false start

16th November 2018, Beadnell Bay, 7am

There was a gentle, pastel light hanging about in the sky but no sign of the sunrise at its appointed time (7:42)

Eventually up she rose from her blanket of cloud.

Follow the waves
See the light on the water
And let all your worries flow out of your mind
Let the colours of sunrise
Be in your heart forever
Your own happy memory
You can easily find

waiting for the sun

15th November 2018, Embleton Bay, 7:30am

We reached the top of the dunes at 7:30 with 10 minutes to sunrise.

By the time the sun put in an appearance above the castle headland we were down playing on the beach.

late sun

14th November 2018, Embleton bay, 7am

In the blue light of a cloudy morning the colours of the coast were piled up on top of each other.

14th November 2018, Embleton bay, 11am

It was a bit odd that there was sunrise colour in the sky to the south as late as 11am

hiding

13th November 2018, Embleton Bay, 8am

We had our walk with Daisy's sisters but both of us wanted a bit more so we went down to the beach.

The morning sun was hiding somewhere, lighting up the clouds from behind.

13th November 2018, Bamburgh, 11am

Meanwhile it was time for coffee and cake for me and Daisy wanted a biscuit too.

swans

12th November 2018, Dunstanburgh Castle, 7:30am

A flight of swans approached from over the sea. I was quick enough with my camera but they were so low that they dropped in front of the headland robbing me of the silhouette I wanted. I got a shot as they flew away past the rock but not as good a photo as I would have wanted.

The experience of seeing and hearing these noble birds fly right past me was the most important thing though.

Moral: Don't live your life through a lens.

I took this shot as a reference image as it clearly shows the boundary between the limestone and the overlying vertical columns of the whin sill (basalt) that pushed its way into the carboniferous limestone some 300 million years ago.

gently does it

11th November 2018, Embleton Bay, 7:30am

A delicate, gentle light this morning.

The wide view (phone) shows what it looked like but then in the next two photographs I found different angles with the camera.

You can probably see where I found the photos within the wide view.

run to the sunrise

10th November 2018, Beadnell Bay, 6:57am

We started running at 6:57 and 33 minutes later we'd completed a 5K run just as the sun rose from the ocean at 7:30am.  A very neat and tidy arrangement.

All the way S down Beadnell Bay I had to keep stopping to photograph the changing colours and their reflections.

 I think this is the first time I've appeared on my own blog in 10 years but it was a special moment.

bleak is beautiful

8th November 2018, Newton Links, 4pm

I do like a bleak tree.  There wasn't much colour around so the b/w seemed to suit the scene.

9th November 2018, Embelton bay, 7:30am

Today we invented "earobics" as the stiff breeze played a merry dance with Daisy's ears.

8th November 2018

colour reflected

7th November 2018, Embleton Bay, 7:30am

One man's beach (two if you include me).

I love how the colour of sunrise is reflected in her eye.

The wind was fierce; 

Ripping and tearing at the grass and ferns

The grasses of the dunes have seen it all before

(and worse)

And they bend and dance in the breeze.

The ferns can afford to lose their dying fronds

Their life essence hibernates in the soil

Sure to come to life again next year.

7th November 2018, Long Nanny, 4pm

It was a spring high tide and the Long nanny was just part of the sea as we were heading into the blueness of a late winter afternoon...

I had both Bessie and daisy this afternoon.  It's an absolute joy to walk with these two beautiful animals.