Amelia's photos with the keyword: Clouds

SC80 - Post 28 January - Archive You may wonder why this is one of my favourite photos of 2023. After all, it is a fairly unremarkable coastal photo with not a lot to commend it. For me though, this takes me back to the late 40s and early 50s when I lived in St.Andrews. I passed this beach every day on the way to school, and visited it almost every day in the school holidays. It represents freedom and so many hours of pleasure, lost in my own little world of shells and seaweed, sounds and smells of the sea, and carefree days. I'd paint some of the shells I found here with water colour paints, and they would eventually return to the beach. Sandcastles with protective moats were built against the ravages of the tides as I stood, like Knut, wishing to control the inevitable destruction, only to start building again the next day. We walked along this pier so many times, my dad and I, never tiring of the view. Each day was different, the sky, the sea, the weather, the coastal flowers, the birds, and the inevitable crowds of summer visitors who came to play golf in the town and left the women to amuse the children for the day. Yes - it brings back so many happy memories, one of which was even the distinctive smell of calamine lotion, starting pink and soon turning to white on my sunburnt skin. No factor 40 in those days to prevent the UV rays. This is my favourite place in the world. Unremarkable to most, yet I still feel at home here, and lose myself in childhood memories. The East Sands in St.Andrews.

We had a day of four seasons. After a promising start, rain clouds formed over the sea, then the rain arrived onto this beach, eventually turning to hail. By lunchtime the sun was shining and eventually it was jackets and water-proof clothing removed.

You may notice that the seat of this old bench has been replaced with a new piece of oak. It will soon be necessary to replace the back.

After a humid day of thunderstorms eventually the sky cleared enough to produce some nice cumulus clouds. This was taken from our back bedroom window. Today it's just evenly grey. Cloudy - Simon and Garfunkel

Two evenings ago the skies above Ruyton XI Towns were fantastic. here the sun was just beginning to set over our tree shrouded horizon. It didn't bode well for Friday - rain all day.

Chirk Castle (Welsh: Castell y Waun) is a Grade I listed castle located at Chirk, near Wrexham, Wales. The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March as part of King Edward I's chain of fortresses across the north of Wales. It guards the entrance to the Ceiriog Valley. In 1595 Sir Thomas Middleton had bought Chirk Castle for £5,000 with the intention of turning it into his family seat. In actual fact he spent more time at his home in Essex, but he spent vast sums of money on the castle including building the north range and its State Rooms. The family crest included a wolf, which can be seen t on the gates. It is now run by The National Trust.

Sheep May Safely Graze- JS Bach

The River Dee at Kirkcudbright is a tidal river. The water will reach the reed bed in the foreground at high tide

The Water Is Wide with lyrics - Karla Bonoff

The main sandy beach runs 3.5 miles from Westport to Machrihanish and provides opportunities for surfing. There was a strong offshore wind that day, and the group of surfers from Glasgow University didn't seem keen to give surfing a go. Also the tide was still going out when we were there, so maybe they were waiting.

This Sunday's challenge is:Transition - which could be fall or spring, after the forest fire, a flower dying-growing, an empty snail shell, etc. Here the transition is from the loch to the land to the sky, and the transition from night to day.