Sunday 9th August 2026

We should have been in Bezier this morning, instead we woke up in our own bed, a cool and refreshing night meant lots of much needed sleep.

Jools went for a walk first thing, while I snoozed some more, only to wake up and find the house empty when I did finally get up just after six.

I made a coffee, then sat in the cool morning on the patio with Scully, who was very happy with that turn of events.

I asked Jools if she thought Ange and Sean would be down the beach, she thought they might, so we jumped in the car and drove down to the prom, parking near the sliver of beach, as it was high tide.

But something odd was going on.

It seemed the high tide had brough a shoal of whitebait into the harbour, and near to the shore, herrings were leaping trying to catch them. And in the air and on the surface, huge numbers of gulls joined in the hunt, making a huge noise about it, with more and more gulls flying in as the shoal surfaced with splashes of water.

There was hardly and open water along the shore, as the gulls, fish and cormorants all had their fill of the tiny fish.

Ange and Sean joined the crowd in watching, then smiled as they realised we had come to say hello. Hugs and handshakes followed.

In a couple of weeks, Ange is going to swim across the Solent to the Isle of Wight, something like three miles, but in a place with very strong tides. They have both been practicing for months, so are just about ready.

We leave them, and drive back to Townwall Street, now cleared of Saturday's holiday traffic, and head home for a brew and breakfast.

And that was the excitement for the day done and dusted.

There was football in the afternoon, Celtic vs someone, though by the time we had eaten our lunch of chicken and salad, Celtic were 4-0 up going into half time, and the former Norwich target, Kasper Hogh, scoring a hat trick.

In a surprise, Steve from next door came round bearing beers, so we popped a couple open and sat on the sofa to watch the end of the game, then some of the women's Le Tour, before switching over to see another League Cup game.

Three glasses of beer each of at least 8% were drank, and the afternoon had turned to evening.