Tuesday 19 July 2011

Week 28












Here is my double page for week 28.   I have had a short break and stayed at Whitby on the east coast.  As I am on the west coast it was strange to see how different this shoreline was from where I live.  When I returned home it made me look at the shore and make comparrisons.  So on Saturday  I took my camera and I am showing you some photographs to capture some of the characteristics of my shoreline.   It is an estuary and  the sea comes in twice a day and depending on the size of the tide we fill up with water.  The train runs very close to the shore, the large limestone barrier is to stop erosion and hold back the water so it does not flood over the train lines.  The bankings are eroding at a fast pace, huge chunks are breaking off and falling into the sand.  The railway is vital,  as it weaves its way around the estuary  across the bridges over the tidal rivers  and seashore,   to journey up the west coast.  The sea has to be held back,  as we have seen it flood at high tides and the damage it causes.  
The limestone is now patterned with acid yellow lichen and seaweeds.  The banks of the railway line home to so many different wild flowers and insect life.  The shore is an area of special scientific interest because of the birds and wild life.   As I collect my objects each week I learn more and more about this place where I was born and grew up.   It is familar to me and yet it becomes more interesting as I record my weekly walks.  I am getting to know it more. A wet tangled up piece of seaweed,  so different when washed and drawn on the page.  I like the not knowing what I will find,  the strange assortment of objects that are found in the tideline and end up together on my page.  Hope you do too.
I will leave you with a picture of Whitby,  the opposite side of  England to me and a very different shore line to mine.  I brought home a limpet shell I collected at Robin Hoods Bay,  a brooch made from Whitby jet and some nice memories.  Thank you for your lovely comments.                 
Millyx                            p.s. my husband took the Whitby photograph.

6 comments:

sea-blue-sky & abstracts said...

Thrilled to see so much to excite, visually, in your post Milly. Love all the colours of your double page seaweed study - and all of the photos. Weren't you lucky to capture the ship leaving Whitby harbour too?! x

Melody said...

Sort of fascinating that we both live "connected" to the same ocean... yet it can be so different from here to there! Lovely drawings, I love the two tone leaf ~ reminds me of fall, and no evil humidity!!! :)))
Great to see your swan!

Feathers said...

I always love seeing the treasures you find on your walks. There's nothing like being in a different location for awhile to make one appreciate what they have at home.

Frances said...

Milly, your husband's photo of Whitby is a great view, really showing just how different that coastline is from your local environment.

I also really enjoyed seeing your photos of your tideline, and learning more about how the water continues to take more territory as its own. As you write, the rail line is very, very close to the shore.

You have given us lots of insight into what you have gathered together for this week 28 sketchbook page.

It is a beauty! I thank you for passing along to us so much of your accumulated knowlege of all the natural life around you.

xo

wandering said...

What a beautiful collection!! Isnt it interesting how contrasts like that make one look at the familiar differently. I find that too. We will be going to France for the summer, as we do every year, and I am always woken up by the change, the differences, the new things, and then I get to have that again when we get home. Love that.

suz said...

Your double page is fascinating - so many colors and textures and designs. I love that you've shared photos of your walk ... and to see the swan. I live a little under an hour from the ocean. There is a State park I like to go to because the beach is kept "natural" and isn't attractive to people who want to sunbathe. I'm hoping to get out there early one morning before the summer is over. I'll be looking at the beach with different eyes thanks your your drawings.