Monday 6 August 2012

Net mending






An old fishing saying is that "there are days to fish, and days to mend your nets".  This June day at Macduff (appropriately a fishing town) was most definitely one on which to mend nets.  A raw north-easterly stripped away the warmth of the sun and filled the air with noise and spray. Seabirds were being flung sideways in the turbulence around the sea wall as wave and wind combined.

 After the warmth of early June a pattern of northerly winds set in, blowing steadily onshore on the Moray Firth.  The winds were cycling around an unusual pressure distribution and were blowing from Scandinavia and the far north - so they came with a bite.

The dark headland in the distance is Troup Head, a large seabird colony and RSPB reserve.  The windy conditions will have made life difficult for the birds this season.

The patchwork of sun and shadow against the blues and greys of the sea and the blinding white of the surging swell made a wild and compelling scene.

3 comments:

  1. But you took a nice photo, at least. :)

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  2. Indeed Ian, there is wisdom in that saying. On those days that we must "mend our nets", we deepen our appreciation for the passions we follow...and, in some cases, give our bodies a little time to recover from the last time out. :) Warm wishes. Duncan.

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  3. Thank you Mia - the wind was pretty strong so I had to just point and shoot because there were tears in my eyes!

    Hi Duncan, you're so right - net mending days can be special too...

    Kind Regards

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