Candes Saint-Martin, my favourite spot in La Touraine.

Monday 18 July 2011

'Birds' with a mission

What happened before.

The next morning I woke up to the cries of the seagulls. Although it wasn’t a very nice sound, I liked it as it immediately gave me this ‘being-on-holiday’ feeling. I lay in bed for a while, listening to it. It was only seven o’clock and there was ample time before breakfast, which was scheduled at quarter to nine.

I was wide awake though and for a second considered going out for a walk. When I opened one of the blinds, however, I saw that the sky was overcast and that it was raining. There was also a stiff wind blowing from the west, chasing the rain clouds in an easterly direction. I plugged in ‘Junior’, my net book, and listened to the news on the Belgian radio channel over the internet. I also checked the weather forecast on MSN. What I read was rather promising: fair, with occasional clouds and temperatures around 21°C.

By eight I got out of bed, took a shower and went down to have breakfast. There was no one about, but on the sideboard was a vast and varied assortment of food: different types of cereals, fresh strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, two sorts of yoghurt (plain and strawberry flavour), sliced grapefruit, different kinds of jam, orange juice, cranberry juice and milk.



A gourmet breakfast buffet.

Neil appeared from the downstairs flat and asked what I wanted for breakfast. There was a choice between full English, scrambled eggs on toast with or without smoked salmon or boiled eggs. I ordered the scrambled eggs. While I was waiting for Mats to come downstairs, I looked out of the window, and was happy to notice that there were already some patches of blue showing between the clouds. It had also stopped raining. Mats arrived and ordered a full English breakfast. The food was served presently and we both enjoyed it immensely. Besides being a perfect host, Neil was also an excellent cook.



Mats' full English breakfast.
He didn't eat the baked beans... I wonder why?

Over breakfast, Mats and I discussed our plans for the day. He had some business calls to make and emails to write. So I suggested I’d call Teresa to come and join us around eleven to spend the day with us. That was fine with everybody and left me enough time to do some of the things I had come for, like walking down Deal pier. In all the years I had come to Deal in I had never been on the pier. So this was my first mission of the day!

During my walk along the seafront I shot several photos. There were a lot of seagulls hovering over the water, riding the waves or sitting on the beach, cleaning their feathers. The latter made excellent subjects for my photos, and I shot several of them (photos I mean, not seagulls). When I looked at the photos later, I took an immediate liking to this one.



A seagull with a mission.

Doesn’t it look as if this seagull was on a mission too? It looks so determined and focused. I wonder what it had on its mind. Like to take a guess?

8 comments:

chm said...

He! He! Who's going to give the answer?

Bob said...

Seafood, but proably a small dead fish, I hate to be blunt. I'm not sure about the baked beans, seems odd to me for a breakfast item. But I eat pizza for breakfast! Will we get a then and now group photo?

Craig said...

He didn't eat his baked beans? Never speak to him again!
Seriously, it's a standard item in a "full English" and I love it! But I appreciate that it may seem a little odd to non Brits :)
As for the seagull... was it lining you up to dive bomb you?

Niall & Antoinette said...

Sounds as if you had a superb time! Just be glad the full English didn't come with back pudding [a blood sausage]. After years in UK I have been 'trained' in baked beans but the black pudding is an item too far for my b'fast! :-)

Mark said...

That breakfast looks fine by me.

Re: The Seagull. If I had to guess, I would say that he is thinking "Okay, lady, how many photos do you need of me?"
Your Friend, m.

Ken Broadhurst said...

I like the mood of your post, Martine, and it makes me want to go to the coast, hear the "laughing" of the gulls, and smell the sea. For me, I think black pudding would be fine for breakfast. The beans too. Not sure about the tomatoes. Wonder if they had any flavor at all.

Bob said...

forgot, were you throwing bread to the seagulls???

ladybird said...

Chm, Nobody, I'm afraid... because I don't know the answer myself :)

Bob, No I wasn't throwing bread at the seagulls. This one just had that determined look!

Craig, Seagulls tend to do that, don't they! I guess you've also seen 'The Birds' by Hitchcock?!

N&A, I don't mind black pudding ('zwarte pens', in Flemish) for breakfast, because I remember having it almost every Saturday morning when I was a kid.

Mark, Thank you for explaining what this seagull was thinking. You're probably right! :)

Ken, Thank you. My main concern about this breakfast are the mushrooms. I can't see myself eating those in the morning.