blogging

Pull up a Seat Challenge

Forestwood

Retirement brings many joys and one of those is the precious time to sit and contemplate. My life is busy, but I still find time to sit, sip a cup of tea and cogitate on what I can be grateful for, as well as troubleshooting problems and issues that arise in every family and one’s personal life. An important time to reflect, to think, to pause and step away from the devices.

A beach in australia

A beach is a fantastic place for this, and looking over the water is incredibly therapeutic. Cup of tea or cool drink in hand, the M.o.t.h. and I plonk a portable chair on the sand and for 30 minutes or so watch the waves or the goings-on at the beach.

Today there was a lady ranting about getting a ticket from the rangers for having her dog off-leash in the prohibited zone! She was not happy.

The rangers have a difficult job. Lots of unhappy customers, because who would be happy receiving a fine.

beach in australia with rocky foreshore
Where we often sit

Time is a precious asset you can’t buy more of

Anon
My Happy Seat
  • dog beach
    Favourite spot with Dog
  • embroidery craft
    Pulling up a seat in Norway – in Trondheim.
  • A different place to sit
  • water sunrise at the beach
    Sunset over the water

Joining in with XingfuMama who Pulls Up A Seat each week.

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Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, I enjoy photography and craft, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

55 thoughts on “Pull up a Seat Challenge”

  1. It’s not a pleasant job, to enforce the by-laws that everyone think they can ignore. In Ucluelet & Tofino it clearly states that dogs must be on a leash when walking the trails or the beach.

    Invariably we see folks striding along with their dogs off-leash. The worse offenders are usually locals, not visiting tourists. Sometimes I sympathize with the dog owners because there’s no greater joy to see than a dog running free on a beach.

    However, those dogs terrify the shore birds, foul the foot paths and endangers themselves with the wild animals. A few years back, a dog was killed by a wolf pack on a beach. The owner was very upset about the safety of beach. He needed to be reminded that 1) the dog should not have been running free 2) he was released from the house during prime predator time and 3) he & not the wolves, were guests in this wild area. Substitute wolf with bear and cougar, and it describes why leaving pets unleashed is not wise in this part of the world.

    What it’s like on your beach Amanda? The pictures look very civilized. Is the leash laws for animal safety, human safety or public hygiene – which are the reasons for Toronto laws.

    This topic aside, I agree that there is no better way to spend time than watching the waves on a beach.

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    1. The laws are municipal laws as they are the authority for governing and regulating animal managament, Sandy.
      I think the sea birds welfare are a concern but the amount of people who do not pick up after their dogs is I think the main issues. There have been dog attacks at this beach too. The law states that you must be in control of your animal at all times, and off-leash is not a way to do that. People walk or run along leaving their dog trailing behind so are completely unaware of their dog pooping on the beach where they are children playing. Not nice.
      Having said that, we have designated doggy beaches where your dog may run off leash and play in the waves. There are still incidents at these beaches so we always hope that common sense prevails. If you have an aggressive dog, don’t take it out off leash where there are other animals. At least we don’t have wolves or bears to contend with. Having larger animals that see dogs as prey, would be a dangerous situation if there are people about too. My two dogs were attacked by another larger dog and that was scary enough, let alone a bear!

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  3. Time is relative. My father used to complain that he didn’t like sleeping late because much of the day would be gone, even if he awoke and rose before noon. I told him not to worry; he was retired after all! He’d earned the right to sleep all day. Then, one week day afternoon several years ago, he abruptly decided to have a glass of wine. My mother decided to join him. I didn’t because – although I wasn’t working at that moment – I felt I needed to be the responsible adult in the house. My dog, in the meantime, retained his coveted position as family therapist.

    I told one of my uncles the same thing; he’d earned the right to sleep all day and stay up all night. He’ll be 82 next month, and I’m trying to keep a closer eye on him and his welfare.

    Of course, working folks never seem to have enough time during the business day (or night) and even less time to themselves and their families. Sometimes, though, we just have to make time for ourselves. Yes, I truly believe it’s relative, but it can also be manageable.

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    1. Time is relative to the current status of the moment, I agree, Alejandro. Because it is mostly impossible to trade something away for more time, it is a precious commodity for many. As you say, it is manageable and that is a special perspective. Analyse and plan. That time must also be allocated but I can always get more done if I plan ahead. Lists are good for keeping us on track. Yet, there needs also to be spontaneity. Otherwise, the stress of constant scheduling is tough for me. Perhaps that is why retirement is so beneficial. There is always tomorrow, and when the time comes that there isn’t another tomorrow, we may be satisfied that we did our best, as there is no going backwards.

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  5. We often take our beach umbrella and chairs to the beach to sit and enjoy an afternoon. Sometimes I even nod off for a minute or two.
    Mr Tilly is lucky as most of the beaches in our neck of the woods allow dogs off leash. Most are well behaved, but occasionally an untrained, nasty dog puts in an appearance. It’s rare, and usually only tourists. All the locals know each other, so wouldn’t dare let a nasty dog roam free.

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    1. Chris, that sounds lovely. You are fortunate that the locals are responsible with their dogs and don’t visit the beach with an aggressive canine. Western Australia has freedoms that we once had here, before the population increased and we reached the tipping point for irresponsibility and stupidity. If a dog is not sociable or it’s unpredictable, or has a history of fear reaction, it isn’t wise to take it places where it will encounter other dogs. Some folks still can’t distinguish between fear aggression and playing! Enjoy your freedom, Mr Tils!

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  6. Not long ago I met a ranger who said one of the hardest things he has to do is give someone (especially someone older) a ticket for having a dog off-lead. Our dog only runs free on the dog-friendly beach near our coast house.

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    1. Many councils have dedicated areas where you CAN let dogs roam off lead, on the beach or at least in a park. It is great if there are fenced in some way, however, there is a caveat to that statement. I took my older dog to obedience when I got her as an ex-breeder. The trainers there said the only off-leash areas they like to go is one that is unfenced. This is because dog owners are more likely to be in control of their dog when the area is unfenced. They consider that if their dog that does not heed its owner’s directions, it might run out on an adjacent road and be hit by a car and therefore might avoid unfenced off leash areas. I see loads of people enjoying the socialisation of chatting with other people inside fenced off leash areas and paying no heed to the doings of their dog. There is potential there for problems to arise.
      Having said all that, I can sympathise with the rangers’ difficult position.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Nationally, the law requires us to keep our dogs under control, How we do it varies. It is also an offence to allow them to foul the footpath. In the New Forest there are notices everywhere warning against allowing them to worry livestock – that is an offence, but many people do not keep them on a leash, and also allow them to pollute the moorland.

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    1. You just described my life, Frank, with the addition of exercising. I rather like the retired life I have chosen to live. I foresaw more international travel but was also happy if I could no longer do that, and given the pandemic, it played out that way, anyway.

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    1. I appreciate the lovely comment, Keith. I am trying hard to remember if you are located near the beach? I feel it is some distance from you? My memory of American geography needs work!

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      1. No, I can’t work that out! If the people were in the corner behind the glass they would look taller in proportion to the room, and would be distorted by the glass. If it were a cut-out inserted in the glass it would take loads of trial and error to get the wine not to cover them at all. And if it were a reflection I believe they would be upside-down and in any case you wouldn’t be able to align the corner of the room so perfectly. You’re going to have to tell me!

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  15. What a beautiful post I love your page selfie it’s awesome. Its so important to have that place to just be. You & your hubby have a beautiful spot for contemplation. When we have to go into town it is our beautiful riverside park. For a few months we were without as our precious little council decided to put a covid testing station right on our river front making it inaccessible to everyone. I guess enough people complained & it was finally moved much to Mum & my delight & the towns folk I’m sure. We are blessed though as we have many a place on our property that are perfectly beautiful for those precious, just being moments. Hope you & your hubby have a wonderful day & week ahead.

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    1. As we head full pelt into Christmas Linda, I do hope you will be able to find those moments to be still and breathe, either on your property or on the riverside. I am glad that they moved the testing station and can only hope it was a temporary choice in the first place. Using a public park may be central but not so great if the park is well used by citizens! We need green spaces. I can imagine you and your Mum sitting by the water enjoying a take away dinner or bakery treats. Watching water is so therapeutic. There is nothing else like it.

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    1. Thank you, Moon. I hope your festive season is full of delightful memories with your children. Xmas is always fun ( and a lot of work ) when there are small children in the house.

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      1. Thank you Amanda! Hope you had/are having a good time with your loved ones and I wish you the best of the year ahead. May there be health and peace and may you find lots and lots of moments to add to your pocketbook of memories!! Warmest hugs from across the ocean!

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  20. Pingback: Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2021-Week 51 | XingfuMama

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