Storm damage on the Cornish Coast

It's all becoming to regular now that Cornwall is on flood and storm watch, since Christmas Eve alone we've had thousands without power, places like Looe and St Ives flooded and If the rain and winds weren't causing enough damage we now have a period of massive swells from the ocean joining in with the havoc.

Over the last few days Cornwall's coastline has taken a severe battering. With damage ranging from simple clean up operations removing debris that has washed up into the streets to buildings and sea defences ripped apart and even roads the have been torn open by the sea. With all this damage visible in nearly every part of the coast people are still putting their lives at risk to watch the stormy seas.  I'm not saying don't go and watch nature at it's best but I'm saying stay safe! There was a recent report in the Mirror Newspaper where a family with young children risked there lives to get a glimpse of the ocean before mother nature sent a wave over them and giving them a soaking. They were incredibly lucky that they weren't swept off their feet and into the raging torrent below. By all means go and watch the stormy seas but stay at a safe distance, a very safe distance! If the sea is capable of destroying buildings a roads it will not hesitate to destroy a life!

Yesterday I went out when the tides was on it's way out for a walk on Fistral beach in Cornwall to see what damage the sea had done with my own eyes. I headed to see how the beach had faired, at first glimpse I was impressed, excited even to sea how strong the sea had been but then as I walked further along the beach and started to absorb what had happened I began to get quite upset. As a member of the ladies surf club throughout the summer months I would surf at this beach 2-3 times a week so know what the beach should look like. The damage to the Fistral blu beach bar was immense, cages of stones ripped open, foundations dragged out from under the building and the RNLI lifeguards hut gaining similar damage.

 

 

 

I then decided to walk the length of the beach back towards Pentire and was even more shocked to see what the sea that I love so much had done to this beautiful beach. The once majestic sand dunes at the back of the beach were now a lot smaller. At places it appeared that the sand dunes had been eaten back by around 10 foot. The images below show the stakes that were once the edges of the sand dunes and these were once deep in sand with only the tops visible. Now these stand alone in the sand metres from the new dunes. 

The once gradual sloping dunes that let you access the beach now have a sheer drop from the footpaths carved from the sea.

As I continued up the beach the fence posts and pillars that were ripped out from one end of the beach were now found at the opposite end of the beach deposited everywhere. 

It really is heartbreaking to see the beach in this state, you can see in the pictures that it's not just litter on the sand but all the way up the cliffs there's smaller debris coating the cliff with bottles and shoes littered everywhere. There's no way that we can stop the ocean from causing havoc and destruction but a lot of the litter on the beach was from human's. Shoes, bottles, beer cans, wine bottles the sea might have caused a lot of damage but litter left on the beach has made things worse.

As I went to leave the beach I was shocked further when the stairs that exited the beach were rapped in fishing and boat ropes.

To see even more photos of the storm damage on Fistral beach pop over to my facebook page where there are over 100 photos from yesterdays storm damage.

Massive storm swell crashing into Newquay tonight

Last nights weather was reporting that today would be the 'Perfect Storm' with a massive swell forecast winds hurtling the sea up the coast and into rivers and towns and rain and hail added to the mix created a spectacular day to be living in Cornwall.

Although thankfully the storm didn't quite work together to cause mass destruction it still caused havoc across the county.

I was woken just before 7am to the rumbling sounds of thunder very close by and within seconds the gap in the curtains was illuminating the room from the lightening outside. I work in an office near Falmouth so had a good drive ahead of me and setting off following the A30 westbound I was heading towards the darkest of clouds. This cloud was like nothing I've seen before, Probably because i'm too scared to go out in storms but this morning I had to get to work. As a drove along the A30 through the middle of Cornwall I could see a glimpse of blue sky to the south of the county but to the North and towards Newquay the sky was a mix of dark deep purple, with hints of pink coming up underneath from the rising sun. As I drove further the cloud engulfed the area and it was getting darker and darker. Then there was the loudest clap of thunder and a streak of lightening in front of me, letting out a shrill as I hate lightening I gripped the steering wheel tightly and continued my journey into work. More lightening burst across the skies and then the heavens opened, I can only describe what i experienced as a cloud burst, literally in a split second it went from dry to completely white roads covered in hail. The hail was not only so fast falling that it completely covered the road but it also created torrents of thick white ice rushing down the gulleys in the road.

Once i had got through what can only be described as the eye of the storm I phoned my partner as with terrifiying lightening and epic hail I wanted to let him know I was ok and continuing to the office, the floods on the A39 near Perranarworthal seemed a breeze after what I had just driven through. In the safety and comfort of the office at work I settled down to a days work not thinking to much about the impending drive home. 

Luckily apart from a strong wind howling the weather seamed to have calmed down and I made my way home. But with the massive swell and high tide due I couldn't resist taking a detour on the way home to check out the beach in Newquay to see what such a large swell looked like. 

Arriving in Newquay and getting close to the beach it was like scenes of a football match, there were cars parked everywhere physically possible there were crowds on the cliffs looking down at the beach and as I left my car to walk towards the action I was hit with the loudest roar of the ocean below. Finding a safe distance well above the beach I watched in awe as the 20 foot swell smashed over the railings towards the sealife centre in Newquay. Most people were watching from above and even though the area was cordoned off with police tape there were still a few people that were too close to the breaking waves for my liking. With only my mobile phone to hand I captured a few pictures before heading home to the dry, warm safe home to sit out the rest of the storm. 

I know the news reports suggest that the storm wasn't as bad as they had predicted and the warnings had been listened to and although some places like Looe and St Ives had flooded people had received enough warnings and everyone is safe. However checking the local swell forecast for the coming days suggests that Mondays swell could be the biggest the UK has ever seen! 

 

To see all my latest pictures of the storms hitting Cornwall visit my Facebook page and don't forget to like my page to keep up to date with all my latest photo's.

Cornwall prepares for another storm, Damage already visible

With weather warnings out for the whole of the north coast of Cornwall, high winds and lots more rain forecast over tonight and into tomorrow I was shocked to see this picture shared earlier on Facebook by Love Newquay

Storm damage at Fistral Beach Image from LoveNewquay

I was only on Fistral beach earlier this week walking with the family and enjoying watching the large waves from a safe distance, so it's hard to believe this damaged has been caused when the storm swell and bad weather are not due until later. 

The winds have already started picking up here in St Columb this evening and the rain already falling so please Cornwall, be careful out there tonight especially if you are close to the sea. 

Crazy Swimmers in New Years Day Dip in Newquay

As most people were still in bed nursing their hangovers many were out and raising money for charity by going for an icy cold dip in the sea. Many in fancy dress and many just mad run down the beach at midday on New Years Day for an icy dip in the sea. 

I know it's for a good cause but there is no way your getting me in the sea in a bikini in January! It was cold just watching them but everyone looked to be having lots of fun and certainly started off the new year in style. 

 

 

Well done to everyone that took part and especially as you've raised money for charity, but your all crazy and I hope you've all now warmed up after your brave dip in the very chilly sea! 

Foamy walks on Fistral Beach

With the stormy weather continuing right through the festive season the strong winds were creating massive waves across the coast and whipping up sea foam everywhere. We might not get a white Christmas in the form of snow in Cornwall but we do get a pretty impressive show of sea foam when the winds blow strong and Fistral beach has been no exception.

I suddenly reverted back to being a child and running around on the beach and chasing sea foam like a four legged friend and enjoyed some fresh air and beautiful scenery after too many mince pies over Christmas. 

Christmas walks on Daymer Bay

After an epic amount of eating over the Christmas period it was time to get out in the fresh air and burn off some mince pies and turkey. With the weather over Christmas being completely challenging with storms and flooding finding a break in the weather to go to the beach was challenging but this didn't stop a walk on daymer beach over Christmas.

After a walk on the beach and a climb up the big hill it was definitely time to head back home and enjoy more eating and drinking but slightly more guilt free after our mornings exercise. 

Making a ginger bread house

After my successful first ever mince pie bake I decided that my next challenge would be to make a ginger bread house. With an early Christmas present of a house cookie cutter kit I set to work on creating a festive ginger bread house.

Making the ginger bread went well and I had my dough to make the house, cutting the shapes wasn't to hard either, however getting large roof panels and walls made from ginger bread onto baking trays was another challenge entirely. But once I had succeeded to getting the ginger bread onto baking trays and successfully overcooked and cooled I was although slightly disheartened with my burnt shapes ready to construct my house.

With what can only be described as a bucket of royal icing I started to build my house and suddenly realised this was not an easy task. My walls didn't fit my roof kept sliding off I had icing everywhere including all over my hands, the floor and some on the house! With my partner returning from work to see the mess and frustration that I had created he quickly stepped in with his house building knowledge and helped get my house put together.

I decorated badly with far to much icing and lots of children's sweets but for our first effort it doesn't look that bad!

Carol Singing In Cornwall

Last night I braved the elements with my family to pop down to St mawgan village for the carol singing with the St Dennis silver band. Freezing cold temperatures and torrential rain didn't stop the festivities and although the evening was cut short by a few songs, Father Christmas arrived on his sleigh with his trusty reindeer/donkey steed and everyone had a great night.

The village looked stunning with beautiful Christmas lights around the church and village store and a giant tree in the heart of the village, with the mulled wine and mince pies flowing the weather was not going to stop this event in the heart of the community from going ahead.

Festive baking in the photobrook house

With the parents arriving in just 5 days time I thought it would be a good time to start doing some festive baking and after seeing Paul Hollywood from the Great British Bake off make mince pies look easy I thought I would give them a go.

This is my first ever attempt at making home made mince pies and as i only had a tray that would hold six at a time this was actually quite a long winded job but I'm happy how they turned out and a few have been eaten already but the rest are now safely in the freezer waiting for the family to arrive, I just hope they like them.

Happy Christmas from a festively plump Photobrook Photography

It's nearly Christmas

With the weather outside pretty miserable and my other half suffering from the night before's Christmas work do there's nothing better than blasting out some Christmas songs and doing some Christmas baking.

Today fingers crossed I'm going to attempt my first ever mince pies, some home made meringues to go in the freezer for an emergency dessert over Christmas, I like the idea of Christmas pudding eton mess! I have no idea if this theory will work so maybe meringue and fruit will be a better idea but in my head crumbled meringue, crumbled Christmas pudding and lots of cream sounds like it could work.

And lastly on my list today is a panetone bomb, we made this last year for the family and it was really quick and easy and a real winner. I'll take lots of yummy pictures throughout the day so check back later to see if my baking skills for Christmas are a success.

Beautiful sunrise in Cornwall this morning

Usually I'm pretty grumpy about leaving my bed in the morning especially in the winter when it's so cold and it's still dark but leaving the house at 7.30 this morning I was impressed by the beauty of this mornings sunrise.

To be honest all this week the commute to work has been pretty epic, a brief patch of frost one morning, fog rolling over the Cornish fields with the sun bursting through the clouds the next and this mornings epic sunrise of pinks, purples and oranges make getting up early worthwhile.

It doesn't feel like it is Christmas in just two weeks time with the gorgeous weather that we have been having in Cornwall lately.

Can You Really Trust Yourself With Your Camera?

One of the great things about the development of the smartphone camera is that a lot of people are forgetting about standalone cameras, which of course helps to drive the price down on some excellent digital offerings out there. While Samsung come up with clever ways of making cameras that appeal to those people who have discovered photography through their average smartphone cameras, the usual suspects continue to make great cameras, which now tend to be available at rock bottom prices. It’s not hard to find an excellent SLR for less than £500, and you can pick up great pieces of kit which sit somewhere between an SLR and a point and shoot, for less than £300. This is great for all of those budding photographers out there, but the danger is that people don’t quite value these pieces of kit quite as much as they would if they had spent double the money on them. Common sense will tell you that the value is the quality of the product in your hand, not what had to come out of your wallet to get it there in the first place. With this in mind, it’s critical that you look after your camera!

Accidental Damage

These days the world moves quickly, and that means that budding photographers want to capture the action as it’s happening. There are loads of cameras on the market right now that are fantastic for doing just that, with the Nikon1 J1 being a prime example. The time between depressing the shutter and getting the shot is negligible, but this style of photography really does encourage carelessness! If you grab your camera, and rush to capture the shot, it’s so easy to slip and drop your camera. Not to mention that capturing the spur of the moment happenings does not exactly encourage you to sling the camera around your neck in the first place! It’s out of your hand and on the floor in seconds, normally in a million little pieces!

Water Damage

This is another common problem. People think that just because their digital SLR feels rock solid, doesn’t mean that it takes kindly to constant rain pouring all over it! If you take your camera out in the rain all of the time, you’re asking for trouble. The other problem with many digital cameras now is that they often find a home on a desk, with people transferring pictures from camera to computer. The problem here? Drinks. We’ve all spilled drinks on our keyboard, and that’s not too much of a drama generally speaking, but if your camera takes the brunt of a big glass of Ribena, it could be lights out instead of lights camera action!

Loss and Theft

With the values of these cameras falling, we tend not to hold on to them quite as tightly as we might have done before. This means that it is just that little bit easier to pop the camera down on a pub table for a few seconds more than you might have done in the past, after capturing a great shot. You sit back, enjoy the moment, take a long draw on your drink, and before you know it, the camera is gone. Thieves don’t mind if cameras are a little cheaper on the open market now – they can still sell them more cheaply on the black market and make a 100% profit!
Of course, cameras also get lost. So many great point and shoot cameras slip easily in the inside pocket of a coat, but does that coat always make it home? People are always losing coats, and it’s often the wallet that gets lost along the way. It could easily be your camera too, so you have to stay vigilant.

Insurance and Vigilance

There’s no real answer to any of this. Take more care seems like puerile advice really, but it’s the only thing you can do personally to stop any of these things happening. For most people though, the one thing that does get overlooked when buying a new camera is insurance. Because they are that bit cheaper, it is perhaps a little more easy to think that it’s less important to insure. Sure, if you lose it, it’s not going to cost you too much to buy a new one, but the correlation between cost and insurance cost is always related. If the camera didn’t cost too much, you can be sure that an insurance policy isn’t going to leave you out of pocket by too much. It’s worth having a look at sites such as protectyourbubble.com to find out just how much you would have to pay to cover your camera. It’s sure not to cost you the earth, and could save you hundreds of pounds if the unthinkable happens.

Operation Christmas Child 5000 shoe boxes leave Cornwall.

Today I was delighted to be asked to photograph the Samaritans Purse Operation Christmas Child shoe box appeal as the shoe boxes were being loaded onto the lorry to start the journey over to Belarus.

With 5000+ shoe boxes loaded in the food banks warehouse in Wadebridge an army of volunteers turned up to help load the boxes into the lorry. With helpers young an old the lorry was loaded in no time and a well deserved cup of coffee and bacon sandwich was had by all as the lorry began it's journey out of Cornwall to the children who have a very different Christmas to us.

 

 

 

A massive thank you goes out to all the people that have made shoe boxes this year and a big thank you to all the volunteers that helped load the 5000+ shoe boxes in Wadebridge today. Too see all the photos from today pop over to the Photobrook Facebook page.