Of Dolphins and Seals!

What a weekend - the sun blazed down and we headed off in Mermaid. We encountered the most amazing things and so for once I will keep my words short and beg forgiveness instead for this picture heavy post. St Anthony Lighthouse looking over glistening blue seas.

Tucked away coves reachable mainly by boat and therefore very quiet.

And then suddenly we were surrounded by three leaping dolphins! The squealing from people around us as they leapt and dived was just incredible. I tried to photograph them but they were everywhere. So beautiful as they played and arced through the air. I have never seen them like this before and almost fell out of the boat as I twisted around to spot them.

Such appalling photos but it was all I could get and I didn't want to miss seeing them. We were there for ages, sailing boats and yachts and our local water ferries; people all smiling at the sea and the dolphins and each other. Beautiful moments which will stay with Mr Davey, the children and me for always.

We eventually left them to play and carried on our way, the waters so blue and our hearts just full of how very lucky we are to have seen such wonderful creatures that close - so close that at one point I could have almost touched one of them as it surfaced right by our boat. Little did we know what was to come.

We wound our way along the shore deciding to opt for a completely secluded cove away from any other people. This meant going much further along the shore than we have before, passing tiny beaches tucked under tall cliffs of trees and bushes typical of our coastline.

Finally we found the perfect cove with rocks either side to hide it from passing boats and seas of jade and green to lure us in. Surrounded at the back by high cliffs, this little spot gleamed in the sun and looked so peaceful.

Pretty seaweeds of all types were collected by the girls to make a mermaid picture on the pebbly sand.

And then it happened, we realised that over the other side of the cove was this: not a rock as we had thought but a seal...

With this!

Bobbing out in the water next to our boat was Daddy seal and the three of them just ignored us as they played in the water with baby flapping along the shore.

Mum and Dad spent the bulk of the time in the sea with the mother coming in to feed baby every so often.

We felt so priviliged to witness this and watched as the baby worked its way from one teat to another as the mother stroked it - yes, I kid you not, she stroked her baby with her flipper.

In between feeds the baby played in the shallow waters as the other two lazed on their backs close by, diving every now and then and lumbering ashore for another quick feed.

So very, very beautiful.

We kept very quiet and stayed on our side. The seals didn't seem remotely bothered, but even so we shall not be returning to this particular cove until they will have left it,; after all we have plenty to choose from and their safety is paramount.

I don;t think any of us could quite believe what we had seen that day.

Isabella took it all in her stride once the initial shock of flying dolphins and baby seals was over with!

We quietly loaded Mermaid once more and set off for home, but no sign of our playmates on the way back.

Just jade and azure water

and pretty boats also sailing home in the late afternoon haze.

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What a day! How was yours? x