Ocean beach
Snoring, heavy even breathing
‘ Grandad!’
Sharp intake of breath. Grunt.
‘ Grandad!’
Loud snort, muffled oath.
‘ Granddad!! ‘
Full and rude wakefulness
Early morning, dark and still with only the high perched kookaburras saluting a sun that was still far below the horizon. Half an hour before earliest light thought grandfather Tom as he turned in his bed to see what the young fellow wanted. He flicked on the bedside light.
‘ Whatsup Tobes? ‘
Toby stood by the side of the bed, close by the side of the bed with his hands clenched tight and Alf in close attendance.
‘ What are you doing in the house Alf? ‘
The dog smiled up at Toby and wagged his tail twice. Not my fault Boss, I’m with him.
This massive cyclone in the Indian Ocean was captured by a satellite on Monday.
According to NASA:
After forming as a tropical storm over the Southern Indian Ocean on November 14, 2009, Anja strengthened to a cyclone one day later. By November 16, 2009, Anja was a Category 3 cyclone, with maximum sustained winds of 105 knots (195 kilometers per hour), and gusts up to 130 knots (240 kilometers per hour). Anja was located near 14.7 degrees South and 68.3 degrees East.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image on November 16, 2009. Far away from any major landmasses, Anja sprawls over the Southern Indian Ocean, her long arms spiraling outward, and her eye easily detectable.
It was one of those hot, silent nights, when people sit at windows listening for the thunder which they know will shortly break; when they recall dismal tales of hurricanes and earthquakes; and of lonely travellers on open plains, and lonely ships at sea, struck by lightning.
Charles Dickens
on Youtube via Look and Sea









