Saturday 7th May (To the Lighthouse)


Mr. Kite looked out of The Joint window onto a breezy sandy camp site. A few campers were stirring and the House Sparrows chirped and foraged on the barren land for morsels of food. Luckily for Mr. Kite a trip to the Boulangerie gave him and His Lady their daily bread.

Mr. Kite decided to take a trip to the lighthouse; Phare de la Gacholle. A six miles trip along the path should give him plenty of opportunity to watch birds. So Mr. Kite set out with his panniers complete with binoculars, books and pen. There were lots of birds for Mr. Kite to watch; more Greater Flamingos than he expected and flying gulls and screeching terns.

Once, or twice, or maybe more, Mr. Kite read a book called To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf about Mr. Ramsey's struggle to reach it in stormy seas in a boat. Now Mr. Kite struggled to reach the lighthouse in a gale force wind on The Beast. As Mr. Kite battled into the headwind cyclist from the other direction zoomed past him and out of sight. Mr. Kite did not mind this because he knew the return trip would be easy.

Mr. Kite reached Phare de la Gacholle; a nineteenth century two storey building powered by wind and solar energy. Gulls and Flamingos were everywhere but Mr. Kite went in search of some waders. Soon he saw a group of pale plovers with dark on the sides of their breasts. They had slender black legs and a thick black beak. This group of Kentish Plovers were running along a sandy inlet between the tall grass.

Mr. Kite returned at a leisurely pace and stopped to look at a stunning group of Grey Plover in sparkling black and white livery. On the track small birds settled and fed but were soon moved on by passing walkers and cyclists.

After a good day Mr. Kite had a tipple of Kronenbourg. Cheers from a man who reached The Lighthouse.