There are few times when I feel more at peace with the world and with myself than when I am alone on a big wide beach with my dog. A mellow sunset and a mild, late summer breeze were a nice bonus.

It really was a wonderful, peaceful evening. The videos below sound as though there was a gale blowing, but it was really a mild breeze:

But then it did get better. A flock of seabirds took off (a fact not entirely unrelated to Mabs’ presence) and swooped and swirled like a murmuration of starlings. A couple of times, they flew just a few feet overhead with a hum of beating wings. Sadly, I did not capture that, and I was largely guessing where to point the camera, but these will give you an idea:

I was genuinely enchanted and am still smiling.

It is a pity that my camerawork leaves so much to be desired, but given that I can’t see what is on the back display when I am photographing or filming, it will have to do.