Low Tide	05:18 (0.70m)
High Tide	11:44 (2.40m)
Low Tide	17:43 (0.70m)

Sea temperature: 11.4 yesterday
Sea conditions: low tide and a little choppy
Weather: peculiar - the forecast had been for it to warm up but we woke to a north wind and thick sea mist
Joined by: Mertz - because he wanted to win a bet
Topics of conversation:
The film unit - by the time we climbed over the sea wall the unit was in place and the make-up lights were on so we assumed that they will start filming during the day, although the Village Elder said that the scene they have planned for today is a dusk scene. With the weather as it is this morning they could certainly shoot day for night! It's an ITV drama which may or may not be called The Lost Child (which was the title of one of the Prime Suspect series so perhaps we'll spot Ms Mirren later) but I'm sure I won't be giving too much away by saying that the scene they are filming in the marshes involves the search for a child, which become the search for a body. How grim. The Pirate said that we should have a screening in the village hall of all the shoots that have taken place here, he started the list with "all those underwear shoots on the beach". I've even filmed here a couple of times, because it was cheaper to stay at home and get my Mother to do the catering! Hopefully there will be no disruption of our swimming routine as they are here for a couple of days.

Talking of catering this led on to my request to borrow Legs's Kitchen Aid in her absence - I hope you don't mind Legs - I promise to look after it. I've got a lot of baking to do and it's not my favourite form of cooking so it will help me out no end with muffins, biscuits, flapjacks and Rolo tarts for the wake/celebration (we intend to send Liz off in style) and Luke's screening later this week. My Maid of Honour arrives tomorrow and is particularly partial to a flapjack. I shall start this evening with the Rolo tarts, which Mertz can take to work tomorrow so that the developers can be guinea pigs. 

Herman the German Friendship cake is now on the move too - The Pirate's Wife wasn't in and I gave it to No. 1 Son, who is a professional chef so that one should be safe, as should the one I've given to my Mother, but I suspect the burden will be too much for DK, who has to keep him alive till the return of Legs later in the week. He greeted him with distain and asked why he should have to look after Herman, who was "in the way". As I've removed the Kitchen Aid from the kitchen I pointed out that he would just live in that space till I returned the machine and Legs could take over. He only needs to stir him once a day till Thursday...

Herman divided and ready to go

Awaiting me

Awaiting the Rolos

Humanists and their hang ups - Mertz is doing some work for the International Humanist and Ethical Union and he told us about a meeting in which they had needed something to prop up a projector and someone brought in a Bible. They'd been surprised that there was a Bible in the board room but their Norwegian VP had told them that propping up the projector was it's sole purpose (he'd also wished them a happy 17th of May). The Pirate launched into one of his rants about there being something deeply physiologically twisted about people who are so vehemently anti-religion and said he hadn't been surprised when he'd discovered that Aleistair Crowley's parents had been Exclusive Bretheren, who had sent him to an evangelical school. Working on the theme I asked what he thought might have led Richard Dawkins to hold the beliefs that he does, he replied "his Mother was probably a nun... DON'T PUT THAT ON THE BLOG!" DK and I persuaded him that there is a need to preserve these nuggets of Pirate Gold however.

The bet

Truth and lies