Summer is refusing to loosen her hot and very dry grip of Happybeach this year. October is seeing high temperatures and still not a single drop of rain. Pleasant yet disturbing at the same time. Gardens are thirsty and every little gust of wind kicks up clouds of dust. Still it’s great to be back after my travels and exploring the beach with Molly!

Island life carries on as usual. The trees are filling with avocado, olives, lemon, pomegranate, figs, pomelo and bananas – soon ready for picking. And October means the start of hunting season, so sounds of gunshots and howling dogs are to become a fixture of Wednesday and Sunday afternoons.

Happybeach has changed radically over the summer. In addition to the endless piles of rubbish (no big surprise there) the continuous heavy waves have totally restructured the beachside by shifting the sands and bringing out the rocky surface below.
These photos show the same stretch of beach with a year between.

2015

2016

And of course the collecting must go on. It’s discouraging to discover that local tourists are adding to the pollution problem much more than visitors from abroad. One would think that they care for their island and the image it projects when the beaches are covered in trash. But the litter left on the seaside after barbecues and picnics is appalling. Everything from towels to plastic food containers to countless cans and bottles get discarded without a second thought.

Collection of the day includes:

• 23 plastic bottles
• 21 bottles tops
• 11 straws
• 7 plastic cups
• 2 big yogurt tubs (used for holding bait)
• 1 fishing float
• 1 beer bottle (glass)
• 3 lighters
• 1 pair of goggles
• 1 sea horse mould (plastic)
• 1 ping-pong bat (wood)
• 1 empty bottle of sunscreen (factor 6)
• 1 flip-flop
• 1 football
• 1/2 syringe
• plastic bags
• 1 cigaret end
• 4 cans (broken)
• 1 diver’s suit
• bits of plastic
• rope in various colours
• garden pipe
• 1 small towel

Total removed from beach: 4kg