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On the weekend of the 7th of June, members of CLOE attended a retreat at the Francis Wall Oliver Research Centre, which is in the Old Life Boat House on Blakeney Point in Norfolk. The Centre is at the end of a long sandy spit, which is only accessible by boat at high tide, or by a hike along the beach from the main land.Ìý

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After we'd travelled to the Far Point and settled in, we enjoyed local smoked crevettes and dressed Cromer crabs, then hot food including Max Telford’s renowned homemade pesto (recipe available on request). We sat on benches along the long refractory style table and talked as the summer daylight gradually faded. In the morning we were greeted by rain, but we cooked up a hot breakfast and devised and tested some vaguely evolutionary parlour games, while we waited for the weather to improve. In the afternoon we walked halfway down the beach to the Watch House, marvelling at how different the landscape was when the tide was out. We discussed microfossils, searched for a seal skull, identified beach pebbles originating from very distant geological sites, and spotted a lot of birds. Max Telford added the beautiful avocet,ÌýRecurvirostra avosetta, to his life list. The evening went more or less the same as it had previously, and we enjoyed chili-con-carne with different heat levels, roasted veggies, wine, and conversation. Walking to the bunk house to sleep, Sonal and Duncan saw a line of dozens of satellites, presumably Starlink, streaming across the night sky. Morning brought another hot breakfast, a marathon session of washing-up, cleaning, and tidying up the Centre for the next residents, and a pleasant walk down the beach to Cley, from where we travelled home.

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Thank you to CLOE for funding our retreat, the National Trust rangers Tom and Calum for their help, and for everyone who attended for their enthusiastic participation. The following people came: Bridget Wade, Ch-Chun Chen, Duncan Greig, Eureka Shou, Max Telford, Paul Pearson, Sonal, and Wenying Shou.