The sun is trying to shine between the clouds but there is no sign of rain. (Fingers crossed.) As for the wind, it seems calmer but we will only know for sure when we go outside.

Tigger spotted this visitor to the marina and took a photo.

It is a cormorant who sat for a while on the walkway, perhaps deciding whether to go fishing. We saw one (or perhaps the same one) yesterday, flying low over the water as is their habit.

As the title says, once out in the street we found there was still a gusty wind blowing, though not as bad as yesterday.

We came to this picturesque part of the harbour to meet a friend and have breakfast.

Tigger snapped this cormorant splashing down. As soon as he arrived, he dived and disappeared. They can travel quite a distance under water and pop up a long way from where they dive. This one did not reappear within my field of view.

When our friend joined us, we went to the Ship Shape Cafe for breakfast.

Tigger also snapped this Red Admiral butterfly that perched near our cafe table. He even settled briefly on my breakfast! Apparently, it was not to his taste (or, more likely, was too hot), and he flew away.

Afterwards we went for a walk around the harbour. This is the former Smack Boys’ Home. Dated 1881, it is a Grade II listed building.

Opened in 1878, this is the Grade II listed Sailors’ Church and Sailors’ Home.

We followed the western perimeter of the harbour from where I took this photo looking east. The harbour is very large and of complex design comprising several basins.

The harbour entrance is protected by two harbour arms, leaving a gap for entry and exit.

Nearby are the Goodwin Sands which pose a threat to shipping and Ramsgate lighthouse acts as a warning and a locator for ships sailing by. It was built in 1842, replacing an earlier one made of wood. Yes, it too is Grade II listed.

Here is a closer view. You probably can’t make it out from the photo, but inscribed in the fabric is the Latin phrase “Perfugium Miseris“, translated as “A refuge for the unfortunate”.

Looking shorewards from near the lighthouse.

Though it is not large, this Grade II* listed building building tends to stand out in pictures of the harbour, partly because of its clock tower. Above the central door are two inscriptions in gold on black. The lower gives the difference between local time and GMT (5 mins 41 secs ahead of the time on the clock). The upper one reads “The first Stroke of this Clock at the Hour of 12 indicates Greenwich Mean Time”. This clock would have enabled a ship’s captain to set the ship’s chronometer accurately to permit finding its position at sea during a voyage. Thus, it provided a very important service. At the moment, however, time is standing still as the clock is not working.

We completed our tour of the harbour and returned to the street. Our friend left and we went up to our hotel room to make tea and have a rest.

At about 2pm, we went out again. As we passed by the marina, we saw a cormorant. I tried to photograph him diving, which they do from the surface. I caught him as he plunged but he was so far away that you probably can’t make out any detail in the photo.

As we walked up Queen Street, we spied this interesting building, shaped like a castle and faced to resemble stone (which has been spoilt on the ground floor by being painted).

What was it originally, I wonder? It’s tempting to think it was a pub (perhaps called The Castle?) or a hotel but the large windows and especially the clock (still in working order) militate against that theory.

Then there are the columns either side of the big entrance door and the lion heads, the latter also vandalised by being painted.

I would be interested in discovering the purpose for which this characterful building was made.

As we had breakfasted late, we were not ready for lunch but felt like a little something nonetheless. So we popped in Riley’s for coffee and cake.

We continued walking, bravely heading uphill. We reached the top at Sion Hill, which is lined with beautiful large, probably Victorian or earlier, houses, some with intricate wrought iron balconies.

From here you have a fine view of the harbour. From sea level, you can’t make out its structure but from up here it is revealed in all its detail.

Here is another view, looking east.

We found a bench and sat for I don’t know how long watching the harbour and the various activities within it.

For example, the above photo shows a small craft leaving the harbour. It was one of two to go out from here and we also saw two pilot boats enter the outer harbour from the seaway.

We at last made our way down the hill again and although it was still early, we decided to eat and thus avoid the rush and crush in restaurants and pubs later. We happened upon Papa George, a Greek food outlet. We ate outside at the table on the left of the picture.

We returned to the hotel now and made tea. There is also plenty to see from the window, not quite as good as bring on Sion Hill, perhaps, but almost.

There are also several cormorants fishing. Tigger took this short video of one diving – fingers crossed that it uploads and runs. If so, it will make up for the poor photo I posted above earlier.

Cormorant diving (Video by Tigger)