11th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A veil of mist along the horizon. A ruffty tuffty gusty wind enabling the short sharp waves to encroach on the shore line with some authority. Gulls curl and sideslip on the updraughts and currents over the cliff edge. The pigeons eat with the sort of desperation of a contestant at an eat your own weight contest. Sycamore leaves unfurl with their pinky edges whilst the hazel bush is covered in soft green. Someone had a jolly tme last night staring into the void that is Durley Chine. This morning, though, The air is filled with the scent of new mown grass as the mowers busy themselves at the path edge.

From 11th April 2022

Lumpy, bumpy clumps of slate grey cloud jostling against a very blue sky. A wind from the East as sharp as a butcher's knife. The grren sea is roaring as it pours up the beach in a frenzy of foam. But, undaunted, the spring carries on springing. Clumps of green alkanet in the long grass by the wall with its bright blue flowers with a white eye in the centre. Patches of cranesbill, ribwort plantain, and, one of the few grasses I can identify, cocksfoot. From the top of a hedge a dunnock sings its cheerful song. #Bournemouth #WestCliffGreen #Spring #April

From 11th April 2021

For a few moments the grey sky parts and the sun beams warmly down from a clear blue vault. The sea glitters and dances. Then the dark clouds roll in again. A sudden icy wind drives a brief shower of sleety rain before it. And so the day continues: shirt sleeves one moment, waterproofs the next. But these April showers bring delight to growing things. The bright green grass is starred with a hundred thousand daisies.