13th December from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
Grey chilly morning. A cutting wind from the North-east. No sign of the sleet but some little patches of frost left behind where the ice has been compacted. A slight but steady swell which creates a wide Cavalier collar of white lace along the tide line. A red fishing boat carves a wide horseshoe in the bay before heading home. Gulls have taken up various vantage points on lamp posts and roofs and are staring into the distance.
From 13th December 2021
The twisted leafless topmost branches of the sweet chestnut are silhouetted against the night time glow of the town. Along the main road the traffic hurries and rumbles home. From here the roar and swish of the tyres sounds exactly the same as the rush of the surf up the beach. A fussy breeze keeps the evening honest.
From 13th December 2011
A brilliant lemon-yellow sky to the south east above the mass of storm cloud retreating up channel. The strong breeze is lifting the crests of the long, steep breakers into fine spray. The fishing boats are pulled well up on the beach. Nobody is going out in them today but a party of surfers are bobbing in the water out at the end of the pier like a family of seals in a wildlife documentary. Three tour buses but only two Transam Trucking Wagons at the BIC. Can’t have been much of a spectacle last night.
