13th June from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

The sun glitters off the little ripples on the waters of the bay. The bay reflects the clear blue of the sky and the water itself is transparent. A tiny, warm breeze is all that’s needed to send the ripples into shivers and shimmering explosions of delight. Speedboats scratch white lines across the blue. Sunbathers and book readers are everywhere on the West Cliff Green. Small brown butterflies, probably skippers, skip about the long grass stems. Crows stand, beaks open in the heat. Pigeons coo and a robin sings from a bush. In the shade of the sycamore tree a Dartford warbler makes its chirring sound whilst flicking its tail in a confident little dance.

From 13th June 2022

The greens are bright green. The reds and yellows of beachgoers' wear are jolly and vibrant. The sky is blue apart from a few puffy fair weather louds and he sea is glassy smooth. The wind is fresh but not cold. A summer's morning. But by lunch time the clouds have thickened up and it feels chilly. And then, in the way things are, the skies clear again and there is a pristine blue sky and the sun is hot whle the breeze prevents it all feeling too oppressive. the indigo sea is as furrowed as W.H. Auden's face with white whiskers above the wave tops. A family of magpies swoop and glide above the grass on the clifftop. When landing they extend their fingers and flare their wings to hit their target with precision exactly like a pilot landing a plane on a short runway. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #summer #June

From 13th June 2021

A pigeon rattles his wings as he startles up into the fresh dawn air. The pale straw coloured beams of the rising sun are so intense that for some way I cannot see to follow the path. The sky is cloudless and the blue reflects off the mirror smooth bay. The tide is a long way out and groups of gulls paddle in the wet sand at the edge of the barely moving water. I look for the deer I saw last night but there is no sign which either means she has found a safe place to lie up or has found a way out of here. A blackbird sings. The pigeon has found somewhere to sit and relax and begins his crooning.

Later

Although it's been a hot day with an entirely cloudless sky, the air is still fresh and cool this evening. The last rays of sun pick out the polar bear on the Isle of Wight and the chalk stacks of Old Harry in a crisp orange light. There is the slightest mist on the horizon so the sunset is calm and without any of the evening fireworks that occurs when there are banks of clouds .