16th August

No real rain overnight as the forecasters promised. A fine misty drizzle in the air is enough for the trees to cast dry shadows on the paths. Magpies, pigeons and gulls are patrolling the flat areas trying to find the odd patch where some moisture might have accumulated. The air feels fresh under a uniform grey sky and the temperature is definitely lower than it has been. There is an etiquette among the early morning strollers and dog-walkers. It is important to make the right judgement to use a friendly “Hi” or a cheery “Good morning” or even a chummy “Hello”. The next engagement is often a swift look at the sky and “We need it” but we don’t achieve that level of intimacy today. One or two early swimmers are enjoying the still waters and the empty beach. Out on the bay, the mist makes it difficult to see where the polished steel water ends and the sky begins. Two fishing boats crossing the scene look as though they might be floating in mid-air.

From 16th August 2021

The afternoon heat comes up off the path and off the grass in waves but as soon as a grey slab of cloud slides across the sun a mean little wind springs up and chills the air in seconds. By the evening, the sky has cleared to a clear pale blue edged with a delicate pink where the sun has disappeared. The sea is a dimpled silver sheet and the moon like a frosted lemon slice casts a gold silver pathway across the bay.

From 16th August 2009

There is a pause. In that time between the last shoutings of late-night party goers making their unsteady ways home and the first blearyeyed chamber maids and kitchen helpers padding along the echoing pavements. The air is fresh but still August warm. The roads are empty save for a brief flurry of newspaper delivery vans. The real owners of the tarmac are the magpies and, oddly, a flock of thirty or forty jackdaws