3rd June from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

At the top of the steps, everyone stops to survey the scene below. Some point, “we’ll go this way along the beach.” Some try to catch a glimpse of someone they might know. But most just stand and stare. It is still early for the beach to be packed but that will come later. The silent shadows of gulls criss cross the grass and the paths. The bracken is well above head high. It is steadily, pleasantly warm. Puffy white clouds come and go. There is a soft blanket of haze across the horizon and the sea is playful enough for the screams of delight of children fill the air. The sound has a melancholy tone to it.

From 3rd June 2022

Excited children's voices rise up from the beach. Warmth rises up from the paths. The sky is hazy and there is very little breeze. The sea is an unusual mauve colour. Flotillas of small craft and jetskis leave a pattern of white wakes across the bay. Helicopters buzz too and fro. Bunches of greenish catkins hang from the Holm Oaks and almost smother their branches. A cockchafer zooms along the clifftop as big as a small bird. There is plenty of room on the green for games of Frisbee as the picnickers have not arrrived yet. The white trumpets of bindweed smother the fence. A lone crow croaks. Pigeons coo. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #June #summer

From 3rd June 2021

Under a blanket of grey cloud a sharp breeze from the West drives snappy little wavelets onto the beach. The clifftop path is lined with clumps of sow thistles. Children heading down from the carparks do a little stamping dance of delight when they see the sea. The sun breaks through and I feel a real warmth on my neck and back.