July 28th

The sunlight dapples through the branches of the tall, dark pines. The sounds of the day are soaked up by the carpet of pine needles and leaf litter. This time of year the birds are mostly silent except for the crows which are just finding their voices again after the summer lay off. Magpies squawk and squabble. The feet of the squirrels rattle as they run up and down the trees. And, on the breeze, is the sound of the waves. The sea is rough enough today and the wind is strong from the South East. Children on the beach enjoy the bumptious waves and their little screams of delight fill the air. It is warm enough for the beach to be well populated. The only flowers left standing are the hardy, yellow members of the daisy family which are annoyingly similar and should better all be classified as dandelions and thistles. The tufts of down from these fill the hedgerows. Pigeons coo. #Bournemouth #WestCliffGreen #July #summer.

July 28th 2021

Wind and whitecaps. Clumps of grey cloud. In the distance the Purbeck Hills are in bright sunshine. The strong evening sunshine is casting long, dark shadows across the beach where the wind has rasped the sand smooth and whipped up little dancing devils on the prom. The sky is still an unsullied blue and the big, white capped waves are a deep glassy turquoise. A baby gull lit by the peachy sun peeps plaintively from the roof of a neighbouring block.

July 28th 2011

The water was lovely. Clear and calm. The sun shone. The sand was golden. Coffee at the beach cafe and then on my way to a cooked brunch. A fisherman rows steadily along his lines followed by a small crowd of gulls. Customers will already be waiting on the beach. A warm glow to the day already. I think it’s going to be good.