July 29th

A clear blue sky splashed with white as if from a careless decorator’s bucket. A slight breeze keeps the little waves in motion. They scintillate and wink in the morning sun as early bathers bob about. A tractor criss crosses the green towing the big mower, But to no effect. The grass is white and has not grown since the last visit. In fact there are large bare areas of hard, dusty mud where the grass has retreated entirely. In some of these tough green shoots of prickly gorse are growing. Perhaps the mower halts their progress enough. Otherwise the green would very quickly be covered in scrub. By afternoon, the sky has been polished down to an unblemished blue. It is very hot. Sunworshippers lie at all angles, as if where they fell and couldn’t rise again. Shadows of gulls glide silently across their bodies . A big concrete pump from the old Hotel Riviera site arches triumphantly up and across the blue in orange and yellow splendour. Plalanxes of cyclists clog the paths forcing walkers to stand to one side. A skateboarder weaves along with the sort of insouciance that keeps him cool. A small black and white dog on its afternoon walk is wagging its tailwith such exuberance that it might fall off at any moment. #Bournemouth #WestCliffGreen #July #Summer.

From July 29th 2021

An anxious wind and a restless sea. A flat grey sky. Little amber beads of light winking on along the prom and pools of orange light along the path. But where it is sheltered, the air is warm and thick with the scent of honeysuckle.

From July 29th 2018

Holy Moly, it's blowing a hooley. After all that hot weather it's blowing a cool-y. A sad enough end for a heatwave in Jooly. But maybe in August it'll come back a newly