29th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

Thin grey sky and a blue misty horizon. The sea is soothing and calm. People are on the beach. It is a warm day but the air is still fresh. Blackbirds sing from almost every tree and their voices echo around the pine wood. The hazel is in full soft green leaf. The shadows are dark and inviting and the benches are ready for the morning occupants.

From 29th April 2022

I've noted before how subdued everything seems on a cloudy grey evening. As though the clouds themselves eat up any extraneous sound. Oddly this seems to make other, particular sounds stand out. Voices in the distance. A single dog bark. Individual waves on the shore. Each is given a value quite different from the daytime hustle and bustle of sound. I become aware of individual birds singing without the the general steady background that usually makes them members of a choir rather than soloists like tonight. A small child, hat pulled down over her ears and a pink gilet against the chill toddles up the path, arms flung wide. Ecstatic at being part of the big world . But then she turns and realises how far she is away from her Daddy. She scoots back to him and he gathers her up in his arms and they are happy to be part of their own smaller world. #Bournemouth #westcliffgreen #April #spring

From 29th April 2014

Where the low grey cloud meets the mist out to sea a lobster potter emerges and disappears into the murk. On either side of the cliff top path two warblers dispute territory in a fierce but polite duel where each lets the other finish before starting their frenzied calls for the other to clear off. Ramsons spill out through the fence. A magpie struts and frets his hour on the rain soaked grass. On the sand far below I can see that someone loves Toni enough to write it in letters ten feet tall. A vixen has overturned a bin but the pickings are so thin that even the gulls are ignoring it disdainfully. A pigeon coos. Good morning to you all.

Later

On my way home, leaning on the rail, I have to take time to gaze out across the bay. The soot black night is peppered with a million and one stars. Or is it a million and two? I have lost count. Here on earth is only the barest breeze and the gentle wash wash of the tide.

From 29th April 2011

The barometer dropped a couple of points and down came the rain in torrents.

28th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

 As soon as you step out onto the West Cliff Green, you are greeted with a chorus of Squeeeeeze  Squeeeeeze.  From the bushes on the clifftop.  It is the greenfinches.  Sometimes the interpolate a couple of warbling song phrases but for most of the day it’s Squeeeeeeze Squeeeeze.   Blackbirds are also at their full on song.  I counted five singing from various tall trees at once. Charlock is scrambling through the tall grass,  Their cruciform pale yellow flowers are fragile and papery and have curled away by lunch time.  The big rolling grey clouds begin to break up and the afternoon is warm with a little or no breeze. A pigeon sits on the warm tarmac and the leaves of the Bears Paws are big and glossy.

From 28th April 2022

The sun is blurred and hazy but the wind has dropped so it's warm enough for April. The glassy green sea rushes gently at the shore. The sand is flat and largely empty. A handful of swimmers have braved the water. Where someone has been strimming some of the grass, they have left stands of the more prominent flowers. This has revealed a perennial Honesty with its bright magenta cruciform flowers and, flat papery seed pods already forming. On the green two black headed gulls are performing their dance of romance They stand face to face and open wide their beaks to yell at each other with their loudest screams possible. Then they fly up and around each other, biffing one another with their wings before returning to yelling again. Love or war? Difficult to tell with gulls. And humans come to think of it. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #spring #April

From 28th April 2021

Occasionally the sun peeps through the boiling, smoky mass of clouds enough to cast a weak shadow on the path and there is a moment of warmth but there is still a cold wind from the north so as soon as the grey closes in again it is decidedly chilly. Last night the ire brigade came to deal with a gorse bush that was on fire and during the dark there were a few drops of rain but there is a sense in which spring is on hold for the moment.

From 28th April 2017

You know that bloke who goes round care homes with an accordian doing songs for reminiscence therapy? I'm looking forward to hear how he handles my request for the whole of "Dark Side of the Moon" when my girls finally get me in there in a few years.

27th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

Heavy grey clouds leaving just a knife edge narrow strip out over the bay where the sun shines through with an intense silver light on the water. The sea itself is rough and choppy and makes an angry hissing sound as it lunges and parries with the beach. Two big mowers roar as they criss cross the green. On the cliff top the long grass ripples under the combing breeze. Nearly every tree and bush is showing signs of green except for the old oak which is keeping its leafy cards close. There is no ash tree nearby to tell whether its going to be a wet summer or not. Under the trees it is calm and quiet and the uncut grass is lush and green. People passing to and fro have dug out their winter coats again. Pigeons coo and the rain falls.

From 27th April 2022

It's been a long spring and despite the storms and persistent cold wind I would still say that everything is well ahead of normal. (Some would say up to a month early) And now on this very chilly day, things are definitely moving in the direction of summer. Blackberry bushes have suddenly sprung up to fence high in places. The funny fiddle heads of braken are unfurling on the clifftop. The little yellow flowers of black medick are sprinkled among the grasses at the path edge. Cleavers are climbing up among the branches of the rhododendrons. Over the past few weeks, the arborists have been making safe and tidying up the damage caused by the earlier storms. Today they took down one of the big pines. These are quick growing and don't always live to a great age. I counted 86 rings so first planted in the 1930s. I noticed how close together the rings were in its 20s and wide apart in its thirties (Our 1950s and 1960s) denoting years of hardship and years of plenty. My hands are now covered in a gummy resin that will not wash off with soap and water and I'm sticking to everything I touch. At least they smell nice. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #spring #April

From 27th April 2021

It's not unusual to have cold weather in April. In fact we get frost and even snow quite late in the month. This April has been notable for the fact that we've had a cold easterly airstream that has continued from the winter so that we've not had more than a couple of days of warmth since January. But more significant is that fact that it has been so dry and even though the sun is climbing higher every day, the spring flowers are already flagging. Everything's done its best but the bluebells look dry and uncomfortable. The whole length of the path is lined with the distinctive seed heads of cranesbill (if you're not familiar they really do look like tiny, long beaked birds) and ribworts. The mass of dandelions have already turned into woolly seed heads. The summer plants are trying to fill the gaps There are bright purple vetches twining through the clifftop grasses and the fiddle heads of the bracken are showing up jauntily. The plant that seems to be doing well this year is the periwinkle that always seems to be a stranger with its big blue flowers and glossy leaves. A dunnock sings in the evening from a still bare branch.

26th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

That sharp little breeze has crept back along with the rolling grey clouds and the anxious surf. But the plant and birds are getting on with things and everything green is shooting upwards after having been held back for so long. Greenfinches fill the air with their wheezing. Gulls circle on the updraughts their voices growing more faint as they spiral upwards. The sun shines from behind the veil of clouds. Pigeons coo.

From 26th April 2022

The breeze is sharp and cold. The shadows from the low morning sun are long and dark across the emrald green of the grass. The sky is toally cloudless , a great blue bowl from hills to island and from horizon to the tops of the flats. The sea is as wine dark as Homer could have seen with a sheen of rippled platinum. Out at the mouth of the bay is the bulk of the brand new cruise liner Celebrity Beyond hiding here before making her triumphant entrance into Southampton ready for its Maiden voyage tomorrow. We already have one cruise liner, the Deutschland, visiting the harbour this morning. A busy day out in the bay with dozens of smaller craft and work boats scurrying to and fro. Someone is mending a roof nearby and the faint, warm smell of tar hangs in the air. Small birds sing from, as yet, bare branches. Pigeons coo. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #April #spring

From 26th April 2016

Snow and thunder and lightning now. And hail. Well, a sort of snowy hail. Snail perhaps?

Later

Snow. Hurrah. Scarf on. Mittens ready for the ensuing snowball fight. Rolling down hill and making snow angels in the drifts. Maybe a snowman with twigs for arms. Then back in for dinner, cheeks aglow... Oh. It's stopped.

25th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A myriad silver daisies glitter on the green grass of the West Cliff in just the way a myriad little ripples shimmer and shine on the blue water of the bay. The sun is warm and the air is still fresh with a steady little breeze. The blue sky is streaked with high, thin clouds. The birds fill the bare trees with song. A chiff chaff sings from somewhere in a rhododendron. An orange rib follows the shoreline streaming a white trail of gulls behind. People stop to talk. A crow spots a gull that has earned its displeasure from half the length of the Green. It rockets off to tackle the surprised miscreant and buffets it away over the tree tops. Pigeons coo.

From 25th April 2022

Blue sky with a bright sun but a cold blustery wind has given way to a sullen, grey drizzly but tranquil afternoon. The horizon is bright and the ruffled sea is silver with elegant charcoal grey flecks. The sand is flat and empty. A beach guard is piling up the loungers. There are no takers today. Gulls and crows stand looking at each other on the grass as if wondering what to do with themselves and hoping for some inspiration from somewhere. A tall meadow buttercup stands with the long grass surrounding it at the edge of the green. #Bournemouth #westcliffgreen #April #spring

From 25th April 2021

The steady rush of the wind in the treetops and the continuous roar of the surf on the shore combine to make an unbroken sound back drop to the day. The sun has almost tipped below the trees which stand dark and mysterious but a few last rays shine through the branches with some strength. The sky is clear and pale blue edged with a wash of primrose where the sun has gone by. A big silver moon climbs into the Eastern sky. It is daylight still but very cold. Mum and Dad walk quickly away holding tight to the sleeping toddler.

24th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

I think we can say, spring is here and has taken posession of the West Cliff. Where before it was camping out for occasional days or dozing on the benches for a few minutes of sunshine, it has now established itself whatever late April and May weather can do to dislodge it. Clouds are white, puffy and non-threatening. In the long grass are patches of fumitory and the cliff top apple trees are showing buds busting with pink and white flowers. A buttercup shines bright yellow. Gulls wail in the distance. All sorts of tits cheep from the bare branches of trees yet to come into leaf. Pigeons coo. The air is fresh and nearly still and the sun is genuinely warm at times. The sea laps gently on the sand.

24th April 2022

Big pillows of white and grey cloud against the blue counterpane of the sky. The sun shines out briefly before a darker slate coloured blanket appears from the east. The late afternoon rays make strange diffracted patterns through the branches of the pines. The afternoon seems strangely subdued and there is a soft haziness to the air. Perhaps the result of yesterday's big fire on Canford Heath. There is barely a ripple on the bay. On the beach a small family cluster round a table covered with white cloth. A gentleman produces tea time delights from Tupperware boxes in the manner of a magician producing wonders from a silk hat. The police helicopter drones up and down. A child separated from his parents? Naughty people hiding in the undergrowth? A disorientated elderly person unable to find their front door? A little breeze springs up as if the whirling blades have stirred the atmosphere. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #April #spring

24th April 2017

The rain is falling straight down from a uniform grey sky. Trees drip with their heavy load of moisture. The clouds are so low they drift among the clifftop pines like wraiths. The puddles that line the footpath are covered with the thick yellow swirls of pine tree pollen. I love weather like this.

24th April 2014

The world is a better place today because there are people out there performing little acts of kindness. And each kindness holds back the gloom a little.

23rd April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

The mist out in the bay blurs the division between sea and sky so that the fishing boats seem to be suspended in mid air. The morning is damp and drops of rain add to the moisture in occasional flurries. The three cornered leeks have brightened up and now share the shady spots with bluebells making a pleasing display. At first I think that is a bird on the end of a slender branch over the path but it is, in fact, a squirrel picking and eating the delicate green leaf buds and discarding the debris on the tarmac below. The coppery leaves of the sycamore are now almost fully out. Runners pound the paths and a great tit seesaws from high in a tree above.

From 23rd April 2022

The tall cow parsley shivers and shakes in the urgent northerly breeze. Waves of light and dark sweep across the long grasses. In the shelter of the pines it is quiet enough to hear the scratch scratch of the squirrels running up their rough bark. Bright yellow tidemarks at the edge of the path are drifts of pine pollen. It is not cold and the sun makes an effort to cast shadows now and again. The sea is jumping up and down and making light of a little white cruiser at anchor just off the shore. Little clumps have sprung up suddenly of a tiny white flowered plant that my big book tells me is Hoary Cress. But I find the cabbage family plants as difficult to tell apart as the carrot family which is why I just stick to a general "cow parsley". #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #April #spring

From 23rd April 2021

Late afternoon. The shadows are long and the air is April fresh. Big blue green waves curl into the beach making a steady rush of sound. A small plane drones across the blue sky and disappears into the glare of the setting sun..

22nd April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A heavy mist over the sea so we can’t actually see the Saturday morning charter boats chugging out to their favourite difting grounds. The sun is trying to burn through but as yet it has had no success. The sea is in calm, easy going mood. On the cliff top the mist persists all day. The leaves of the pussy willow are fully out. And all sorts of shrubs and small trees have sprung into life. Where the goats have cleared the cliff edge, the bluebells have grown in profusion and, in a matter of days the bracken is half a metre tall. The borage has suddenly exploded into bloom and the blackberry leaves are soft and bright green

From 22nd April 2022

Blue sky. Grey clouds. Bright sun. Strong breeze. Blue haze. Rolling waves. Pale shadows. Swathes of Cranesbill. Shocking pink oxalis. Yellow groundsel. Pigeon coos. #Bournemouth #westcliffgreen #april #spring

From 22nd April 2018

Every morning the artist gets up and sees this strangely shaped gap in the sky. By bedtime, if they are lucky and work hard, they will have filled it with a piece of art.

21st April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A crispy, crunchy, chilly breeze. A milky sky. A blue haze across the hills and the horizon. The sea is loud but the waves are not large. It is warm enough until the lumpy grey clouds slide across. Occasionally, the sun gets a look in but, on the whole it’s cold and far from picnic weather. But as usual, mothers push buggies and a few of the stalwarts play a hurried game of frisbee. Visitors staying nearby are glad they brought their coats. A pigeon on a post can’t be bothered to fly away when I approach. In the long grass the first signs of hoary cress and the fiddle heads of bracken.

From 21st April 2022

the gentle sea is made up of little ridges and slubs like pale green shantung silk. The evening air is cold but the sky is clear with a hint of blue. To the West where the sun is setting behind the black outlines of the pines, the the sky is painted with a wash of primrose and pink fading to orange. Gulls stand on the cliff top rail waiting impatiently to be fed. Where the three cornered leeks and dying away, a new flush of flowers is following on. They're not done yet. A blackbird fills the air with its evening song. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #spring #April

From 21st April 2018

Watching from the clifftop. Coming in across the bay. Vast sheets of lightning behind the clouds lighting up the sky. Jagged forks and flashes. Gosh that was close. I'm getting wet. Right across the horizon, side to side.

Later

Gosh never seen that before. Simultaneous strikes all at once. Lightning dancing from cloud to cloud to cloud like a crazy leapfrog. Four five together some going across the sky some straight down into the sea. Its wild.

20th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

Although the sky is clear blue, the sea is sparkling and the sun is bright, the brisk wind just means thoses sitting out need coats. Even so, there are those for whom sitting and watching the day grow is energising enough. But there are signs of summer flowers with stands of ragwort here and there. The shadows are dark and walkers keep appearing and disappearing in the darkness. The greenfinches are in full voice today and every gorse bush and tree contains at least one. The combined sound reminds me of the cicidas in the pines of the mediterranean.

From 20th April 2022

The evening is fresh and clear with a slight haze of mist over the bay. Little waves roll politely onto the beach, each waiting for the one in front.. There has been swathes of three-cornered leeks lining the paths and spreading out under the trees but they are beginning to look tired now. The early bluebells are also beginning to droop but there are still enough following on to make a fine display. Early shoots of bracken are beginning to appear among the ribwort plantain on the cliff top. A party of sixteen or seventeen year old lads are practising lighting cigarettes. The big lad is play fighting with the others. It will soon turn into real fighting. That is how it works. But despite that a single blackbird carols away into the evening. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #April #spring

From 20th April 2021

Not quite summer but it's doing its best. The sun is warm although there is still a chill in the shadows under the trees. Faint wisps of cloud criss cross the blue sky. A bumble bee drones by, busy about its work . The pigeons coo. Close your eyes and enjoy the day.

From 20th April 2011

Thank heavens for jetskis. Without them, lying on the beach listening to the soft lap of the waves and the distant mewing of the gulls, would be a very tedious occupation indeed.

19th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A cold buffeting wind and lumpy grey clouds. The breeze shakes the little stand of long wild grasses growing by the path so that they dance and sway. Two women and a dog add scale to the scene as they cross the greensward towards the trees and disappear out of sight. The sea is corrugated and one or two people are braving the waves.

From 19th April 2022

The morning sun was bright and glittered off the almost still sea. The little waves smacked and splooshed on the smooth sand. But the air was still cool and a urgent breeze soon sprang up and the big grey clouds began to jostle the sun away. On the clifftop, the greenfinches in the gorse were answered by goldfinches hiding in the ilex trees. By mid afternoon, the sky is one continuous grey sheet and a sudden downpour had sunbathers scurrying for shelter. Pigeons clap their wings in the trees. The wet grass at the edge of the Green is long and luxurious. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #April #spring

From 19th April 2021

The sun has already slipped below the distant, dark trees but the windows of the upper floors of the tall blocks reflect its rays strongly towards me. The sky is clear and a pale, translucent blue. A slight mist softens the outlines of the Purbeck Hills. The sea is barely ruffled by the cold air. Little groups sit out on the grass enjoying the very last of the light. Dogs bark in the distance. Gulls wheel round the head of a man offering them crusts of bread. A man approaches someone playing a guitar. "I've been waiting for two years for you to turn up." he says. They embrace. A robin sings as I make my way in.

From 19th April 2016

60% of us understand Shakespeare and find his work relevant and engaging. That's pretty good for a guy who died 400 years ago and I can't think of any contemporary artist of any sort who has that sort of appeal. But yet the press are choosing to report this poll's findings as 40% of us don't like Shakespeare. Get out of it.

18th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

The breeze is fresh and strong so that when the sun is covered by the bumbling white clouds, the temperature drops in an instant. The sea is blue and sparkles when the sun is out and little, white-topped waves chase into the shore with a playful exuberance. A single pigeon stands on the grass under the trees uncertain of what he should be doing. ‘Eating’ is the general answer to that but he wanders off, still baffled by it all. A patch of small campions glow pink in the morning light. A blackbird sings for us this morning.

From 18th April 2022

The mackerel sky comes and goes. The chilly little wind increases as we move into evening although the sun is still strong and makes long shadows among the dark pines. The ruffled sea is blueberry dark. A crow is turning over little balls of dry grass to see what is underneath. You can see from his confidence that he has done this before and knows where there is food to be found. He gets better odds than in a Find the lady game. All along the clifftop are little musliny triangular nests containing hundreds of little caterpillars. These are probably the larvae of the Brown Tail moth which can cause a rash in humans and dogs so best not to explore too closely although many other moths and butterflies create these little nurseries for overwintering young. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #April #spring

From 18th April 2014

The early morning sun is as warm as a new baked hot cross bun on a blue china plate. The air is fresh and crisp and a blackbird is carolling from the tip of a gorse bush. Why are you running? Stop. Take those things out of your ears and revel in this spring dawn.

From 18th April 2012

The sea and sky are uniform grey as though everything is covered with dust-sheets ready for a fresh coat of paint. The twisted pine nods and shakes like an old man troubled by a wasp. Are those tears running down my window? How many more figures of speech can I use?

17th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

The sound of the arborists cutting down a dying tree can be heard in the distance. The chain saws are like an old man complaining loudly abut the litter or the state of the economy. The sky is a rumpled grey but there is a warmth that comes from the general direction of the sun. The first real indication of spring is the life guard lookouts on the beach. They have been there, unstaffed as yet for a week or two, but now the definitive beginning of the summer season (if not the summer) comes with the work boat laying out the neat row of yellow buoys that delineate the safe swimming zone off the beach. An empty can snoozes under a bush. The ancient dead holm oak still frames the view and one of the access paths is closed for drainage work. A magpie appears to have hiccoughs as it walks around under the trees and pigeons coo.

From 17th April 2022

Easter day is bright and clear and warm enough to sit outside for coffee. But by the afternoon, a mily sky and a nippy little wind takes the warmth away. But people are still willing to enjoy the day and there are plenty of bare shoulders and knees on the West Cliff. Picnic blankets are spread and groups of visitors are enjoying the saound of the sea as it rolls neatly over at the tide's edge below. A woman in a brick red puffer jacket leans on the rail and meditates on the bay below. A pigeon claps its wings and startled she moves onwards into the afternoon. Clumps of tiny pink flowered cranesbill line the paths and a wren sings clear and boldly. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #april #spring

From 17th April 2019

I've dug out the winter coat again. A bone chill mist rolls in from the bay. Ships' sirens slice through from the harbour. People react to the weather in different ways. Some turn their coat collars up and hurry home. Others saunter in the spring air. They are on holiday and a bit of fog is not going to spoil their week at the seaside.The birds get on with what they are meant to be doing unperturbed. The man with the shopping trolley emerges from the gloom. "Feeding the gulls?" I say. "No, the crows." They seem to be his special friends. We walk along the path side by side but not speaking.

From 17th April 2013

The sound of the sea changes. Sometimes it is the slight susurration on the shingle at others,as tonight, it is a restless roar that pulls ones imagination down the 123 steps and across the firm sands to the very waters' edge. And wading on out into the sea of dreams.

16th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

The voices of the pigeons are loud in the land. Little fishing boats dot the flat, silver plate that is the bay. The sea reflects the rippling, corrugated grey of the sky. A vague mist smudges the outline of the Purbeck hills and the Isle of Wight. Small birds sing from every tree and bush. Chief among them today is the see-sawing of the Great Tit and the churr of the Green finch. The air is clean and fresh. A small, steady rain patters down a few drops at a time not really making its mind up whether it’s going to wind up to create a full blown shower or stop altogether. Gulls fly to and fro. Some of them look as though they’re on urgent business and swoop along the cliff top with purpose. The idlers who just circle on the updraughts are not here today. A circle of a dozen people on the beach are doing some species of keep fit exercises. A dog chases a flourescent ball over the grass as though that is all he has to worry about. Which, I suppose is true.

From 16th April 2022

Easter Saturday. We are deep into this long spring. The sun shines brightly from a blue sky streaked with thin high clouds. A grey mist hangs across the bay and there is a snapping chilly breeze. Not much swell to speak of but the little waves are agitated and make a big noise. The beach is busy but not crowded. On the West Cliff, even those trees which wait to the last minute to come into leaf are showing pale green. And many plants that will flower on through the summer are growing strong leafy clumps: Mallow, Bristly ox-tongue and Betony amone dozens of others. #Bournemouth #westcliffgreen #april #spring

From 16th April 2021

An intense blue sky; cloudless apart from a tiny band of puffy grey cumulus on the distant horizon. The sun glares off the small, orderly waves which fold neatly onto the pale, even sand. But there is a brisk cold wind from the North-east. A morning for a winter coat.  #Bournemouth #WestCliff #spring

15th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

Big bubbly white and grey clouds stream out across the sky to form slabs and layers covering a quarter of the blue at a time. The sea is behaving itslef and more people are on the beach for the day. They crawl like black ants across the flat sand. The sun comes and goes and the gulls are oddly muted and solemn sounding. The pigeons in the trees, on the other hand, have wound themselves up to perform their full “Orr oo coo. Orr oo oo coo.” song like clockwork over and over again. As you walk through the trees there is never one out of earshot.

From 15th April 2022

The sea ruffles gently at the sand's edge. The air is crisp. Pigeons, wings held stiffly in a v shape glide across the deep blue sky. The sun shines warmly despite the high veils of alto stratus cloud. Visitors are in summer mode and are lying on the short grass enjoying the sun. The blackbirds are providing a rousing chorus to the afternoon. #Bournemouth #westcliffgreen #April #spring

From 15th April 2014

And then comes that day when, with all the windows wide open and the spring sunshine creeping across the room, it is a pleasure to wash and polish the floor.

14th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A rough, rainy, galey day; huge breakers rolling in across the bay. Throwing up a welter of spray. White caps trailing out across the grey under clouds a shade of clay. Trees and bushes stretch and sway. The torment continues all afternoon. The town pigeons are in residence. No sound of small birds but the greeen leaves are beginning to shake out and some trees look quite green from a distance.

From the 14th April 2022

The morning started with a dense mist and the sound of foghorns in the harbour. Later the mist thinned leaving that strange layer of cottonwool lying over the Swash Channel so that you could see the tops of the Purbeck hills quite clearly above it and the beaches of Studland beneath. I believe this may be a phenomenon caused by the different temperatures of the river water coming down through the harbour and meeting the water of the bay beyond the harbour mouth. It's something we observe quite often here and round the clifs at Swanage, it's possible to look look down from the hills under a clear blue sky whilst the town below is completely hidden from view. The sun is warm but there is still a haze on into the evening and the air is quite chilly. The tranquil sea laps at the shore. Dunnocks sing from the fence posts. Pigeons coo. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #April #spring

From 14th April 2021

Not particularly cold, nor damp nor grey but all of them together makes a sort of soft melancholy of the day. The sea is ruffled half-heartedly. An RAF Hercules circles lazily over the Purbeck Hills and then runs in across the bay, a little stream of parachutes blossoming behind it. Pigeons coo. Daisies embroider the grass. All is norminal.

13th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

The weather is crazy, veering backwards and forwards between bright sunshine with blue sky and dark clouds. Showers interrupt every so often and, at one point, a huge downpouring of hail covers the paths in a matter of seconds. It is April Showers with a vengeance. The wind rises and falls. But the little birds are not daunted and amidst it all one of the pines is hosting a chorus of Great Tits, Blackbird, two robins, a wren and various other songsters that can be identified but just want to join in. And in a nearby gorse bush a Green Finch decides to make its presence felt. The sea is calmer than it has been and out on the horizon the ferries Barfleur and Pelican cross on the horizon. Little boats bob further into the shore. The gorse is brilliant yellow in the sunshine

From 13th April 2022

It's that hustle and bustle week leading up to Easter. Hotels and restaurants are working hard to finish decorating before the rush this weekend. Cars pass by with their windows down. Boom Boom Boom. They go. Oom. Oom. Oom. As they disappear into the distance. And like some mediation ritual Om. Om. Om. Pigeons coo. The sound of the lawnmower is loud in the land. A little party of gold finches tumble through the bare branches of sycamore tree. Their song is delightful and spring-like. The sun is afternoon warm in a blue sky dotted with white mounds of alto-cumulus clouds. A big line of grey shows the end of a cold front disappearing over the horizon to the South. People on the benches are not wearing hats but most are still wearing jackets. #Bournemouth #WestCliffGreen #Spring #April.

From 13th April 2021

The air is crisp and clean. The sun beams down warmly from a cloudless sky. The bay is practically flat calm but the merest breath of breeze makes the water glitter and dance. The winter lockdown is easing . Early morning coffee drinkers are filling the seating area at the beachside cafe and the Dorset Belle makes a pencil straight silver wake towards the pier.

12th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A panic-y wind racing about aimlessly while an anxious sea is trying to find some outlet for their shared emotional turmoil. The sky is a huge panorama of enormous cloud shapes - Big bubbling white cumulus cut across by flate grey steel plates and smeared by white trails. And amid all this the sun occasionally managing to force an appearance. For a few seconds it is warm but then it is covered by a milky haze and sulks away as the rain falls in torrents and the wind builds up a real temper tantrum. The small birds are, sensibly, keeping out of the way.

From 12th April 2022

It's that sort of rain, continuous but generally so fine that it doesn't penetrate the leafy canopy of the Ilex trees so there is a little row of dry semi-circles on the path. There is not much in the way of wind and the sea grumbles on without much of anything important to say. Some of our rough sleepers have found some little tents to keep the weather off in the Chine. Everything green is flourishing, the grass is long and luxuriant where it has not been mown. It is the blackbirds' turn to fill the air from their places in the gorse bushes. People are generally cheerful. #Bournemouth #WestCliffGreen #Spring #April

From 12th April 2011

Suddenly dawn has broken whilst I wasn't looking. Steel grey sea stretching away to a sharp horizon. Misty pink clouds against a pale sky. The tree is silhouetted black on the clifftop and a few gulls glide to give a sense of life.

11th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A veil of mist along the horizon. A ruffty tuffty gusty wind enabling the short sharp waves to encroach on the shore line with some authority. Gulls curl and sideslip on the updraughts and currents over the cliff edge. The pigeons eat with the sort of desperation of a contestant at an eat your own weight contest. Sycamore leaves unfurl with their pinky edges whilst the hazel bush is covered in soft green. Someone had a jolly tme last night staring into the void that is Durley Chine. This morning, though, The air is filled with the scent of new mown grass as the mowers busy themselves at the path edge.

From 11th April 2022

Lumpy, bumpy clumps of slate grey cloud jostling against a very blue sky. A wind from the East as sharp as a butcher's knife. The grren sea is roaring as it pours up the beach in a frenzy of foam. But, undaunted, the spring carries on springing. Clumps of green alkanet in the long grass by the wall with its bright blue flowers with a white eye in the centre. Patches of cranesbill, ribwort plantain, and, one of the few grasses I can identify, cocksfoot. From the top of a hedge a dunnock sings its cheerful song. #Bournemouth #WestCliffGreen #Spring #April

From 11th April 2021

For a few moments the grey sky parts and the sun beams warmly down from a clear blue vault. The sea glitters and dances. Then the dark clouds roll in again. A sudden icy wind drives a brief shower of sleety rain before it. And so the day continues: shirt sleeves one moment, waterproofs the next. But these April showers bring delight to growing things. The bright green grass is starred with a hundred thousand daisies.

10th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A driving drizzle and a bumping wind. A lobster boat is braving the corrugated waves in the bay. A lone seagull passes low down along the cliff edge. The tree trunks have assumed a strange two tone look where the rain has made the windward side a dark chocolate brown against the silver grey to leeward. There are no breaks in the flat grey canopy of clouds. There are bathers braving the steep breakers on the beach but then there are now every day of the year. Other walkers are buttoned up tight with hoods pulled down over their ears. Something like a large branch or tree root has washed up along the tides edge. A passer by has Noticed it and is crouching down taking pictures of it from every angle as the surf washes over it.

From 10th April 2022

The blue sky is smeared with very high, thin traces of white cloud. The cutting wind hustles the sea so that it is like rows of old men in rain coats returning home from work all with their coat collars turned up. I am surpried to find that bluebells are found naturally on cliffs so ours are probably wild and not garden escapes as I first thought. There is a huge variety of colour in the same patch from deep blue to mauve, to pink to white. Pussy willow is beginning to show leaves. As the resident gulls are being fed by the man who is Friend to the Crows, the huge dark shape of a Greater Black Back Gull slices through the air and on along the cliffs disdainful of the melee. #Bournemouth #WestCliffgreen #Spring #April #gulls #bluebells.

From 10th April 2016

The rain is falling steadily if not urgently. The grey of the evening pulls in. The sea is an oiled steel save where it is a madness of foam high up on the beach. A thick mass of cloud squats over the distant Purbeck Hills and as the street lights begin to come on they make shiny patches on the pavement and steps. I have a roof between me and the night. Thinking of those who do not.