19th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
And because these are ubiquitous we tend to overlook them.
The sun is hidden behind a thin, high layer of cloud but the air is warm and the breeze is gentle. The sighs with the regularity of someone in a deep, trouble-free sleep. Little boats drift lazily after the shoals of silver fishes. Different phases of spring seems to bring different washes of colour to the West Cliff. Early spring seems to be white with the three cornered leeks. Then there is the blues of bluebells, speedwells and violets. Now we have the pinks of cranesbill, campions and clover. But always there are the yellows of buttercups, sow thistles and dandelions. And the ribwort plantains. And because these are ubiquitous we tend to overlook them. And then by mid afternoon, heavy downpours of rain and distant rumbles of thunder.
From 19th May 2022
Anybody who knows anything about clover knows that if you pull one of the tiny trumpet shaped flowers from the globular flower head and place the back of it on your tongue you can suck a tiny drop of exquisitely sweet honey. Such is the bounty that nature sprinkles along the path edge. Further on there is a bank of quaking grass which we used to call shiver grass because that's exactly what the drooping seed heads all do in the breeze. Tonight the air is fresh and the breeze is crisp so the shiver grass is shivering in delight. Red campions form a back drop. The sky is lumpy and grey but it is not cold. Blackbirds and dunnocks provide the evening chorus. Pigeons coo. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #may #spring
From 19th May 2021
The sea is a patchwork of grey and pale green and indigo and steel and bottle green under a blue sky populated with clouds the colour and shape of meringues. The little waves sparkle and glitter where they fold gently onto the beach. There is still a steady breeze but the sun worshippers are beginning to lie out on the beach. The brave afternoon sun dapples the path and the birds have given way to the blackbirds' songs. A robin stands on the rail next to my hand and wrestles with a worm as big as it is. A pigeon coos as it always does.
From 19th May 2015
Little white fishing boat launching a string of lobster pots into the bay and leaving no sign but a pink marker. The oldest smuggling trick in the book.
18th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
It is the time of the bigger plants to make themselves known. Teasels, docks and wild carrot and the big broad leaves of the acanthus which will become Bears’ Paws later.
Despite the spilt milk, hazy sky, the day is quite warm enough to sit out on the beach. The breeze is light and the sea rumpled. The cliff top shelter is still frequented by pigeons where Omar comes to feed them with rice. It is the time of the bigger plants to make themselves known. Teasels, docks and wild carrot and the big broad leaves of the acanthus which will become Bears’ Paws later. Although the young saplings in the Murdered Trees Memorial space have been bent naturally by the wind, someone has been and tied them straighter to their supports. They are surrounded by a grove of red campions.
From 18th May 2022
The drizzle stops. The sky is grey but oddly luminous and it reflects silver off the sea and the puddles. A group of students from one of the language schools gather expansively in the clifftop shelter. The sound of voices and the sweet scent of tobacco fill the evening air. Dunnocks have claimed the bushes and sing as they flit from branch to branch. The goats are having their supper tearing ravenously at the low branches. Then the rain patters down, harder this time. Lightning dances on the horizon. Blackbirds sing. Pigeons coo. #westcliffgreen #eastcliffgoats #may #Bournemouth #spring
From 18th May 2021
Grey, then blue then a jumble of jostling silver edged grey clouds and flat blue sky all day long. The sun does its best dodging in and out of the confusion of the sky but the temperature dips and rises throughout the day and the sea is but a bit player in the scene. No actual rain but everything is refreshed and revived by the downpours and thunder storms of the last few days. It is the season of the long grasses on the clifftop while blackbirds and thrushes have found new energy for their songs.
17th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
Visitors sit out on the benches watching the clouds roll in and back like the sea swell.
It’s the clouds that hold the attention today. Big, bumbling masses ranging in colour from soft dove grey to harder slate and even charcoal. The sweep and roll backwards and forwards, ever changing and mutating into fantastical shapes. But it’s still warm enough for sunbathers to catch a few rays when the sun does shine. The breeze is chilly but the sea is calm and the waves gentle. Visitors sit out on the benches watching the clouds roll in and back like the sea swell. Where the goats have been busy clearing the undergrowth, the grass is growing up and greening the top of the cliff. The rhododendrons are in full flower.
From 17th May 2022
The usual. Blue sky and a warm sun in the morning. Big grey slabs of cloud appearing mid afternoon along with stiff breeze. The waves are short and snappy but then by tea time the rain is pouring down in stair rods. The rain means that everything is lush and green and continuing to grow. Some stinging nettles are as big as my hand. Docks and sorrels climb skywards and already there are signs of rosebay willow herb in the sunny places and toadflax in the shade. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #may #spring
From 17th May 2020
A deliciously dewy dawn. A green woodpecker is yaffling away in the trees. Ox-eye daisies stand tall in the rough grass. On the shore the fishermen are dumping nets into their dinghies and pushing off onto the blue, breeze busied bay. Early Runners pound along the promenade headphones clamped tight shutting out the soft susurration of the little waves. Cyclist whizz by desperate to be somewhere else. The sun is already well up and is bright in my eyes and warm on my face even if the air is chill. Back on the cliff a dunnock scraps about at the edge of the path, robins sing from every bush, greenfinches wheeze and great tits join in with their monotone teacher-teacher. I’m happy to be able to stop and listen.
16th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
Banks of wild carrot and other tall plants are being allowed to grow up to replicate countryside and woodland.
Quite a lot of blue sky dappled with white and grey clouds. The fresh breeze makes the sea sparkle and dance. It is warm enough to sit on the beach. Under the pine trees there is dark shade and the grass is a vivid green. Purple rhodendrons line the paths. Banks of wild carrot and other tall plants are being allowed to grow up to replicate countryside and woodland. Small warblers seem to have settled in and fill the air with their cheeky, cheery songs. The bracken has punched through the tarmac of the path in several places and vetches have twined to the top of the fence.
From 16th May 2022
The storm lasted two, no three hours, creeping slowly up the channel bringing the distant lightning over the horizon until it erupted over head. This morning there are signs of streams and puddles with dams and cataracts of leaves and seeds and fir cones but the water has all gone and in some places the path is drying out all ready. All that is left is the enormous fans and tree shaped deltas carved into the sand where the torrents cascaded down the chines and out to the snuffling, hissing sea. The sky is grey and drizzly but pigeons, being pigeons, coo from the trees and window ledges. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #may #spring
From 16th May 2016
Work has begun on a new cultural mine in Bournemouth. A shaft has already been sunk in the Triangle area and the pithead winding gear (pictured here) is already bringing the odd cultural artefact to the surface. Test borings indicated a surprising level of cultural ore buried deep under the library. The Council has always been worried by the lack of culture in the town and have had to resort to closing down old-fashioned culture fired amenities including a concert hall (successfully converted to a carpark), a theatre (just clinging on as a climbing wall) and rebranding the town’s only art gallery as a wedding venue and deck chair store. “We are doing our best” said a beleaguered Town Hall spokesman. “Only last year we have had back to back visits by Joe Pasquale to the remaining theatre and a Status Quo tribute band at the International Centre.”
From 16th May 2011
Big pink rising moon has turned silver and is now surrounded by a haze of light.
15th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
An early walker plods the paths with little apparent enthusiasm
The paths are drying out after overnight rain. The wind is strong and chilly althoough the sea is quite calm and continues its work on the beach with little complaint. Out in the bay three ships lie at anchor off Hengistbury Head. Hartland Point, Nelli and Fehn. Not the usual anchorage as ships usually anchor closer to Poole. Slabs and streaks of charcoal cloud mask the sun which only manages faint shadows. An early walker plods the paths with little apparent enthusiasm but one or two bathers stroll casually up from the beach as it it was midsummer. All things green continue to scramble upwards and the bracken is now shoulder high.
From 15th May 2022
The rain came down in torrents overnight. Some say there was thunder. And so it continues through the morning. Brief , heavy showers from a leaden grey sky. Puddles come and go quickly showing concentric rings of pollen in isographic contours. The wind whips back and forth anxiously and the waves hurry up and down the beach. Children playing on the sand are oblivious to the weather constructing architectural features or concentrating on shovelling the sea back whence it came with pink plastic shovels. On the cliff top, those who choose to enjoy sitting on the benches do so in waterproofs with hoods up staring at the row of pigeons on the rails who stare back at them morosely. Tendrils of fumitory climb the fence bringing with them little pink and magenta, trumpet shaped flowers and the mass of inticate greyish, filigree leaves which gives the plant its name - Smoke of the earth. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #may #spring
From 15th May 2021
This tentative spring continues in fits and starts. When the sun bursts through the mountains of dark cloud it is quite warm, yet a stiff breeze continues to cool the air. Distant squalls chase across the bay and the hills and Island are cloaked with more persistent downpours. At least the grass is beginning to green up with the rain showers. The paths are lined with the bright yellow green tide edges where the pollen from the pine trees have been washed by the showers.
14th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
the day is warm enough to lure people down the 127 steps onto the beach for a paddle.
A milky sky and a light breeze. But the day is warm enough to lure people down the 127 steps onto the beach for a paddle. Everything is growing with a madness now in the new found heat. The apple tree has found enough strength for new blossom. A sow thistle grows up through one of the benches. Little warblers are enjoying their summer holidays in Bournemouth. Gulls wheel and call. Cleavers scramble up through the brambles.
From 14th May 2022
An untroubled blue sky, no breeze and the sun pouring down its liquid gold on the beach goers. On the West cliff, the scent of mown grass fills the air. A warbler tries out its song from a high branch in its new home. By the evening, the scent on the beach is the faint odour of creosote warmed out of the new groynes by the day long sunshine. The bright lemon sun, disappearing behind the cliffs suddenly highlights distant sails and a party of terns circling and then diving straight down into the shallows. A grey mist settles over the bay. It might rain later. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #may #spring
From 14th May 2021
The late evening sun streams pale lemon through the soft green leaves of the trees on the edge of the chine. Voices float up on the air. Pigeons continue their weary chanting. The sea rushes in self-important little waves onto the flat sand. The long grass bends before the chill evening breeze and the scent of petrichor from yesterday's rain hangs heavy in the air. The spring which has been on hold for the long weeks of dry cold winds from the north may just be ready to move forward.
13th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
A fishing boat rides the slight swell.
A nearly blue sky dotted with tufts of white clouds. A slight haze on the horizon and a crinkly sea driven by a brisk little wind. A fishing boat rides the slight swell. Over the winter months, the hardy swimmers sweagger down the beach and launch themselves into the waves with great bravado. But today there are people strolling along the water’s edge, shoes in hand letting the little waves roll over their feet. Paddling is definitely a sign that the year has turned towards the summer. Joining the cliff top flowers today are the bright pink oxalis. Meanwhile the cranesbills line the paths and the glades among the trees are sprinkled with daisies. The air is filled with the sound of small birds. Footballers play with their shirts off. Pigeons coo.
From 13th May 2022
Indigo, bottle green and navy blue, the sea looks deep and inviting. The waves chase into the beach, jaunty white feathers at their crests. Sun worshippers are busy manufacturing Vitamin D under a vitually blue sky and the sun is strong and warm. But there is a wind as stiff as the bristles on a yard broom and most people sitting out on the short grass have jackets and jumpers on. An entire length of path is edged with the gaudy flowers of rhododendron in pale pinkish purple which contrasts with the lush green of the grass. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #may #spring
From 13th May 2021
If you're looking across the West Cliff with bare patches among the short grass or on on open banks nearby you'll see what appears to be a red haze or mist just above the ground. On closer inspection you will see it is masses of short flower spikes of a tiny plant called Sheep's Sorrel. It is so common here you may not notice it at first but once you get your eye in you can see it everywhere. The flowers themselves are miniscule and you really need a lens to see them if your eyes are not wonderful. They come in two colours. A sort of pale green with a reddish stripe for the males and a vivid maroon for the females. You can see at once that the plant is related to the docks and sorrels and, like them, they contain oxalic acid so best not to let your sheep graze on them. So why the name? My theory is that this must grow readily on those close cropped hillsides with bare patches where sheep have trodden rather than providing a tasty meal.
From 13th May 2020
A family of greenfinches, five or six, flutter across the path in front of me as careless as if they had been released from lock down. They are bright green yellow against the blue sky as if they were all wearing high vis jackets.
12th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
Those who seek living companionship for a few moments. Or who see something in the swirl and glide of the enormous birds overhead that lifts them above a mundane world they have no other way of escaping.
Strong chilly breeze and the day rotates through grey sky and blue sky and heaping clouds and smudging white whisps. In places the bracken is over a metre tall now. A lone figure throws bread for the gulls. We all know that feeding the gulls is bad, both for them and for us. A diet of white bread is not what the gulls innards are designed for and it distracts them from their natural fishing habits. At the same time it teaches them to be here turning the rubbish bins out and causing a general nuisance. And yet some folk feel drawn to do it. Those who seek living companionship for a few moments. Or who see something in the swirl and glide of the enormous birds overhead that lifts them above a mundane world they have no other way of escaping.
From 12th May 2022
The blue sky at dawn was soon covered as wodges of grey cloud drifted down. But it was still warm enough for the first paddle of the year. Throughout the day, the sun has managed to peep out enough to cast shadows on the path before the lumpy masses of cloud have slid back. Everything is green and fresh and the buttercups are almost luminous in their buttery intensity. The waves grumble and sigh in a sort of passive aggressive way. Pairs of great tits hurtle in and around the branches of the pines, occasionally stopping to provide a few bars of song. The council have been carefully not mowing some of the wilder spaces which means we have had a spring of growth taller than I have seen before but, sadly, in order to keep the paths clear a worker has trimmed the edges which has meant the demolition of the tall stand of mallow which would have flowered very soon and to which I was looking forward. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #may #spring
From 12th May 2011
The sea is blue all the way to the horizon. The scent of new mown grass from the West Cliff where the Tai Chi-ers are out in strength. They seem to be having a holiday here from abroad - a different group from the old people, conference delegates, families and drunks of the Lonely Planet.
11th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
Fluffy white clouds against a blue sky. Well, nearly. Some of the time.
Fluffy white clouds against a blue sky. Well, nearly. Some of the time. When it’s not being grey and overcast. As the big drops of rain start to fall, a man in an ironic sky blue rain-cape stands in the shelter staring outward across the bay. A fishing boat keeps station just off the shore with rods arranged over the stern. Further out a lifeboat makes patterns with its wake. The waves are soft and sibilant. The undergrowth is lush as the early flowers are supplanted by the later, more summery plants like Jack in the Hedge. The warblers are loud in the bushes. Pigeos coo.
From 11th May 2022
The wild wind whips the tops off the crumpled, rumpled waves and sends the spray up the cliff face so that the air tastes as salty as the tears of the old folk sitting in the shelter mourning for the lovely spring days of yore. Everything is lush and green and the docks and sorrells are now far taller than the nettles. The Jack in the Hedge is as tall and gangly as a teenager. Now and then the rain patters down from the flat, grey sky. Through it a blackbird sings on and on. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #may #spring
From 11th May 2016
Part of the charm of the robin is that he or she sings throughout the year when many other birds are skulking about more or less silently. But In spring the rather utilitarian winter song becomes something altogether more beautiful This evening one brave songster was standing proudly in the topmost branches of a bush almost hidden in the fog. His (or her) song was a liquid series of trills and richly varied melodies that transformed a gloomy evening.
10th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
How quickly everything has grown up.
The rain patters down and then turns into a teeming downpour. The ragged clouds scoot across the sky and we go from deluge to sunshine and back in a matter of minutes. Wild carrot is beginning to grow tall and the short grass is covered with seed heads. Although we frown at the invasive plants like the rhododendrons, their blowzy purple flowers are beginning to burst and soon the West Cliff will be ablaze with colour. Two elderly ladies are going to sit and chat whatever the weather brings.
From 10th May 2022
The sky is mostly blue and the sun is warm. But there is a blustery gusty wind that whips the sand along the promenade and piles up the silver green water of the bay into choppy waves. The leafy branches of the trees are whipped backwards and forwards and the long grasss bends before a mightier power. A crow glides in low across the cliff top spreading its wings so that the feathers look like black fingers gripping onto the air. Sun bathers stretch out where ever there is shelter. Blackbirds sing from tree tops and are joined by a summer visitor that looks as though it might be a white throat. #westcliffgreen #Bournemouth #spring #may
From 10th May 2021
The wind has not given up on us yet although it has swung round to a warmer South Westerly. It still bullies and buffets the long grasses which ripple before it in silver waves. It seizes the pigeons as they take off and bundles them off down the cliff face barely in control. The sea is broken, dark grey and pounding at the sand. The gulls are far out on the bay this morning keeping well out of trouble. The sun emerges from the grey clouds from time to time to provide a little watery warmth. But it is soon gone again.
From 10th May 2014
the sound of rain on the skylight is one of the most comforting and reassuring there is.
9th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
The crow stands and stares at the man on the bench. The man on the bench stares back.
The crow stands and stares at the man on the bench. The man on the bench stares back. I leave them to it. The morning is fresh and grey but by afternoon the sun is shining down from a filmy blue sky. There is real heat being reflected off the deep, grassy, brambly places. A warbler sits and gives its short phrases from a cliff top bush but it is difficult to see what it is exactly because it is silhouetted against the bright sea. It is probably the whitethroat again. A long, low swell reaches across the bay and breaks gently on the flat, empty sands. An elderly gentleman lying on a bench with his shirt off does not greatly enhance the beauty of the day. In a shady corner a clump of quaking grass is there to cheer us up with its bobbing and dancing. The flowers on the sycamore seem to be early this year. Blackbirds flute and pigeons coo.
From 9th May 2022
A slight haze and a streaky white sky moderate the heat of the noon day sun. The usual cool clifftop breeze makes the sea grumble as it meets the almost empty beach. The bay itself looks particularly wide with its shivering, rippling silver surface; full of possibilities and a way to the rest of the world. A dachsund takes command of the path sniffing disdainfully like a dowager duchess who has spied a speck of dust on the mantlepiece. The blackbird sings from his usual perch at the top of the Scots Pine, relaying what he can see of the world over the horizon to us lesser mortals. #Bournemouth #westcliffgreen #may #spring
From 9th May 2011
Weather clearing up nicely now. There'll be sunshine before the day is out.
8th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
A dull, drizzly damp day.
Last night a whitethroat sat on the clifftop fence and gave a few bars of its warble before nodding to me and flying off. Sometimes we get excited about the more unusual visitors and forget birds like the robin whose beautiful, clear flutey song echoes off the canopy of trees even on a dull, drizzly, damp day like to day. Robins are so numerous and like to be aroound people that we tend to overlook them and their song. Yet they are one of the few birds that sing all the year round and provide entertainment by the way they come and sit nearby hoping for crumbs. And during the spring and summer we are amused by their belligerent behaviour to any other life form that raises their ire. They will attack anything coloured red, thinking it’s a rival. I have seen one throwing itself against the bonnet of a bright red Ford Fiesta in a carpark in a fit of jealous rage. And there they are on this miserable May morning, four, five of them singing their intricate songs as long and loud as any blackbird.
From 8th May 2022
The sky is speedwell blue with just the occasional spreading trace of a contrail. It is warm enough for sun worshippers to lie out on the green and for families to gather on the beach. The sound is of children delighting in the waves. The sun shines but there is the usual nippy on-shore breeze to make sure everything is in order. In the lighter streams that snake across the indigo sea rafts of gulls congregate in huge numbers. They must have found shoals of littles fishes to provide that much interest. As the sun begins to dip big shadows and a hazy glare makes walking through the trees an adventure in a secret land. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #spring #may
From 8th May 2021
A buffeting cold wind and lashing rain from a leaden sky. A constant roar from the sea. The soft green grey ears of grass are bent double by the storm. Only the bracken, now a couple of feet tall manages to stay stiffly upright. A robin finds something to sing about.
From 8th May 2011
The skies getting lighter over Will's Mum's way
7th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
The sea sparkles and the beach is beginning to fill up.
Warm enough to sit out but you do need that cardi round your shoulders because of the fresh breeze. The sea sparkles and the beach is beginning to fill up. But when those thin high clouds pass in front of the sun, people in camping chairs pull them forward out of the shade. Gulls wheel in loose formation above the trees.
From 7th May 2022
The tranquility of an evening like this is soul deep. It is an evening to lean on the clifftop rail and watch the little waves at the edge of the silver sea busying too and fro. Pale wispsof smoke feather up from little beach barbecues. The day has been alternating warm and cool as big dark clouds have rolled across the milky sky from time to time. Saunterers on the clifftop seem subdued and respectful of the evening. A squirrel has spied something from the top of his tree and he is voicing his displeasure. But the command of the quiet is taken by a blackbird whose song can be heard the whole length of the green. Each phrase is a subtle variation on the one before so you can enjoy the song for minutes on end without hearing the same tapestry of sweet sound repeated. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #may #spring
From 7th may 2011
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May Further weather updates later. The storm that has been generating distant lightning through the night has now moved closer and I can hear occasional claps of thunder
6th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
Despite the fresh breeze that sends the branches of the cliff-top apple tree bouncing and swaying, a black bird clings on and is determined to give us the whole of his extensive repertoire.
Murky and drizzly. Few people about. Maybe inside watching the fun on the tele. The puddles are deep and mysterious. Cranesbills have now moved on to seed heads. They are long and pointed like thousands of…well… the beaks of cranes. But now pushing through are the yellow buds of black medick with the black dot in the centre of the clover-like leaves. Cleavers start to scramble up through bushes and begin to form their masses against walls and tree trunks. Despite the fresh breeze that sends the branches of the cliff-top apple tree bouncing and swaying, a black bird clings on and is determined to give us the whole of his extensive repertoire.
From 6th May 2022
The bluebells are over and gone. Most of the spring flowers are over. The wild carrot and mallow are tall. The banks of long grasses are heavy with seed. Next to the zig zag path a mass of borage droops its blue flowers over the fence. Someone has put some nuts down for the squirrels but a crow decides he will take charge and shoos the squirrels away with low, threatening noises. This morning was warm and pleasant but the cloud has thickened up during the afternoon and the sea is ruffled and silver in the evening light. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #may #spring
From 6th May 2013
Thick fog rolling in off the sea on the West Cliff. Somewhere, though, the sun is shining and I'm off out into the moiling mist.
From 6th May 2011
West Cliff visial weather station observes lightning storm out to sea. Big rain. Barometer steady at 30.15
Later
Again my barometer dropped a couple of points and down came the rain. Its good. Very good.
5th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
Three pigeons sit on three fence posts in line with the horizon. One moves to the wire and back again.
A family of crows in open order sweep imperiously along the Green. They keep in touch by barking at each other from time to time. Ragged grey clouds sweep by but on the horizon there is the merest hint of a pale blue sky. The crinkled sea rushes against the flat rain soaked sand. It’s a rainy drizzly morning and although it’s stopped now everything is wet but it smells as though it might be nicer later on. Three pigeons sit on three fence posts in line with the horizon. One moves along the wire and back again. The rain has washed the pine pollen into pale lemon yellow swirls on the path. The council has put up a new sign warning people not to pitch tents or light barbecues. We shall see.
From 5th May 2022
A fine morning with bubbles of warmth radiating up from the thick green undergrowth of brambles, bracken and ribwort on the cliff top. Some of the blackberries are already showing white flowers. Later the grey clouds cover the sun and the wind gets up again. But it is not as cold as it has been. An oak tree is in full leaf. Where the oxalis has formed clumps, the shocking pink is visible right across the far side of the green. Great tits are busy back and forth in the low branches of the trees making all sorts of little calls and chirps to each other. A serious bird watcher once told me that if you hear a song you don't recognise it is probably a great Tit as they sing many more songs than just the monotonous "Teacher. teacher. teacher." we get told as children. A crow in glossy black plumage is on a quest through the long grass. A new flower today is the dandelion-like Catsear. The rosette of downy leaves feel just like ... well, you guess. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #spring #May xxxxxxxxxSwallow hawking for flies on clifftop
From 5th May 2021
It's warm enough where I am leaning on the rail looking down on the beach below. The sun is casting shadows of branches and leaves on the path. But there is still the sharp breeze and in the distance, over the Purbeck Hills there are huge wodges of dark clouds and blocks of rain and hail falling on the residents of Studland. The breeze rises, the sun fades. Time to make a dash for it.
From 5th May 2019
I stood watching a National Sporting Team practising on the beach this morning. After a strenuous warm up, the coach called his players over to the promenade: "Over here, lads. Sit on the concrete." I was horrified. My Mum could have warned him of the dire consequences of sitting on cold concrete. Surely it's on page one of the training manual. So, if you hear of the English Beach Football Team having to scratch from an international competition this summer, you will know the reason why.
4th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
When the sky is blue, delicate, high cirrus clouds spin out into wisps and tattered banners.
The noise of the brisk wind driving the foam laden waves up the beach is intense. It combines with the sound of the swaying tree branches to make a continuous hiss. When the sky is blue, delicate, high cirrus clouds spin out into wisps and tattered banners. Little birds cluster in the bushes and argue together. Later the clouds become too much for the wind to keep back and a steady drizzle ensues.
From 4th May 2022
The day changes. The weather changes. Cold and grey in the morning. Warm and blue in the afternoon. The wind comes and goes. For a brief time this could be summer with the sea, ridged and rippled like the bark on one of the pine trees, a rich, royal blue. The sand is flat and barely troubled by litle groups that huddle in odd, prehistoric circles. There is delight in the diversity of flora growing up with the smooth waves of uncut grass. Sow thistles, and field buttercups, amid the nodding wild oat grass. Black headed gulls line the fence rails. Blackbirds carol. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #may #spring
From 4th May 2021
Although the wind is more north-westerly than north-easterly it's still fresh with a decided bite in the breeze. The sky is clear of clouds except for some huge billows that catch the sunset in gaudy pink and grey which fade gently to white. The sea provides a rhythmic susurration. And it seems that every high branch and lamppost provides a lookout for the evening blackbirds carolling their pleasure in existence or chip-chip-chipping at any intruder.
From 4th May 2018
the excited yelps of the girls and the airy laughter of the young man echo and re-echo through the nearly dark trees. The sky is a uniform navy save for the west where the last vestiges of sunset silhouette the towers of Admiral's Walk. And there Venus burns with a fierce fire mirroring the gentler glow of Jupiter in the East.
3rd May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
The brisk wind chases the choppy broken sea in from the bay where it cascades in a mass of foam on the flat, white beach.
The blue sky is streaked with brush strokes of thin high veils of cloud. The brisk wind chases the choppy broken sea in from the bay where it cascades in a mass of foam on the flat, white beach. I don’t know much about grasses but this is their season. Swathes of oat grass and fescues and the contrasting blue green of couch (or twitch). These are all hated by gardeners but all together they make a brave spectacle. On the short grass, the daisies still shine out as bright as hand sewn sequins on an emerald silk ball gown A small bird flickers overhead. Gone too quickly to identify but probably some species of warbler. The shadows under the trees are dark and dramatic. Pigeons coo.
From 3rd May 2022
A heavy mist hangs across the bay. The sky is bumpy grey and there is next to no wind although there is still a definite chill in the air. The sea is flat calm again and not much joy for surfers watching from their vans on the cliff top. A religious gatherring assembles on the beach. The men wear white shirts and ties and the children are in their best. I cannot hear what the pastor is saying but I hope it is uplifting. After the rain on May Day the spring continues apace. The three cornered leeks are having a second blossoming and the air is heavy with their garlicky scent. Some of the gorse bushes have finished flowering, the bright yellow flowers are now brown and giving way to fat, furry seed pods. A robin and thrush sing out the evening together. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #spring #May
From 3rd May 2021
A savage wind ripping in across the clifftop. The grey waves capped with ragged white foam hurl themselves one after another with an angry whirling cacophony against the sand. The late spring has meant many trees are only now putting out tentative soft foliage which is being wrenched off in pale green showers of lime and sycamore. Fat hands of chestnut leaves are being chased along the pavements. Now the rain is rattling down in stinging gusts. The gulls alone enjoy this weather riding the updraft at the cliff top with wings held still or just wheeling down and soaring up again.
2nd May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
Someone has left their shirt hanging on a bench. It is draped like a precious art object.
A ghostly mist out on the bay. Fingers of the brume creep through the tops of the tallest pines. The sun is veiled behind the grey but makes occasional appearances when it feels able. A plane drones over head and out of sight. Pigeons coo. Blackbirds and robins are duelling it out in the bushes. Someone has left their shirt hanging on a bench. It is draped like a precious art object. The little folds in the material are perfectly sculpted as in the folds of drapery of a statue of Hera by Praxiteles. The docks are growing tall through the flagging three cornered leeks. Little pink cranesbills are dotted everywhere along the path edge like crowds lining a processional route with thousands of upturned expectant pink faces. A man is studiously clearing the paths of leaves with a leaf blower. He doesn’t seem to be working for the council. Is there such a thing as a free-lance leaf blower operative?
From 2nd May 2022
To the South across the bay, the sky is a bumble of white and grey with odd glimpses of the sun and blue sky beyond. The grey green sea is as flat calm as it gets but the air is cold. The garlic mustard has shot up over night. I am reminded of its common name: Jack in the Hedge. Towards the North a big mass of black cloud reminds us it's still umbrella weather. Dunnocks sing from still bare branches but, suddenly, the horse chestnuts are covered in their white candles. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #May #Spring
From 2nd May 2015
A troubled sea with whitecaps topping nearly every line of waves. No fishing boats out there this morning.
1st May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
the squirrels are devouring the new pollen cones.
The sea sighs gently back and forth on the sand. The breeze is soft and fragrant. The sun appears from time to time between the woolly clouds. The Dorset Belle ploughs across the bay ready for its first consignment of passengers from the pier. Two jetskis trace spirals of white. The pigeon choir is flat out in the trees and every other species of local birds are providing a descant. Everything is growing quickly, the brambles are scrambling skywards and the squirrels are devouring the new pollen cones.
From 1st May 2022
Drizzly rain throughout the day from a flat, grey sky. But the moisture has perked all the flowers and vegetation up. The Field buttercups are standing tall and cheerfully bright yellow. A couple of stands of garlic mustard at the edge of the pine grove at thei garlicky ent to that of the three cornered leeks. The paths are decorated with intricate swirls and arabesques made by the luminous yellow pollen if the pines. The grey sea is as calm as it ever is with only he occasinal wavelet lapping at the shore. On the cliff are a number of apple trees now in full snowy bloom. There is some conjecture as to how they got there but I can only guess that they come from applecores pitched over he edge in the past. The rain stops for a while. Pigeons coo. Backbirds sing. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #May #spring
From 1st May 2014
Suddenly, out of a leaden sky the rain comes down in stair rods. The girls walking home squeal at the awfulness of it and dash for the front door where they stand watching in delight at the downpour. It is one of those moments where people shrug and smile at each other.
30th April from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth
The shelter looks old but was rebuilt a few years ago out of modern materials but retaining the original design.
Off on, off on, off on. The rain comes down in occaasional showers but not the sort of April showers with blue skies and sunshine in between. A grey rolling sky all day and a chilly little breeze. But most of the plants are enjoying the damp weather. The swathes of grasses sway in the wind. The mallows leaves are large and shiny. This is the weather the cliff top shelter is made for. In the daytime, visitors eat their cheese and pickle sandwiches, in the evening students gather with their bottles of beer and at night it provides somewhere for our homeless friends to consume whatever the form of oblivion they need. The shelter looks old but was rebuilt a few years ago out of modern materials but retaining the original design. Well done the Council.
From 30th April 2022
A hazy streaky sky moderates the warmth of the sun. The grey-green sea rumples on the shore. A naughty little wind makes the Frisbee Players' job much more difficult. Bumble bees buzz around the flowers in the more sheltered spots. Surprisingly, we haven't had any real rain for some time and where the grass has been cut it has desiccated in the wind into white hay. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #spring #April
From 30th April 2019
There’s a sharp late spring breeze. The pale blue evening sky is streaked with distant ice crystal clouds. The lemon yellow sun is just above the dark pines but there’s enough light to cast soft shadows on the grass where I’m walking. The black and white cat from the Savoy Hotel looks up enquiringly from the cliff edge. When he sees me hurrying past, hands in pockets he returns to patrolling the long grass. A group of chaps have a barbecue balanced on the wall at the end of the green. The blue smoke hangs on the breeze. The punt, punt sound of lads playing football combines with the brave evensong of blackbird and robin. The sun sinks behind the trees and it suddenly feels very cold.