8th June from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

Sunshine. Dappled shade. The morning draws a deep breath as if waiting for the day to get going. On the beach there is still a snappy beach and the breakers are not comfortable for swimming. Now, the signs that we have had no rain for some weeks makes themselves manifest. The short grass areas are distinctly brownish and thin. Flowering plants are beginning to run to seed and the glossiness is beginning to fade from the new leaves. The sky stays resolutely blue. Quaking Grass (Shiver Grass) is everywhere among the long grasses at the paths edge. The white, bell-like seed heads shiver and shake in the slightest breeze. The late spring meant that that the big grasses galloped forward as soon as the warmth occurred and there are now more varieties and bigger, than I have seen before on the West Cliff. Pigeons coo in their new-found summer voices.

From 8th June 2022

The blue beach flag and the red and yellow Life Guard banners stand out stiffly from their poles in the strong breeze. The little waves race up and down the beach like excited puppies, The sky is grey and my shadow on the path is very pale. The goats are eating bramble leaves as if their lives depend on it. Which, I suppose, they do. Greenfinches wheeze and churr in the gorse bushes. And then the sun emerges into a little pool of blue. My shadow is strong and dark and the sunlight glistens off the top of bald men's heads. Before the clouds gather round again and everyone shrugs in the sudden chill. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #June #summer

From 8th June 2019

I've been down to Tesco's and I'm walking back along the top of the Westcliff swinging my loaf of bread and I find myself singing "whether you're a brother or whether you're a Mother you're staying alive. Ha ha ha ha Staying Alive." What on earth? Where did that come from? And then I realise I'm re-enacting the opening credits of "Saturday Night Fever". It might not look it to you but for a few moments I'm John Travolta moving through the crowded New York streets swinging that can of paint. No shoe shops to compare my loafers in, though.

From 8th June 2016

I was privileged to have a stag beetle wheeling his droning flight round me as I walked on the West Cliff. I got some sort of picture by whirling round and round and firing off the camera at random. A fabulous creature larger than my thumb with enormous antlers and a peculiar upright flight with huge wings blurred by speed. You'll be lucky if you see one because they are becoming increasingly rare but now are the evenings to watch out for them.

From 8th June 2012

The roaring sea is half way between keeping me awake and soothing me to sleep. I'll just lie here and listen to it. 

Later

Ha ha. There is a man with a leaf blower battling with the fallen debris while the gale just swirls the leaves round and round him. But he is being paid per leaf blown so he just keeps at it.

7th June from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A hazy sky which somehow blankets the heat upon the cliff top. Still a snappy little breeze of the beach although it is not cold. The waves are short and muscley with a strong undertow like little bulldogs excitedly pulling at the leash. New flowers appear every day. Ox-Eye daisies and Foxgloves today. The grasses grow longer and stronger. Ragwort down has clumped into pillows around the whole plant as there is no breeze in their sheltered corner to blow them away. The short grass areas are littered with oily, reddening bodies. Pigeons coo.

From 7th June 2022

The sky has been high and grey all day. But with a powerful diffuse glare that strains the eyes. The air is muggy. But later a bullying breeze springs up and the green sea begins to ferment and crumple into waves that make a loud agitated hiss. Purple Toadflax is spiking upwards in the shadier places. Bees of all types are going mad for the pink edged blacberry flowers. A white tailed bumble bee seems to be doing handstands on the top of the wooden handrail. Other bees are doing the same. On closer inspection it may be that they are carving off tiny piese of wood, presumably for nest building. The goats do what they seem to do best which is to eat bushes. It's astonishing how they scramble about the cliffs and force their way through dense bushes without tangling their long curving horns. By evening, the grey has got thicker and the wind colder. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #summer #June

From 7th June 2012

A storm cock on the highest branch of a tall cypress singing his heart out into the teeth of the gale; shouting his delight and defiance at the worst the weather can throw at him.

6th June from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

The sun spreads a thick, even layer of warmth over the day like honey on a slice of new baked bread. The blue sea is still deeply furrowed. The holm oak trees, having covered themselves in a mass of catkins are now producing shiny pale new leaves. The pigeons have changed their tunes for summer. A young blackbird repeats a plaintive distress call over and over again. It is obviously hungry. Its Mother hovers a few branches away giving her fledgling chick a few encouraging notes but she is not going to buckle to its demands. Two empty cans stand and lie next to the empty bench. The Purbeck Hills are blue in the distance.

From 6th June 2022

A warm afternoon but a cool evening with the merest breath of wind. In the darkness invisible gossamer threads criss cross the path and snag the cheeks of the unwary walker. A late saunterer exists only as the red glow of a cigarette end. The sea shushes the evening to quiet but the darkness is not quite empty. Little groups, twos and threes, sit leaning against the trees talking and laughing. #Bournemouth #westcliffgreen #June #summer

From 6th June

A cloudy grey sky. The sun trying to break through the overcaast from time to time. Magpies are filling the air with their hoarse mechanical chatter. Not cold but the air is still spring fresh. The cliffs are covered with a mass of the low growing Hottentot Fig with its gaudy purple flowers and bright yellow centre. This invasive plant (now often referred to as Ice Plant) has many health giving properties. But like the bright yellow Evening Primrose these newcomers have become a feature of our cliffs. The round pink heads of thrift are massing in the more grassy areas.

5th June from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

The new shoots on the ends of the outstretched branches of the dark green Scots Pines make them look like pale green candles decorating a Christmas Tree. A slightly confusing image for a warm day. The sky is clear blue and the sun beams down in a friendly way. But there is still a chilly little wind and the sea is still strong enough to provide more than a little excitement for the swimmers. The only difference between this and the beach in July is that there is still plenty of places along the sands for people to enjoy the sunshine. Looking at the variety of tall grasses on the West Cliff, it occurs to me that the green areas here must have been sown with grass seed mixtures, perhaps no longer than twenty or thirty years ago. In other spots the luxuriant nature of the brambles and bracken provide their own little micro climates of warmth and moisture rising up off the leaves as I walk between them.

From 5th June 2022

Last night's storm lingered longer and louder than any I can remember. Every sort of crack and boom and thump. Sometimes like the sky ripping apart, sometime a strange hollow clang like the sound of a steelworks. The torrent has carved washouts between the trees and down the banks. The paths are furrowed with mud and sand and gravel and banks of leaves. The day continues between drizzle and sudden downpours but by this evening there are small patches of blue that reflect in the mirror still puddles. The tall grasses are weighed down with water droplets. A small breeze begins to dry everything. Blackbirds fill the evening air with song. #Bournemouth #westcliffgreen #summer #June

From 5th June 2021

Those of you who follow my posts know that I've been trying to capture the moments when one season slips into another. This year, because spring is running about three weeks behind schedule it's more than unususally tricky to decide when summer has arrived. This morning the sun comes up clear and hot over the horizon with not a cloud in the sky. The sea is flops lazily onto the beach. The dawn chorus has quietened because all the small birds are too busy feeding young to worry about choral effects. The long grass is beginning to dry out and is being overtaken by tall stems of yarrow. Teasels are growing strongly as is the bracken. Clumps of mugwort and mallow line the paths and the charlock has overstayed its brief allocation. Pigeons coo and smack their wings as they take off. Summer? Tantalizingly close.

From 5th June 2017

The sea is making an absolute racket. The surf boiling up like my mother's copper on a Monday morning. The wind and rain gust in squalls against my window. The street is lined with leaves and small branches from the clifftop trees and bushes bent right over before the gale.

From 5th June 2012

What do you do on a rainy, foggy, cold day in June? You make bread. Just out of the oven mmmm. And you keep on writing, of course.

4th June from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A crisp chilly wind. The long, straight swell turns over at the waters edge with a mass of cauliflower edging. The sun takes a little while to warm the dawn from the clear blue sky. Its rays rake across the grass and through the trees. Pigeons race across, no time for their aerobatics. Breakfast is too important. The big, white bells of Hedge Bindweed trumpet themselves to the dawn. Big cushions of cranesbills lurk in the shade. But the gorse flowers are already replaced by their hairy fruit capsules.

From 4th June 2022

A grey morning but where the early rays of sun could find a way through, they polished the steely sea into silver puddles. The wind is rough and strong and by the afternoon there are big glassy waves that children are delighted to bob about in. It's warm, muggy almost and the sky manages a few dribbles of rain from time to time A blackbird is annoyed at something and chip chip chips it angry voice from the heart of a gorse bush. The mallows are in full bloom. These are closely related to garden hollyhocks and the leaves are similar in shape although they are a bit smaller. The flowers are quite large, about 2 cms across and have five petals of a delightful pinky mauve colour with three neat stripes of purple running the length from base to scalloped edge. It's always worth looking quite closely at flowers we might pass every day without a second glance. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #June #summer

From 4th June 2014

A fine drizzle drifts down, a gold curtain in the street light. The sea kneels and is nodding it's white beard in supplication saying some old prayer beads in a language you can't quite make out. I can see the lights of the Isle of Wight fine tonight despite the low cloud. The two red jewelled television towers with the haze of Freshwater in between and the intermittent ruby flash of the Needles light.

From 4th June 2012

I can see the enormous beacon on Ballard Down and two more over on the Isle of Wight. In between a golden path made by a big moon across the bay. Something visceral in the seeing of it.

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.

2nd June from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth.

An indolent warm day. People are making for the beach but they are taking their time. Luxuriating in the sunshine. Sunbathers are stretched out on the long grass, glistening with oil. The locals have found the shady places and their dogs lie panting in the shadows. Today the shadows look more enticing than the full glare of the sun. The breeze is nothing more than a warm breath on your cheek. Pigeons are delighting in their roller coaster from tree to tree, their wings held in a stiff V shape. Already the petals of the rhododendrons are dry and brown on the grass. The year moves on.

From 2nd June 2022

The green smell of bracken and tall grass and the mass of brambles now covered in white flowers. The sky is blue smudged with hazy white clouds. A busy wind chivvies the choppy waves onto the sands, The beach is full but not crowded. On the green, all the benches are taken, picnics are being prepared, impromptu games of football and frisbee are taking place. Gulls criss cross the blue sky and glide close over the waves like white ghosts. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #June #summer

From 2nd June 2021

The whole sky is covered by a thin, grey cloud. A fine drizzle fills the warm air. A lady sits engrossed in her Lee Child unperturbed by the weather. Runners from the dense blackberry bushes are beginning to send out white flowers. A couple of builders from the Hotel are having their sandwiches under the ilex trees. Their bright blue hard hats are turned up on the ground. One makes a rollie while the other explains the relative merits of the Roman and Persian armies. The tall grasses bend under the weight of their seed heads.

From 2nd June 2011

Time travel is possible. Its called waiting

1st June from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

When I started this record, twelve years ago, one of the tenets I have always stuck to is that it should always be about Now. Today. I didn’t want to write about yesterday. However, after the shocking incident on the beach yesterday I couldn’t help but mention it. Whatever the outcome of the investigation, two young people died and our sympathies are with their families. And our admiration for those who put themselves in the way of danger to help. The weather has been entirely benign this week. Blue skies, a gentle breeze and a sparkling sea. It’s worth remebering that the sea can be cruel however friendly it appears and it’s power is enormous and unforgiving. Today, the beach is back to being filled with families enjoying themselves. Little white sailing boats dot the waters of the bay and, in the distance, gulls swirl and dance.

From 1st June 2022

The raggedy patchwork of blue and white and grey which is the sky reflects off the wrinkled sea in blue and brown and green. The evening sun picks out another patchwork on Ballard Down, shining crisp in greens and pale buffs with the mysterious dark blue of the Purbeck Hills beyond. A boisterous little wind keeps everything fresh. A family football game is in progress with Dad acting as Centre Forward and Referee. As he turns away to slot home a neat goal between the coats the big girl shoves her little brother hard with both hands. He falls heavily to the floor. But the ref does not see as he is busy celebrating his Cup Winner. #Bournemouth #westcliffgreen #June #summer

From 1st June 2021

The sunlight dapples the path with deep camouflage patterns. The sea is the strange silver, green indigo colour that looks so inviting for swimming. Everything has cheered up with a couple of days of sunshine and the birds are back in song again filling the clear air with a multitude of songs. A late spring choir. Although the leaves of the three-sided leeks (our version of wild garlic) have nearly died away, their warm scent still fills the air.

31st May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A gentle breeze and only one of two tufts of frayed white cloud to show just how blue the rest of the sky is. The ears of the long grasses dance in the lazy air. The benches are filling up with people eating lunch or just chatting. One girl has brought her own camp chair where she can sit and read a large hard-back book. Perhaps she is studying for an exam. It must be difficult to concentrate. The temptation must be to drowse and watch the leisurely comings and goings through half closed eyes. Large slumbrous rollers chase in across the blue waters of the bay.

From 31st May 2022

No sooner have the white smudges of cloud withdrawn and the deep puddles and wet pavements begin to dry out. The fresh little breeze helps the drying but the tall plants and grasses are laden with diamonds and a steady patter of drops from the tree branches is as wet as the storm that has just passed. The sun beats down steadily and draws out a heavy resinous pine scent from dark pines. Their branches, silhouetted against the radiant light blue sea is deliciously mediterranean. One of our warblers churrs from the bushes. Pigeons coo. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #may #summer  

Two extra noticings this afternoon as a sort of uptick on the end of May:

1) I was being followed down the road by two Germans who were chattering away to each other.  We turned the corner into the cliff top with the bay stretching out bright blue to the horizon.  There was a sudden silence.  All they said was "Wow".  I felt strangely proud.  2)  I was leaning over the fence trying to locate a wren that was calling as if it's heart would break.  I was just about to turn away when I looked down and there it was right next to my hand.  We eyed each other for a split second, not a foot apart before Jenny decided to fly away.  I felt strangely lucky. #Bournemouth #westcliffgreen #May #summer

From 31st May 2021

A couple of days ago I remarked that I was trying to define the moment Spring became Summer. Well, today the sky is clear and cloudless. The beach is crowded by mid morning. In the streets around the branches of the copper beaches sweep low over the pavements and the lime trees are vivid green. and the apple and cherry blossom is well over. But many trees are still only opening their leaves. The oak in the middle of the roundabout has some way to go. The air is till fresh with a breeze coming from the east. This year has been the year of the buttercups and daisies which are growing in profusion everywhere. The spring bird arrivals are not yet in profusion and are being outdone in their chorus by our resident wrens and robins and blackbirds (although some of those may be summer visitors.) So, are we in summer yet? A little way to go, I think.

From 31st May 2013

Friday afternoon and the stag parties begin to congregate. Groups of eighteen or twenty 30-something men have started to parade up and down baying and shouting. Soon they will be in the pubs and bars doing what they do best. I will hear them coming home just as dawn is breaking tomorrow.

30th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A sharp breeze crumples the sea sending big rollers splashng in on the beach. The sky is blue and the sun is warm. Summer has crept along the cliff top paths and in the grassy places and taken the whole West Cliff in its familiar, bright embrace. The trees are all dripping wth pollen. There is more catkins on the holm oaks than there are leaves so they have a strange yellowy grey appearance. The paths are thick with the pollen from the sweet chestnuts. Someone has thought to vacuum clean the cliff top but haven’t got far. Maybe the cable wasn’t long enough. Pigeons clap their wings as they swoop upwards before holding them out to dive down again making their peculiar roller coaster flight.

From 30th May 2022

Black and grey clouds bumble about the light grey sky like giant playground inflatables. The breeze is sharp and cold. The rippled sea is a pale green. There are families on the beach but not as many as you would expect for half term. They tend to huddle in small groups except for the children who are impervious to the weather. Despite the cold everything is still growing upwards - thistles, charlock, hawkweeds. The bracken is probably growing at the rate of 5cms a day. Or 6 barley corns as we are enjoined to measure them by for the Jubilee. Or 8 barley corns depending on whether you use the old measurement or the new. A shag flies low over the waves like some prehistoric creature. There is a prickle of rain in the air. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #May #summer

From 30th May 2012

Woken by the deep boom of the foghorn as the car-ferry left Poole Harbour. Fog pouring in across the cliffs and past my window like thick smoke. Eerie effect of the bright sun making the mass of mist out in the bay glow like a flourescent lamp.

From 30th May 2011

A pussy cat sitting on the path. The magpies and blackbirds and jackdaws are going berserk. The volume is about the same as a road drill. I'm going to find a quieter part of the town by the main road.

29th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A ruffty tuffty strong wind and a strong sunshine from a clear blue sky means that many of those lying out shirtless on the West Cliff Green will be suffering acute sunburn on the way home. A lone beer bottle guards the seat the crow was guarding yesterday. A squirrel stops a little way up the trunk of a Corsican Pine and eyes me closely. He seems to have some guilty secret. We stand regarding each other for some time but the squirrel breaks first and scampers on up the tree. Whatever he knew he is keeping to himself. Everything is in full leaf. Blackberry brambles reach high into the sky while lower down they are covered in white flowers. The ones with pinky purple flowers seem to blossom later. The beach is a little less crowded today because of the relentless wind. The crinkled sea crunches down with bigger rollers and crisper waves.

From 29th May 2022

The blue and white and grey mosaic of the sky lets the sun appear from time to time. The little breeze keeps the air fresh and the friendly waves chunter at the shore. The little tree with bare branches which seems to be the favourite spot for the Dartford Warblers provides a place to sing for a white throat this morning. The cleavers are winding up though all the bushes and brambles and the tiny white flowers have given way to parfectly symetrical seed pods covered all over in tiny white hairs. As these grow, the hairs will become tenacious little hooks that cleave onto your clothes if you walk past. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #may #summer

From 29th May 2019

A fine drizzle prickles my face; not enough to put my hood up but enough to give my glasses a wonderful kaleidoscope outlook. The clifftop bracken is shoulder high, each frond topped with tiny fiddle heads ready to unfurl as the spring moves into summer. Tonight the evening chorus is provided by the resident greenfinches with their long drawn out wheezing. Not a pretty song but I'm sure they're doing their best.

From 29th May 2016

I went to help an elderly lady who had taken a tumble in thr street. The problem was I just couldn't remember the useful acronym for what to do if you suspect a stroke. Luckily the ambulance wasn't long coming and I'd done more or less the right thing. But I looked it up this morning and it's FAST. (Face - can she smile. Arms - can she hold them both up. Speech- any confusion or slurring and Time to call 999) worth remembering if you can.

28th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A crow is tidying up after last night’s visitors. It is warm enough to be summer but there is a bright little breeze to remind us we are not quite there yet. The beach is filling up quickly with long processions of families pulling little trollies filled with wind breaks and inflatable animals and children. The West Cliff is a pleasant place to be to listen to the birdsong and gaze at the hazy blue distance out over the bay.

From 28th May 2022

Another fine day for sitting out on the grass and drinking coffee as the grey clouds shuffled backwards and forwards mixing up the sunny periods with sudden chillier moments. But the breeze is gentle and it's not really cold. The beach is still far from full and swimmers are enjoying the little waves. In the clifftop bushes our Dartford Warbler is joined by another; both flying from branch to branch giving a little musical chuckle as they go. They seem unbothered by the presence of watchers. Two wood pigeons sems remarkabley sleek and well-turned out in the sunshine. Tall red campions and foxgloves decorate the lush grassy places #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #may #summer

From 28th May 2019

A fresh breeze coming up from the darkness. The trees stand black against the pale edges of the sky. A smudge of cloud and a single bright star. A pair of white trousers advance towards me and then turn away on a side path. I cannot see the rest of the wearer. Perhaps there is none. The trousers make their way into the distance.

27th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

As the days merge into summer the world seems to step in closer. The trees are nearly full of foliage which fills the gaps between them. The green leaves reflect more of the sunlight so the wooded areas seem bigger and more dominant. The panorama seems warmer and envelopes the landscape. The horizon out beyond the bay is hazy and there are thin filmy clouds stretched across the blue sky. The sun is lazily warm and the chilly dawn breeze soon warms up. Young men carry essential supplies on their shoulders on the way to the beach and look like bearers setting out on a long expedition into the unknown. The tall grass stems nod with the weight of seed they are carrying.

From 27th May 2022

The intense, impeccably blue dome of the sky contrasts with the tender green edging of sweet chestnuts, limes and bracken. The sea is blue, darkening as it meets the horizon. The little waves fold lazily on the shore. The water is invigorating and provides an electric sparkle for the swimmers. A little breeze does not trouble the sun bathers. Most birds are dozing in the afternoon heat. Wood pigeons coo drowsily. #Bournemouth #westcliffgreen #may #summer

From 27th May 2021

It's always fun to try to catch that exact moment when one season slides into another. This year, because of the lateness of spring and despite the fact that it is June next week, there is no sign of summer yet. Although it has been warm in the sun under a largely blue sky this afternoon, in the shade of the pines it is decidedly chilly and there is still a crispness in the air which carries voices clearly from the bottom of the chine. The sea is slight and restful and little groups of holiday makers have erected their windbreaks on the beach. Flocks of pigeons wander about gorging themselves on the seeds from the long grasses. I have seen pigeon fill their crops so full of grain from harvest fields that they actually cannot fly. They are opportunists which make the best of things when there are rich pickings to be had. The council is aiding them in this be letting the grass grow tall in big clumps instead of mowing it. Unfortunately this means that the seeds are not distributed by the mowing and the roots are not encouraged to spread out. Meaning that there is a number of bare patches inhabited only by moss. The rhododendrons are in gorgeous full purple flower.

26th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

The temperature is moderated by a fresh breeze that rumples the sea into spiky little waves. But the sky is blue and if you can find a reasonably sheltered spot there is scope for sun bathing. The scent of hay still hangs in the air and the shade of the trees is cool and comforting. A crow surveys the scene from the top of a lamp post and poppies are red in the quarry along with the masses of pale lupins which have escaped from the gardens of the big houses and now colonise rough patches. A beech mast has been whirled onto the path and we can already see the autumn bounty.

From 26th May 2022

Flat grey sky and sudden warmth as the sun appears from time to time. A stiff breeze and a nervous surf that goes shush shush shush like a maiden aunt with a secret she would rather wasn't revealed. The summer terns beat up and down the surf line circling for a moment and plunging straight down after the shoals of little fishes. A gold finch warbles from the branches of a pine and, wow, a big surprise, a Dartford Warbler treating us to a few notes as it dives into the gorse branches. Although we are only a few miles from this rare little bird's stronghold on Poole Harbour, I've never seen one here before. A little bigger than a Great Tit and a reddish brown breast, the way it flicks its tail is unmistakeable. We are fortunate. I hope it is staying here. I'll keep you posted. #Bournemouth #Westcliffgreen #May #Summer #DartfordWarbler

From 26th May 2019

A chilly, grey late spring evening. It is trying hard to rain like a child in rage- frustration attempting to squeeze out a few tears to prove to recalcitrant parents that his heart will break if he doesn't get that packet of Haribo.

25th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

I’ve noted before how the West Cliff Green is part of a world of lines and edges. The cliff edge forms a division between earth and air. The beach is a space between sea and land. The horizon is a line dividing sea and sky. The whole West Cliff Green itself is a liminal area between town and sea. Today the Council workers introduced new lines as the mowed along path edges and round the benches. The difference between the long grass and the shorn areas with their swirls of hay is dramatic. The scent is heavy and hangs in the air. A patch of sorrel grows in the shade of the trees. Pigeons coo. Men sunbathe with their shirts off. The sea is like tinfoil. The day is at one time grey and then another time blue. It is in that liminal time between spring and summer.

From 25th May 2022

The clouds thicken and darken and leave a letterbox opening for the lemony yellow sunset rays to shine through. The waves wrinkle and shrug at the bullying little breeze. Rain prickles down. The evening convocation of gulls assemble on the rooftops and follow the seagull man down to the clifftop where he will treat them to a sausage supper. Blackbirds and thrushes quieten the evening again. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #may #summer

From 25th May 2021

The air at first light is fresh and still. There is a heavy dew. It is almost cold enough for a frost. The wrinkled sea folds itself onto the beach neatly and with a regular hush. The clifftop grass is unmown this year and is swaying in a breath of breeze with heavy, full seed heads. Rye grass, cocksfoot, timothy and other, meadow, grasses I can't name. Smaller members of the carrot family are adding to the pattern. Tradespeople , anxious to get on with their work on local building sites and hotels are emerging from the cars where they have slept overnight stretching and yawning. A guy in a wet suit with a worn yellow surf board under his arm grins at me. "Just time before I have to go to work." One of the old wind twisted dark pines is home to a family of gold finches. They fill the dawn air with their twittering, bubbling song.

From 25th May 2018

The great arc of the Bay from the Needles to Old Harry is mirror smooth save where little patches, tickled by the breeze, shiver like the skin on the neck of an old grey pony remembering summers gone by. Old Harry himself is suddenly gaudy pink in the sunrise. Tired of a long grey winter we all like to put on something bright from time to time so we can't fault his desire to put on something bright; for however short a time. This is the sea-side after all. The fisherman stands in his boat silhouetted against the silver water hauling in his bait lines. Starlings wheeze away like the party of old pensioners enjoying the day before breakfast.

24th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

An orderly procession of little waves queue up before nodding over to kneel at the waters edge. It is one of those days where spring seems to be slipping into summer. It is warm with very little breeze and the heat beats up from the green foliage. Yet we have only just tipped over into spring and everything is growing madly to make up for lost time. For the last fortnight it has been as though time has speeded up and delicate spring flowers are overlapping with the gaudier summer flora. Small migrant birds appear and disappear in a twinkling. It is a mighty effusion of nature. The shadows are cool and inviting and pigeons coo from the tree tops.

From 24th May 2022

A fresh, quiet morning. A little breeze sets the green fingers of the trees and bushes shivering. The sky is bumpy and grey but with fissures and cracks of blue so we get little freckles of rain followed by a few moments of warm sunshine. The sea is almost flat calm and nuzzles up to the smooth, almost empty beach. Magpies chatter at each other from the branches of a pine. A carpenter's hammer clack clack clacks on some important piece of timber. The pigeons are too busy gorging themselves on the cornucopia of grass seed too bother with cooing. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #summer #May 

From 24th May 2013

This spring's flower has to be sheeps sorrel. This is a small unassuming plant related to the dock. The flowers are tiny and formed into reddish spikes. But this year it's making beautiful little pink clumps around the bases of the Corsican pines on the West cliff showing that every insignificant thing can be beautiful when working together.

23rd May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

The sun drips its syrupy golden light over the bright green foliage of the trees and makes long comfortable shadows and clever arrangements of vertical forms. The wind is fresh and strong. The sea is flat like a smoothed out Kit Kat wrapper. A wren jingles at me from the bare branch of a bush and then dances away to find another target for its feisty dawn attitude. A single feather decorates the path.

From 23rd May 2022

I am ten minutes into my walk before I hear my first gull. A herring gull, far out on the bay, its wistful melancholy wail almost lost in the peaceful hush of the wavelets at the tides edge. And then I realise that this is probably the only time of the air that the gulls are not there . I don't mean the gulls themselves are absent, I can see them wandering around on the beach and on the short grass. They are just not part of the soundscape. It is the gulls that usually wake us up with their raucous, bullying argumentative squawking. But today, it is the sound of wood pigeons cooing warmly from every tree and lampost forming a sort of warm undertone to the grey dawn. The small birds are there, of course, but, at times I can walk in almost complete silence. Even the traffic of men and women has not started in the background. The sea itself is virtually flat calm and ripples silver in the brightening morning light. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #may 

From 23rd May 2021

Sheets of stinging rain from a grey evening sky. The wind is howling and roaring in the tree tops and moaning and whistling through the aerials on the rooftops of the tall flats. The sea is thrashing itself into a lather a good way off shore. The long grass bends before the gale and ragged clumps of alyssum sag across the path. The pigeon has given up flying and walks along beside me on the path. In the sheltered crevice of a brick wall a clump of pink valerian is doing its best to cheer us up.

From 23rd May 2014

The bank holiday has started early in Bournemouth. Packs of middle aged t-shirted men shoulder their way way past afternoon shoppers. They are trying out the town centre bars before going on to the serious stuff later on this evening. At the moment it is loud voices and a sort of forced bonhomie. Later an air of tension and aggression will hang over the town centre . I think of them as shipwrecked sailors far from the certainty of youth adrift on an ocean they do not understand and singing and shouting to keep their spirits up and their thoughts away from the looming rocks of old age and loneliness.

22nd May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

A grey, lumpy poragey sky coagulates into slabs and slats and allows the sun beam through from time to time. The wind is strong but the waves are slight and restful as they smooth along the sand. The day is warm. Apparently the ribwort plantain is the most common plant in Europe and it is definitely making the best of the weather this year. It is growing taller and stronger than most other plant on the clifftop. The hogweed is growing up and overtaking. All sorts of finches dash about in the bushes as if they can’t decide where they would prefer to be. A cyclist in a fluourescent waistcoat sizzles by causing elderly walkers to jump aside. “Mad” says someone. “Selfish” says another.

From 22nd May 2022

An afternoon warm enough for a swim. The evening crisp and clear. The last honey rays of the sun cascade over the topmost branches of the dark pines and drip down the faces of the tall apartment blocks. Far out in the bay they pick out the little boats, red and white and their long wakes as they head for home. The bright yellow evening primrose spikes appear as though out of nowhere and twining through the low branches of the bushes the curly stems of travellers joy. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #summer #May

From 22nd May 2014

The acid lemony light as the sun tries to outdo the the louring black clouds across the bay glitters briefly at the raindrops on the soaked grass. The small branches of the ilex shift uneasily in the chill dawn breeze. It is something out of a painting by John Everett Millais.

21st May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

Delicate white feathers against a clear blue sky. For once, the warmth of the sun overcomes the sharp breeze and it feels like summer. The shadows are deep and inviting. The view of the distant sea is framed by the cliff top trees. The waves slap lazily on the sand. Shoals of little boats rise and fall on the glittering ocean. There is a mid day doziness about the Green. Of course, it is still spring and everything is fat and lush but it all seems poised to burst into summer. Small birds twitter excitedly from the gorse. The pigeons croon from the trees.

From 21st May 2022

The day alternates between grey and blue. The temperature zips up and down accordingly. There is a boisterous little breeze that also becomes stronger and lessens throughout the day. The waves fold over onto the beach making the sort of wave noises you expect to hear at the seaside. At one of the hotels, workers continue with their building. Two crows sit on a fence eyeing them critically. Every so often they turn to each other and shake their heads. A little row of Saturday fishing boats make their way back to harbour. The voices of three lads playing football carry on the evening air. #bournemouth #westcliffgreen #May #Summer.

From 21st May 2020

This bloke comes pounding down the road towards me a case of beer under his arm. He is followed by the lad from the Nicely Nicely Shop running flat out. It takes me a few seconds to realise what is going on but my pensioner's knees prevent me from joining in the fun. A lady from the shop pulls up in a car and we exchange a few pleasantries about the situation. As I near the end of the road she stops again and, winding down the window, says "we got 'im." I feel glad because it's a local shop for local people and they have kept many of us going over the last few weeks.

From 21st May 2014

According to the forecast there is 0% chance of thunder in Bournemouth but looking out across the bay it looks very sullen and the tiny hairs on the back of my neck are standing up - a sure sign of electricity in the air. We'll see who's right.

From 21st May 2011

The crooked pine tree is black against the sea but the peachy rays of the sun are picking out one side in sharp relief. The sea is mirror smooth reflecting the palest of blue skies. There is just the slightest pink and grey haze on the horizon.

Later

However beautiful the day is. However smooth and inviting the sea. However blue the sky and warm the sun, I shall have to spend some of it sitting in the launderette.

20th May from the West Cliff Green, Bournemouth

The blue sky throws the pines into strong relief. The sea is edged with playful little waves. A slight haze softens the horizon. There is a fresh breeze but the clear sun is strong enough to keep everything warm as you would by putting Sunday Dinner in the bottom oven. In the long grass two bright red poppies with paper thin petals sway in the wind. Little birds sing their hearts out.

From 20th May 2022

A steady breeze busies the clumps of cloud across the sun. It is not cold and waves warmth radiate up from the tall stands of bracken on the clifftop. For me, it is summer. The blackberries are massed with white flowers. A single spike of pink foxglove flowers basks in the warmth by the wall. White trumpets of bindweed wind among the gorse and a pretty pink edged dog rose asserts itself on the clifftop. Because they are so ubiquitous we sometimes forget how striking the plumage of the wood pigeons is. A slate grey back and pink breast with bright white markings on its neck along with the blue green flip flop colouring so beloved of hot car enthusiasts. #westcliffgreen #bournemouth #may #summer

From 20th May 2021

The wind is readying itself for a big blow later this evening but already it's gusting up nicely.  The big tree branches are beginning to thrash restlessly. The grey-green waters of the bay are streaked with whitecaps and the surf is charging in to a mass of white lace on the wind smoothed sand.  A single fluorescent fisherman's float has been washed ashore.  Oddly, for a moment, the sun stabs warmly though the ragged grey clouds.  A greenfinch is tumbled in the wind in front of me but manages to find refuge in a gorgeously purple flowered rhododendron.

From 20th May 2019

A man who is ignorant of the world is a danger to himself. A man who ignorant of the world but is certain in his own righteousness is a danger to the World.