South Harting

8 of 8 in the Jemverse series ‘Circular Sussex’

Up on Harting Down
I saw the folly to the West
It’s lovely here this morning
in bright sunshine, just the best

Then I walked in woodland
sunlight filtered through the trees
Birdsong all around me
Blue sky between the leaves

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Circular Sussex

It’s that time of year
the bags are all packed
the walking boots firm on my feet
My brother and me
with hearts full of glee
are off for our annual treat

A 60th tale

A day out in Lewes
with the girls in the sun
Browsing antique shops
and all having fun
Here for Sal’s sixtieth
Celebrations start here
Two months for us all
in this special year

Watersoft

This water soft
beneath my feet
lapping gently
feeling sweet
It is a comfort
solace, more
down at the edge
of this seashore

Every Breaking Wave revisited

No 11 of 12 in the Jemverse series ‘Back to the sea’

With every breaking wave
I see a part of me
My life down here in Sussex
In Shoreham by the sea
So taciturn, its nuances
Reflect the changing years
An echo to my lost and loved
My joy, my smiles, my tears

Walking and Uno

This week accommodation
was booked for us in May
when my brother Dave and I
have our walking holiday
Once more the South Downs beckon
here in Sussex where we live
And we’ll be out there walking
as they have so much to give

They said there’d be snow

They said there’d be snow
Well, its cold enough
and there’s frost over all every day
But the sea air down here
on these southern shores
always seems to get well in the way

Yes, there have been falls
which have settled for days
in the past I remember quite well
But it’s still quite a rarity
for us in these parts
when snow of the settling kind fell

A Sussex view

Sun sets on a winter sea
Golden ‘cross wet sand
as we go walking at low tide
as lovers, hand in hand

In sunshine revisited

No.3 of 8 in ‘The sunshine series’ from Jemverse

Lancing beach
the sunshine
the water, flat and calm
Lazy days in summer
the breeze, a gentle balm

People out
enjoying
conversation, light
Barbecues and beer
the sea, a lovely sight

A walk on the beach

It’s the day before Christmas
so a walk on the beach
seems like a plan
as it’s in easy reach

And tradition would have it
that on this day every year
All Crouchers together
go walking with cheer

Of seagulls and home

Although it is still dark outside
Above, the seagulls’ high
Tells me that the day is here
with that familiar cry

I’ve heard that sound ‘most of my days
E’er since I was a lad
It speaks to me of oceans
and by it I am glad

Travelling West

It’s dark outside, this early hour
the night is not yet done
Yet I’ve been up for quite some time
For me the morning’s come

Ahead for several hours
a journey beckons me
Travelling down to Cardiff
from Sussex by the sea

Monk’s House

Virginia belatedly
invited us today
to Monk’s House in East Sussex
down near Rodmell way
It was peaceful there, cathartic
A writer’s paradise
Where Virginia penned her novels
in a cottage which was nice

Tri-Sussex

n May there is green
as we walk on these hills
and breathe in the air
as a cure for all ills

In August there’s ochre
as the harvest grows ripe
and these hills bring a smile
from the grumble and gripe

Seascape

If I do nothing else today
the one thing I will do
Is sit down on the beach a while
and watch the lovely view
For I will never tire of this
The sea, the sky, the sun
Particularly when like now
My working day is done

Sitting by the Sea

I’ve sat by the sea in Croatia
I’ve set by the sea in Spain
I’ve sat by the sea in Turkey and Greece
but it’s never quite been the same

I’ve sat by the sea in Gibraltar
I’ve sat by the sea in France
I’ve sat by the sea in Montenegro and Crete
but it’s always like taking a chance

The Bull

Went for a walk up on Mill Hill
and met some scary sheep
But although we had due warning
it was the bull that made us weep

For he was really jolly big
as nervously we trod
around him fairly gingerly
on Sussex chalkland sod

Shocktoberfest

We all went to Shocktoberfest
up at Tulley’s Farm
to be scared witness in the dark
whilst keeping free from harm

Every Ocean

3 of 3

Sailed every ocean
over several years
They’ve given me joy
and also some tears
Yet great as they are
I will always defer
to the sea here in Sussex
the one I prefer

Many Oceans

2 of 3

Sailed many oceans
but the one I love most
is the strip of the channel
off the Sussex coast
For its here that my heart
just knows it’s at home
with the sea on the doorstep
all my life I have known

Fire and Glass

Sat a while in Junkyard Dog
to hear the music play
Guitars, fiddle, vocals too
September Saturday

Good conversation flowing
here for private view
Fire drawings by my daughter
Sal’s glass for something new

My contentment

I sit in the sunshine
the hours pass me by
just watching the sea
‘neath the blue of the sky
There’s no one else here
I’m completely alone
Just the sound of the sea
on a beach that’s my own

Mostly Cloudy

Came down to the beach hut
It was overcast today
But it was still cathartic
looking out to seas of grey

The temperature was balmy
and there was a little blue
So the sunshine would be coming
on a promise, this I knew

Ardingly Reservoir Walk

We wandered round the reservoir
My brother Dave and me
A little different from the hills
for change of scenery

Last of the sunshine days

I’m sitting here hoping that I will be wrong
that this day in September will be
The last of the sunshine, the last of the warmth
in this place that I love by the sea

Me, two crows and the beach

Just me at the beach hut
the sea and two crows
And what they were up to?
Well I guess no-one knows

Soulshine

What is it that’s conducive
to a poet’s mind?
The impetus that’s needed
before it can unwind?
That moment inspiration
into words flow from the pen
and beauty spills to paper
to catch the moment when…

Simply Because

And again I found my way back to the beach
the sun enticing me there
Peeled back the wearisome stab of mundane
to a world without worry or care

The sound of the sea in a brisk August breeze
caressed and soothed as it does
Bringing me back to the place I belong
here in Sussex and simply because…