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The feet upon the wooden floor
Are moving to the beat
as conversation struggles
for those who’ve found a seat
The man up on the microphone
is getting really loud
But the music’s really throbbing
and is pleasing to the crowd

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The red

I stopped, reduced to tears
when the red before me lay
Tear of joy for splendour
shown to me upon this day

Walking down an avenue
trees on either side
Then this, the most spectacular
to leave me misty-eyed

Acer

If you put ‘Acer’ into Google
guess what you will see?
Lot of reference to laptops
but seldom to a tree
And yet the humble maple
(the namesake of that brand)
is the pure derivation which,
when seen, you’ll understand

Brighton Greenway

High above the Brighton streets
on the old railway bed
Through the locomotive works
the Brighton Greenway led

The engines left here long ago
but their memory remains
Homage paid by sculptor’s hand
to Brighton’s long lost trains

Redwood

The tree was so majestic
and very, very tall
So when I stood beneath it
I felt very, very small
The mass of green above me
with branches spreading wide
overpowered my senses
and I felt small inside

A last word from the sun

To the west was the gold
over Brighton tonight
It was simply breathtaking
and a wonderful sight

The heavens were black
Cloud cover complete
except in the west where
the golden had seeped

Like Wordsworth

I often think of Wordsworth
in the lakeland wandering free
When I am here in Sussex
as there is affinity
And whereas I would never
deign compare my work to his
We share a love poetic
Revealed in verse like this

Little Bridge

Fording ‘cross a gentle stream
at the bottom of the field
Down some steps cut to the bank
a little bridge revealed

A wander, some mud and the Ring

Walking up from Washington
in excellent company
The South Downs up above us
so we’ve plenty here to see
And the rain that fell here overnight
has gone and in good time
For our wanderings this morning
as the weather’s dry and fine

Reflected Summer

Summer in the water
reflected by the green
Its millpond surface smooth
reflecting where I’ve been
Days of warmth and pleasure
bathing in the sun
Life exuding nature
enjoyed by everyone

I wonder what’s down there?

I wonder what’s down there, I thought
when wandering through the woods
The pathway looked mysterious
so I went there as I could
It took me to the undergrowth
the canopy complete
And showed me the dark forest
damp sod beneath my feet

Hanging out with William Morris

Took a trip to Standen House
Arts and Crafts atop the hill
Where the Beales once used to live
William Morris hangs out still

Sea Lane Surfers

By afternoon the wind was up
And the tide was really high
So we drove down to Goring
To watch the surfers fly
Sitting in the cafe there
With a coffee on the side
We had a perfect view
Of the rough and surging tide

Parham Deer

Parham House was closed today
and the deer they knew it well
For they were out and evident
and contented, you could tell
Grazing ‘neath the leafy oaks
in groups and sometimes more
It was quite magical to see
and well worth coming for

Pavilion Gardens

In Brighton there’s a cafe
in a garden with a view
Overlooking the Pavilion
(to some, the palace new)

It’s famous for its rock buns
(though today we did decline)
as we are on a diet
with an eye on our waistline

Beach Breakfast

Saturday morning came and
the sun was nice and bright
A beach breakfast was beckoning
so we rather thought we might
And just as luck would have it
not that far from home
there’s a restaurant right on the beach
(no need to book by phone)

Tangible

I was only away for just over a week
But that’s enough to get used to the heat
And enough now I’m home to feel at a loss
And that somehow things aren’t quite complete
It was tangible there, like something you touched
and present by day and at night
But back home in England, there’s a chill in the air
even though the sunshine’s still bright

One of those days

It’s been one of those days
when the lingering heat
makes everyone glisten
from heads to their feet
And there’s nothing to do
when the weather’s like this
Though I know that for many
it borders on bliss

Beach Huts

Stretching to infinity
Beach huts on Beach Green
Painted many colours
Brightest you’ll have seen

Here on the coast in Sussex
a haven on the beach
A little bit of paradise
there in easy reach

A ray of sun captured

I captured the sunset
at the beach hut today
Late in the evening
with a golden display

A test of time

Against the blue the old Town Hall
with yellow ochre walls
Declares aloud his history
from ageing hallowed halls
In Brighton now amidst the new
it stands aloof to change
Whilst all around the architects
make plans to rearrange

In Constable’s footsteps

Went to Brighton to see the original
on short loan from the Tate
It’s quite a lot bigger than the one on my wall
and to see it there was great

A Constable retrospective
representing four years’ toils
When he lived right here in Brighton
with some drawings and some oils

The green and the grey

The prevailing Sou’Westerly’s blowing quite hard
with white horses out there today
Its cooler but the view from the beach
is great with the green and the grey

The fly-past

Gulls above the Metropole
a fly-past just for me
Here in Brighton in the sun
next to the deep blue sea

Beach II

I’m a fortunate fellow
as within easy reach
from my home where I live
is a beautiful beach

Devotion

Up upon the Sussex hills
on Friday afternoon
I spied a sheep with new born lamb
the timing, opportune

As in my hand I happened
to have a camera with a zoom
allowing me to get in close
and for a moment be attune

Allure

The allure of the ocean
calls often to me
whenever I’m taken
away from the sea
So I have to return
as one does for a friend
as its magic and beauty
has no limit or end

Sultry

Mid May and springtime evenings
with warmth still in the air
left over from the sunshine
that has been shining there