Sunday 24 July 2011

July Evening Over Poole Bay


It has been a week of rain, grey skies and blustery winds. A clifftop BBQ had been planned for months, so we were relieved to see the clouds clear by evening, when friends gathered at a small community hall, where the terrace overlooks Poole Bay.

Along the sandy beach towards the east, white buildings shone on the clifftops at Bournemouth and the main Pier jutted out over calm water.


The sun had sunk behind the Purbeck Hills and the sky softened to shades of pink....


.....giving a rosy tint to the chalk of Old Harry Rocks and Ballard Down in the west.


People walked , cycled and ran along beach and promenade. On the clifftop, we found formal beds of flowers...........


....and a backdrop of wild gorse, heather and bramble clinging to the cliff sides in the wooded chine.


On the western tip of the Isle of Wight, chalk on the Needles and the steep cliffs of Tennyson Down glowed pink.


The light began to slip away.........




...so we climbed down steep steps to the sandy beach.

Holes were dug, by hand ........


....as we heard sand martins twitter past on their way to roost in nest holes in the cliffs.


We found paw prints....


.......watched the pink sky darken to grey....


....while clear, shore water , still as a mirror, reflected the soft-wool clouds.



The Big Balloon, in the Winter Gardens, rose into the sky above the town. What a night to see the Bay from a basket on a tethered, gas filled balloon!


Sunset sky and waves.....





Reflections....


...of clouds.........




....as day ends........


...and the lights of the weekending town stretch away along the night-dark cliffs.


8 comments:

Bovey Belle said...

What lovely photos - especially the pink-tinged ones (SO pretty!)

Kath said...

Just perfect! I have not been to Poole for years, but that was one of the things we were looking forward to, moving here, was being nearer to the coast.
Lovely pics as always, the pink sky is really beautiful.

The Weaver of Grass said...

You have made this into a really lovely story - well done!

Angie said...

A truely wonderful walk ...I love the beach and the red sky, preparing us for the day to come.

Rowan said...

Glad you had a nice evening for your BBQ - you live in a lovely part of England.

crafty cat corner said...

Thank you for your kind comment on the embroidery, it all keeps me going when I doubt why I sit and do it.
Your pictures are lovely and bought back memories of when my eldest son lived in the new forest and we used to go into Bournmouth.
love the skies.
Briony
x

Mum said...

What lovely peaceful scenes. Sounds like a perfect evening with relaxation and wonder.
Love from Mum
xx

Morning's Minion said...

Your lovely pictures and the captions drew me along---I was sorry to see the evening slip away into night.