On Boxing Day 2020 I walked 2.5km along the coastal path

And sat with my wife daughter and two granddaughters

In the rough shelter of a white but scruffy beach hut

The weather was about 11 degrees with a brisk westerly wind

Storm Bella was expected and this chilled the troubled air

The advice was to keep warm and this is what I did

By running after my granddaughters and playing juvenile games

The sun was fast disappearing behind the banking Dover clouds

And the sea changed from silver to grey in a matter of ten unhappy minutes

On Boxing Day 2020 I kissed a long dead dog fish fully on the lips

This was final act of love that the poor fish experienced on its journey towards extinction

My granddaughters were disgusted with me but it was all for a ten pound dare

That or joining the Boxing Day Naked Charity Swim off of Walmer Beach

I would have chosen the latter but I was aware of my developing cold

Nudity means little to me and I do not care who sees my arse

But I am a delicate fellow who is prone to cold and chills

So I stood on the storm ridge and watched forty-six bare bums enter the waves

I recognised my local newsagent and his rather large tattooed wife joining in the fun

And knew that I would not be able to get a newspaper unless I walked to the distant garage

On Boxing Day 2020 I travelled with my granddaughters to the low lower beach

Where the sands were often exposed by the savage winter storms

The girls carved their names delicately in the rough damp sand

And watched as the incoming tide accepted their gifts with a gentle passion

On my return journey I tripped over a railway sleeper which was half hidden

And fell roughly on to the sea worm pebbles without injury

Much to the amusement of those present including some gulls

At about thirty minutes past two we decided to return to our nearby homes

As we were getting quite chilled and the hamper was almost empty

I returned to the nearby fishing boats to take my final photographs

But they had lost their beauty under the sullen skies

The day was beginning to darken as the savage storm slowly approached

It was time to withdraw from our beloved beach

And enjoy the comfort of our warm winter logs