It is a while since I sat out in the garden
Even longer, since I saw the Cornish coastline
And never yet have I walked, or talked on Suffolk sands
How could I forget this place; only a few yards from our door
Here under the completely clear blue skies, for today again
I am a long way from an uncertain keyboard or computer screen
The last time, I remember, I was looking for the peach tree
In the dark wet nights of early August, when instead
Of this excitable place, we watched TV, with our dinner on our knees
See how easy to become disconnected, to miss out on or to forget
The wonder of the out of doors, yet still today I cannot be still
I am not yet in comfort, but sat anxiously stiff in the September sun
The trampoline beckons; I reckon that these few extra ounces
Will steady the bounce as my now longer locks flounce
In the summer sunlight; uncombed, unkempt, untroubled
The last few apples, which the early autumn winds cannot dislodge
They take in the last tastes of the summer
Their deep red satisfies the eye, that I do not deny
The curved and twisted boughs and branches and leaves
Which are golden and virgin will soon turn through youth to brown
Up and down the country, yes, this has been quite a summer
I dare say I’ve never been so happy, with time and place
To share and care and to be cared for, there is little desire today
To do much more than be ever thankful
To be here in the moment; and to know where it is that I am
And to know that you will join me, as we walk and talk
On the Norfolk and Suffolk beaches
