High as a kite

Kite surfers out in force in the posh bit of Bournemouth. It was a bit windy from the open-topped bus - a bog standard public bus service with an open upper deck. It shows that the weather supports that here. I can't imagine there'd be much call for it in other parts. I can see why people flock to Bournemouth in their golden years.

However I have to say I was flabbergasted at the homelessness and deprivation in the middle of town. Every stretch of street had someone sleeping rough or scrabbling for money for food or comfort. This is such a sea change in the last few years and although I've whinged about this on this blog before, inexcusable in a country where we do have the resources, even if not to solve social problems, at least to allow people to try and solve their problems in a dignified way. For the first time ever in the UK because it was so confronting I felt the same guilt/feelings as it's easy to feel in so many other countries and cities where there is such a huge gulf between the haves and the have-nots. The contrast between rich and poor and the obstacles people have to climb over to break through barriers are bigger than ever, and it's shameful.