West Wittering beach is a popular destination for all kinds of people but at peak times it becomes something more akin to Blackpool or Coney Island than the windswept coast of southern Britain. The best times to visit are late afternoon in the depth of winter. As the tide goes out at the end of the day, the wide expanse of revealed glossy beach becomes like mirror on which subjects seem to float.

I met Tessa randomly, drawn by her incredible beauty and brightly coloured clothing. Her composure and serenity did indeed make her float with an ethereal loveliness on the mirrored surface of the sand.

I am often drawn to people whose appearance and presentation is such that it can trigger physical attraction in the viewer irrespective of the subject’s gender or the viewer’s sexual preference. My experience of Tessa, and I confess to being a little bashful in admitting this, is that her age was also be irrelevant in my experiencing that attraction. I confess I have always had a bit of thing for older women, but, well Tessa is quite a bit more than just a few years older than me.