Heavy set clouds hanging low over rolling, grey / green fields of winter-short grass, lazily dancing in time to the wind, swirling up through a gap in the cliffs way down below by the beach.
All in Travel
The Morning After a Storm
The morning after a storm, the world feels like a new and different place.
The Ballad Of Invisible Uniqueness
Unexpectedly, if I am being honest, as the grey and overcast weather had seemed set for the season. But blue skies appeared and so did the people. It was that kind of day.
Finding The Cool On A Damp, Grey Day
And when the weather got wetter and wilder, it drove me inside to dry out and warm up. I chose the nearest and most convenient place and, by chance or by luck, take your pick, it also happened to be the coolest.
Whatever They Say To Do, Do The Opposite
I regularly write in this blog about my belief in the importance of taking a moment to pause and to look.
Upon Reflection
Perhaps only those with a heightened sense of time would venture out in such conditions, to walk the shifting, crunching shingle and to hold a defiant face up to the weather.
We Are All Sheep At Heart
When everyone faces the same way, they all see the same things. Walking down the street? Then look up rather than at your feet. In a city with tourists? Look away from the sights and the tour guides. Look behind the facade, face away from the masses and see what they are missing.
The Present Is All We Ever Really Have
A place that had once been busy and vital but now mostly forgotten by those that have moved on and a generation that knows no different.
That Magic Idyllic Button Was Pressed Again
It's happened again. Out in the countryside, taking in the beautiful wild flowers in Sussex at the weekend, I heard those words.
The Beauty Of Scotland In The Sunshine Is Way Beyond Subjective
However, there are some things that are beyond subjective when it comes to beauty. In fact, they are so far beyond that to even ask the question is likely to appear patronising or insulting.
Musing On The White Edge
Young yet confident, I had the feeling that she was part of a world I would never experience.
Somehow Pleasing To The Eye
And you see sheep dotted across the hillside, in fact, now you notice them, you see them everywhere. Even at the top of the steepest slopes, way above you on the other side of the valley.
Brown-Signing Is Very Much A Thing
I like those the best. Where we just do something on the spur of the moment and live with the consequences, whatever they may be.
The Glorious Sound Of A Stress-Free Sunday
For me, today, it was when I heard the sound of birdsong through the open window and the first drops of rain on the roof.
Grease To The Wheels Of Exploratory Thinking
Inspiration often appears, or so they say, quite unexpectedly. A look, a word or simply a thought and there it is. From nothing to something. Direction and purpose.
Positively Dripping With Nostalgia And Overloaded With Cliches
But if I close my eyes, I don't need words to remind me. I can still feel the warmth of the mid-May sunshine on my face and hear the polite applause as yet another stylish stroke guides the ball over the ropes for four more runs.
Irrational Yet Unshakable
There is an agenda, of course. There is always a reason, even if I don't yet know what it might be, don't yet understand. I suspect, and that is enough.
But Whatever You Can Find, Take It
And at times like this, I am grateful. Grateful that my place of work is located out in the countryside. And blessed that I am able to find birdsong, beauty and solitude on a deserted riverbank or a silent churchyard within minutes.
Permission To Relax And Breathe Again
There is something about being around water that is clearly beneficial to so many of us. It is almost as if we sub-consciously give ourselves permission to relax and breathe again when we find ourselves beside a sandy beach, lake or river.
In Our Heads We Are Timeless
I walked this morning. For miles and hours. Along lanes, tracks and footpaths. Across fields and through woods. I saw the sun rise and gazed as the blue sky appeared over hedgerows and stone walls. I startled horses from their solitary feeding in fields of dew-wet grass and caused cows to stop and stare mid-chew as I watched them over the gate.