I hadn't planned a walk. It was a foggy morning and I had a busy Monday ahead. Got to feed Emma's cats to the way to work, gotta book in wallpaper for a collection first thing, got to reschedule the dentist, got to do all the lamp orders myself this week as Dom is away, got to be focused, got to go to got to...
Then my son Euan sent me a photo he'd just taken from his house up the hill with the caption, "Good morning from the top of the world!" His pictured showed a band of deep white mist in the valley and Stoodley Pike in clear crisp sunshine above it all." Get up here if you can, it's magic."
So that was that. I headed up to Old Town (not forgetting to feed Irma, Sophie and Mr Tubbs on the way).
I didn't have to get far up the hill before I could sense the bright blue sky above the fog and the sun pushing through.
The combination of mist and sun really lit up the spiderwebs,
every silk thread adorned by tiny sparkling beads of dew.
These usually delicate, hidden and secret traps were suddenly ILLUMINATED,
They were everywhere and unmissable.
Probably not the best news for the spiders but easier for the flies!
As I got further up the hill I could see the thick band of cloud hanging in the valley and the opposite hillside reaching up out of the mist.
And there was Stoodley Pike, looking just like it did in Euan's photograph.
I had got out of the fog, found a clear and sunny day and seen so much beauty on the way.
I no longer felt daunted by the tasks of the day, but as excited as this chattering charm of goldfinches (I counted 65 in this photo!).
And here I am a few hours later. Cats fed, wallpaper collected, dentist rescheduled, a pile of laser cutting ready turned into lamps and I somehow also found the time to sort through my photos and write this blog post! It's amazing what an hour spent in nature focusing on beauty and finding wonder can do! I T O P E N E D U P M Y D A Y and gave me a gentle focus throughout.
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2 comments
Hannah, you are such an inspiration. I love reading your posts, they never fail to lift me out of myself and help me to notice and appreciate what beauty there is around me even in the tiniest of things. I feel cheered up and inspired, what a gift you have. Thank you x
Hannah – THESE PHOTOS!! Magic indeed. Thank you so so much, both for the beauty you’ve captured for us, and for the reminder that nature really is the best medicine!