2 September 2015

Handiwork

The other night, as sunset approached, I drove out to the local moors along a "B" road that runs to the north of Burbage Moor and heads into Derbyshire. Our house looks westwards but because of the topography and the houses and trees in between we never get to see sunsets properly - just swathes of colour, pink-washed clouds, golden sunbeams - tantalising glimpses of what we would be seeing if we were perched at the top of a ridge.

So sometimes I drive up to that lonesome moorland road or carry on  to Stanage Edge. A good sunset is a much better viewing experience than the most popular TV show or the best film ever made. And it is a once only show. Tomorrow night it will be different. As the sunset time approaches you never know how it will turn out - the position of the clouds, the way that light will be refracted, the moisture in the air. 

Surely all of our ancestors also gazed in wonder at sunsets. There is something vaguely spiritual  or worshipful about watching sunsets. It is like gazing upon the handiwork of the divine.

As I waited up on the moors, I observed the changing light and how it was illuminating wooden fencing adjacent to a cattle grid. I crouched down for a more interesting angle and waited for a vehicle to approach. As luck would have it, that vehicle was a Land Rover - a very suitable moorland machine. To the right - on the horizon- you can see the southern end of Stangae Edge. I have christened this picture "Crossing the Border":-
By the way, this was the sunset as the golden orb sank behind the Derbyshire hills:-

20 comments:

  1. I just think those people or that person in the Rover are on a wonderful adventure....for what? Who knows...but, an adventure nonetheless! And, you picture lets them go over the horizon to their adventure! Cool! (p.s. I have a Rover and you know I have lots and lots of adventures, Mr. Pudding!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "The Adventures of Mama Thyme" would be an Amazon bestseller. How you wrestled with a brown bear, how you singlehandedly put out a forest fire, how you rescued a party of stranded mountain climbers, how you became The Governor of Colorado.... Yes a bestseller indeed.

      Delete
  2. I love a good sunset! The last two places I lived had great western views. Watching the sun go down is truly one of the pleasures of being human. As you say, no two are alike.

    Nice photos, Mr Pudding!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ...One of the pleasures of being human - yes - and each sunset marks our progress through time - like the hands on a clock.

      Delete
  3. Sunsets and sunrises...both are awesome viewing...mixed with brief moments of peaceful silence.

    I love your photos, Yorkie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Surely even Adolf Hitler, Ned Kelly and Ted Bundy enjoyed sunsets and sunrises and looked at them with awe.

      Delete
  4. There is no direct west view from my flat, but I have a good view east from my kitchen window. With the change of the seasons now comes the chance for me to catch sunrises more frequently - usually I am still fast asleep at the time they happen in summer.
    Sunsets have always been particularly heart-tugging for me. From when I was 6 years old until 20, we lived in a house where my bedroom window faced west. Many evenings I spent kneeling on my bed (which was placed below the window) and watch the sun go down over the Asperg (the hill with the castle I've shown on my blog a few times). I even put whatever book I was reading aside for a good sunset, and that is saying something!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am pleased that this post elicited those private childhood memories Miss Arian.

      Delete
  5. It is a lovely thing to take time to enjoy a sunset or a sunrise , or a bird in flight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ...or a mature Queensland lady sunbathing on a beach.

      Delete
  6. How long did it take you to get to that spot YP? and did the driver of the 4x4 ask why you where taking a pic?..and they are lovely pics.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That moorland point is literally five minutes from our house Libby. I told the driver of The Land Rover that I was a plain clothes cop investigating sheep rustling.

      Delete
  7. Lovely pictures both of them but the first one is superb.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Two lovely photos today. Very clever fellow ! Here, sunsets are so much better in Winter when the sky is often pink or red. In Summer the sun just scorches away till you will it to go away and leave you in the blessed shade.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess that a Queensland sun can sometimes scorch like an enemy. It really is an upside down world.

      Delete
  9. I really like the Landrover. A pity they have stopped making them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like a red postbox, a telephone kiosk or a Mini, The Land Rover is an iconic British image.

      Delete
  10. Love the photo with the car! Beautiful light and lens flare.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Appreicate your thoughts, Im not always in agreement, but you do cause a peron to think keep blogging!Hey! Just dropped by to write great web site. Intellux Continue with the great work youre doing!Hello! Just dropped by to write great website. Keep up the good work youre doing!http://www.supplements4help.com/intellux/

    ReplyDelete

Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

Most Visits