SOME BRIGHT, LIGHT, MOMENTS

Now ... I am very well aware as I write this that much as I moan about our local weather, there is currently Hurricane Sandy already causing havoc and threatening the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. A hurricane over a thousand miles wide, that is awesome! But I can only really write about what happens within a few miles of where I live and yes today, started with a fog bound mountain and the steady fall of very light rain as I headed back up the mountain road to let the chickens out from their safe. overnight roost.

But this late flowering  rose caught my eye, all bejewelled with raindrops. A cheery sight on what initially promised to be a very dull and dreary day. The chooks were quiet, but as I approached their overnight accommodation, I heard a satisfying choir of "clucks". I deliberately scattered the corn and layers pellets in an area of where I could take photo's.

And there most of them were greedily pecking up the corn and layers pellets that I had spread out on the grass for them. Too busy to look up to camera and be photogenic. Who can blame them, they had been stuck inside overnight and were eager to feed. Then there were the two rabbits to attend to. Far too wet to let them out into an outdoor run, they were fed extra goodies in their lovely dry hutch. But another bird I became aware of, who kept flying back and forth, was a robin ... who wanted to eat the food I'd spread out too.

Shy of me at first, he kept flitting in and out as I tried to stay incredibly still, but at least I got one photograph of him on top of the swing and then he joined in with the chooks.

But much as I loved this interaction between wildlife and fowl, the dog needed to have his own exercise and so we headed off for a small gentle stroll down the mountain road. Beech roots glistened in the overcast conditions, some things shone out beneath the rather dank and at times almost dark seeming fogginess and we were surrounded by a clinging, damp, moving mist.
Then it gradually began to clear so that at least one could see across a field, but not much further than that.

Even the ram was lazily grazing, seeming to be more interested in eating the dew glistening grass in the pasture than chatting up any of the many ewes in his vicinity. The view across the valley was obscured by clouds. Around me the trees were dripping and under what is left of their autumnal canopies the road seemed rather dark even though by now it was mid morning. Then as we reached the point of turning back, there began a cloud clearing change as the sun began to break through and I stood and watched, entranced by the sudden highlighting of the suns rays on the view. It was, quite simply quite magical to see the mist slowly clear and all the autumnal colours begin to slowly appear.

What you cannot see here is that between the disappearing mistiness and the trees is the rainbow colours that seemed like a light show as the sun just lit up mountain and valley.

I took so many photographs today, that it has been hard to choose which ones to use, but this was next was the view as we headed back up the mountain road that when I had driven up it earlier seemed so dismally grey, rain drenched and rather dark and damp.

Fields that I had passed within the last half hour where one could hardly see the sheep ...
were easily visible both close too and far across the valley, it really was just wonderful.

And above amongst all the white sheep one black "tear faced" ewe that I had seen on the day she was born, though her twin was as white as the others you can see in this field.
I stopped to talk to a farmer who was clearly fed up with all this wet weather and was feeding his rams extra pellets to increase their stamina for the busy months ahead and as we walked on heading back to the car, I could hear him calling them to be fed. I could just see him through the beech leaves in the hedge, now beautifully lit by the bright sunlight.

What a change in the day over less than an hour! When I had headed off up the mountain in the rain to see to my friends chickens and rabbits I had never expected this amazing  change in the morning. Then the weather closed in again.

Much later in the day, as once again I drove up the mountain road to put my charges safely away for the night, out of the rain dank anmd gloom there was another surprise ... a rather moody but in it's own way, beautiful sunset. It had begun to rain again, but very lightly. I managed to get the chickens all safely locked away and the rabbits bedded down for the night, then took the dog for a last walk around the old churchyard and to watch the sunset change as it ... yes ... started to rain yet again. But looking back down the valley I could see ground mist rising ... 

As I got back to the car, I met another farmer just closing up his gates for the night, he too was fed up with the weather and talked about how badly this year has been for him. He reckons the knock on effect of this year will cost him dearly in the year ahead. Returning home, the ground mist had risen up over the village making visibility poor and though there was a full moon tonight, I had not been able to see it. Time to stay in the warm!