Sunsets, streams and about a billion stars

 Every day ends differently. I am intrigued by how often there is be a very different sunset despite seemingly similar weather conditions.

Being here has allowed me to sit and watch the sky change every evening. So often I am busy at home and if you turn away, even for a few moments, all the colours will have altered and the splendour dimmed.

 The sunsets behind a large mountain and I love to watch it change from misty blue to the darkest purple. The first evening I was here, the golden rays of the setting sun shone through a gap in the peaks, it was romantic and dramatic and a very fitting start to my stay.

I have been lucky with warm and sunny weather and the sunsets have been both colourful and beautiful.

Last night was especially magical. As I sat outside in the cooling air the sky above gradually changed from blue to deep indigo. In the distance, as the land met the sky there was a stripe of deep purple and red which gradually faded upwards to orange and gold. At the point where the sunset met the blue overhead it melted to palest green. Hanging there just at the point of richest colour was the first star of the evening.

Today was blazingly hot. I planned to make the most of the good weather and go to the seaside but I wanted to have a whole day here; to sit and watch the sun move across the whole sky.

In the cottage's bookshelf is a set of the Narnia books, so I am re-reading them again. Despite my adult opinions on some of C.S. Lewis’s beliefs (he most definitely wasn’t a pacifist) I still recapture the joy I felt when discovering Narnia as a child. It was the descriptions that I loved best and many of my favourite places have echoes in his stories.

Sitting in the sun reading could have filled my whole day but at midday, it was time for me to have a wander and a little bit of exploring. I didn’t plan to go far but following sheep’s trails tends to lead one onwards and upwards.

 I had just decided to circle back round to the cottage when I heard the sound of a tiny stream. Slipping and sliding and holding onto the branches of an ancient Ash tree I made it to the water. Is there any pleasure greater than that first dip of hot feet into a waterfall?

I spent a happy time damming up the water with my feet and them letting it run free, so I was splashed and soaking all over. My shoes had long gone and soon my dress followed, I became a child again, hidden from the world and playing in the water, with no thought of time or troubles.

Dressed once more, I dried off in the sun, leaning against the Ash tree and feeling comfortable in my skin and the countryside that enfolded me.

The nights on the mountainside are dark and silent, so I knew this was a perfect chance to do some star gazing. However, once darkness falls and I’m settled inside, I feel tired and lazy.  Yet I have wrapped myself in a shawl and settled down in the seat, tipping my head back and resting it on the stone wall.

It has been worth it. I don’t try to work out what is where and which glimmer is a planet or a star, I just gaze and ponder. Tonight I will rootle out my ancient binoculars and prepare to see more wonders. I would so love to see a shooting star.