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05/09/2017

A big sky - still staying wild

Growing up in Africa has had a definite stamp on me. I am sure I see and feel differently to those who grew up in the UK.  The thing that I miss the most (apart from the warmth, the space, the far distant horizons) is the feeling of being beneath a big sky.
Our lives here in the village means that when I look out of the window all I can see is a jumble of cottage rooves or trees with just a small precious glimpse of sky. Our garden is surrounded by neighbouring trees. Now don't get me wrong - trees are incredible beings and essential and I would wish them no harm (except may be harbouring dark thoughts about leylandii cypress .....) but they are such large creatures and all they have to do is spread their arms and they scoop up the sky.
So - when I volunteer up at the walled garden, I make sure get my fill of blue. I eat the sky with my eyes, staring at the most perfect shades of cerulean. Deep eye watering indigo on stormy days, cobalt in summer punctuated with screaming swallows or cawing ravens. The cool silver grey of an evening and the light translucent china blue of an early morning. I love the endlessness and beauty of it all.
I love the curtains of rain as they drift across the distant hills, hiding the view behind a shower.  Huge rolls of mist that tumble off the tarn and quietly flow across the fields in autumn are something to see. Most days do have some form of cloud, ranging from wispy dreamy bits of nothing to huge tempestuous and thunderous beasts.
I have been privileged enough to see a female  kestrel bomb down 'out of the blue' and take a wood pigeon at an explosive speed then toss the unfortunate feathered lunch across to her large youngster who then caught it and dashed to the ground to eat.
I have been surrounded by swallows and barn swifts, who swoop low into the walled garden and barely by a whisker skim past my head before returning at speed back up into the endless blue.
I mean - what a view from my 'office window' !!

#staywild

11 comments:

  1. I love looking at the skies, every day is different

    Julie xxxxxxxxxx

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  2. Oh, beautiful. You sound so like me in loving a wide sky, which we are lucky enough to have more of in our town here in Oz, as we aren't jammed up against the next house, although I still find having neighbours all round not quite what I would like. I've a folder just for intriguing skies & have used it in our photo hunts. Thanks for all those lovely photos & the wonderful chat to go with them. Take care.

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  3. I understand how you feel. Whenever we talk about moving house the one thing we come back to is the sky. The roads here are a little wider than lots of places so there is always that little bit of breathing space. Then there's just that certain sky when you're at the coast, that feeling of knowing the sky is just so open, even when you're not right at the beach, if that makes sense.

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  4. I love looking up at the sky , especially when there are puffs of cloud. It looks other worldly and reminds me that we live on a vast planet. :)

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  5. I grew up with big skies too and one of my often heard phrases when I visit other places is 'there's not much sky here'! It's one of those things you're only aware of it you're used to it I think.

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  6. I love nothing better than cloud watching from my bedroom window. It's so relaxing.
    Arilx

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  7. Lovely skies. I a,ways look at the clouds in case I spot an interesting one.

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  8. Fantastic skies accompanied by beautiful words. Lovely read. xx

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  9. Love the photos, my sister lives on the edge of a small wood. Lovely but you can't see the sky.. give me open moor land and large skies and I am happy.
    Amanda xx

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  10. I know I'm not the best blog follower, since I rarely post comments/interact etc, having not quite got the hang of it but I am always inspired and uplifted by your posts and particularly so by this one! It is amazing! The beauty that you observe, capture and share with us is such a special gift and I wanted you to know how grateful I am! I hope you have others who do the same for you. Thank you & much love. xx

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