Chasing sunsets

I have had the delight of company this weekend. Arriving Friday there have been 48 hours of almost non-stop talking, across a range of subjects as vast as the ocean. There may, possibly, have been a number of small pubs and a small dog who seemed to think it her bounden duty to keep the balls constantly in play. There has also been a huge amount of laughter, most notably in the midst of a very serious and beautiful piece we were recording.

Well, it was serious till my co-conspirator leaned close to the mike and cackled softly in my ear… an unexpected moment that set me off giggling.

It was, apparently, contagious, and after several abortive attempts… one where I didn’t even make it past the first word without howling with laughter, we abandoned the chapter and left it till last.

My son was in charge of the session, sighing at the giggling mess on his living room floor and doing a superb job of trying to keep a pair of laughing idiots in check.

It had been a lovely day… we had begun with a planned visit to my son and followed swiftly with an unplanned excursion, the three of us, to ORC and the place we call Hawk Hill. Those familiar with our book, The Initiate, will know that these places are very special to us and it was a real joy to be able to share them with Nick.

The weather was cold, the light beautiful… a perfect afternoon to be out armed with a camera… my son and I vying, laughingly, for the best shots until the light began to fade and we retired for a rather late pub lunch.

The timing was perfect, however, and as we headed homeward the light on the autumnal colours was spectacular… and as I pulled over to get a shot of the trees, I glanced in the mirror and saw the sun setting over the hills.

That, in itself, would have been beautiful enough for anyone.. but I caught a glimpse through the village streets of the colours and set off chasing the sunset, seeking a place where we could watch the magic. The display we were treated to was simply breathtaking, parked facing the western horizon over the Vale as the sun went down in fire.

Returning we managed to finish the recording then we left my son to his camera and headed home. Altogether a lovely day.

Now, after a late-night, three more country inns and another lovely day, my ‘company’ is on his way home and I have a weekend’s worth of work to catch up on… and I am leaving it till tomorrow. I shall curl up with a warm dog and a film and finish the evening in a gentle fashion. Somehow it feels like the right thing to do 🙂