Friday Photo: Sunset in Monmouth

I took this photo the other night, when I was walking back from the centre of town. The sky was both violet and orange--this picture doesn't do it justice--and despite the traffic (there is traffic outside the photo, promise!) everything felt peaceful. I love the late night of spring and summer--kids playing out in the garden till eight or later, the spectacular sunsets (on occasion!), the birdsong. It almost makes the dark winter evenings (and afternoons!) worth it.

I really love the town of Monmouth. It's a wonderful size, small enough to feel friendly but big enough to have some decent shops, and a lovely pedestrianised street in its oldest part--but that's a photo for another post.

Summer Walk

We had a week of glorious weather but it's gone cold and grey now, as it does. Still I thought I'd share some snaps from a walk on one of the sunny days:

I love bluebells. The trouble is I always try to pick them and they only last a day, if that, once picked.

The green of the grass here never fails to stun me. It's so vibrant, verdant, overwhelming, and lush. It almost makes all the rain worth it. Almost.

The hazy sunlight makes this photograph hard to make out, but if you can imagine a warm(ish) afternoon, and the sunlight giving everything a softened, almost sepia kind of glow, like one of Instagram's special effects, but for real.

If trees could talk, I would love to know this one's story. It looks like its trunk is having middle aged spread. It must be hundreds of years old.