A natural ending

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The end of another lovely day here in Ribblesdale in the Yorkshire Dales. I particularly enjoyed watching the sun go down this evening. A pregnant ewe slowly settled down in the field in front of me, and half a dozen carrion crows squawked noisily before perching in the tree tops. With the last rays of sun reflected on remaining flood water and on the river, a more peaceful finale to the day I couldn’t have wished for. The moon is shining brightly now and through my binoculars I have a clear view of its craters. Don’t you just love Nature?

Sunset – all in the best possible taste

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A lovely sunset tonight helps me celebrate my 100th blog on this site. I’m standing by the Ribble near Long Preston, the river flowing heavily yet quietly under the bridge, a couple of horses grazing unconcerned in the next field. Before writing this I scanned through the previous 99 blogs to see what subject had pulled in the most visitors. It was the one I wrote at the beginning of February; I didn’t think it was anything special until I noticed I’d written ‘it gave me the willies’. Really, do I have to mention a rude word to get noticed on t’ internet? Goodness knows how many hits I’ll get when I mention the blue tits in my garden.

Another top free show in the Dales

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Last night’s weather show in north Ribblesdale was brilliant. I sat as near to the end of a rainbow you can get, watched mighty clouds marching rapidly across the sky changing the scenery by the minute. From beneath the arches of Ribblehead Viaduct I saw a fine sunset. In Kingsdale I witnessed shafts of sunlight light up first the western slopes of Whernside then like a great theatre spotlight switch across the valley to Ingleborough. I got so giddy I took eighty photos – thank goodness for digital cameras. The top one shows the sunset from underneath the viaduct, with the flat top of Ingleborough on the left; the other shows the light on the viaduct a couple of moments before the sunset. Keep looking here for more pictures (not compulsory – just a suggestion.)

Another day in the Dales

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I know it’s not that unusual but I watched the sun rise this morning and set again tonight. With more than a tinge of envy I took two friends to Manchester airport for one of those ridiculous ungodly boarding times and waved them off to Cuba. Never mind, I thought, I’ve still got my bit of Yorkshire. In the evening I watched a couple of hang gliders (or should that be gliderers, or maybe glidists?) floating effortlessly above Victoria Cave near Langcliffe, then I witnessed a glorious sunset. By messing about with the camera settings (I MUST read the instruction book one day or go on a course) I captured this shot over Ribblesdale which I rather like for some reason. Who needs foreign lands anyway?

Fabulous sunset in Ribblesdale tonight

Sunset in Ribblesdale. No words needed…

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Nature the artist

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There’s no more talented artist than Mother Nature. Nothing is man made in these shots, nor is there any excessive Photoshop manipulation – just natural light and the colours of late evening on the west coast, looking across Morecambe Bay. In the top picture the South Lakeland Fells are barely visible and the tide is on its way in. The sunset below is a little further down the coast at Hexham which, let’s be honest, is not usually known for its natural beauty. The first and only time I’d been to the port previously was in the mid seventies to catch a ferry to the Isle of Man. If you visit on a clear day you’ll see an enormous offshore wind farm that would have been pure science fiction in the seventies.

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