If a plane is this high above Hebden it’s already well on its way to wherever it’s going. On the other hand, I haven’t been on a plane since April 13th, coming back from Ascension Island, and won’t be setting foot on one for the rest of the year unless something quite unexpected happening. I guess the carbon footprint is benefiting.
I had hoped to ascend Table Mountain whilst here, but today was my only real chance and, all day, it was draped in what is locally known as ‘The Tablecloth’ — and it’s a very accurate description of this particular cloud. Surely there are very few cities in the world with such a monumental lump of rock sat right by the downtown area.
This shot was actually incidental to the walk I completed today — my penultimate Wainwright walk, unless there is some big change of plan between now and, say, the next month. Skiddaw was nowhere near where I was. But — it looks so good here. All macho and domineering, despite its sheen of snowy white. Would that we could all look so good at a few million years old.
Not as exciting a photo as was planned for the day, and certainly a less extensive panorama, but the reasons for this can be gathered by inspection of the top of the picture. The observation decks of the CN Tower (still the tallest building in the world outside of Asia) were swathed in cloud, making the jaunt to the top, if not pointless, then rather less of an attraction than it might have been. But the woman on the gate did advise me that I could just reschedule my timed ticket for another day — which was very civilised of her (some major tourist attractions would have just said ‘tough shit, sucker, lump it’). So I shall return on Monday. And if it’s cloudy then?…. it will be what it will be.
A dull day in every sense. The glorious sunshine that we experienced on Saturday has been replaced by grey mist and drizzle. This explains a lot about the British psyche. Don’t get used to it being nice, because within a couple of days it’ll all turn to crud again.
More an abstract than anything else, today. Although the swallow (if that is what it was — it was certainly flying like one) gives it focus. I felt like putting up an evening shot, anyway: there have been very few of these in the last eighteen months. Nights out are a thing of the past. Mind you, 40,000 people could be accommodated in Wembley yesterday afternoon — but apparently, going out to the Trades Club is still considered ‘unhealthy’. Enough of this bullshit.
Always get a window seat… Last possible view of Tromsø after take-off, as a second or two later we were enfolded in the cloud stealing in from bottom right. Farvel indeed… until next time.
Sometimes the shots just have that extra little thing about them that you didn’t even realise was there when you took it. I’ve travelled today, to a place that I’ve not been to before and which you’ll see over the next few days, rest assured, but this shot was taken en route. These clouds are not natural, they are being pumped out of some power station or other, maybe in France or northern Germany, I’m not completely sure. I loved the way they flattened out at the top in some cold layer. But it was only when I uploaded this one that I spotted the plane…
Being 42 