The Clouds Flew Away

I arrived back home last night to a strange kind of ethereally overcast sky and woke up this morning to more of the same. There were all kinds of interesting things going on with the clouds and at one stage it looked like we might see some spectacular lenticular action such that we witnessed last December. The pattern was very similar ... but then they just took to the wing and flew away to leave a gloriously sunny and warm afternoon. It felt like the first day of Summer!

I watched Bradley Wiggins seal his victory in the Tour de France this afternoon, and in fantastic style as he led out Mark Cavendish to his fourth successive stage win in Paris. This is the stuff of legend. I felt very proud to be British this afternoon - until, perhaps, our national anthem was sung at the victory ceremony. Wiggins looked positively embarrassed. I try to be honest in this journal so I have to admit that I cringe these days whenever I hear the words of "God save the Queen". It seems so completely out of touch with the times. I do wonder if her lady queenship herself might even think it's a little anachronistic. I wish someone would have the courage to have a word in her ear and suggest a change.

As often happens after a strenuous holiday away I've felt a bit displaced today. I didn't get very far, just taking a walk down to Olicanians where Roam was playing cricket for Ben Rhydding against his former club. He picked up a couple of wickets in a comfortable win so he was in a happier frame of mind today. I had a bimble around Middleton Woods and took some nice moody shots of the ferns in the dappled sunlight of late afternoon, but I couldn't resist blipping this one. I'm unlikely to catch a cloud in flight quite like this again!