Heather on the Moors

I rushed Basil off to Curbar Edge after 5.30 this evening. I wanted to see the heather in bloom in the Peak District and this was the last forecast day of settled weather.

We reached the moorland just after 7.15pm when a golden glow suffused the atmosphere. It didn't last long. Whether it's the angle of the sun or simply that I was half an hour later than I should  have been, I could only grab a few shots of the heather. Much easier to see it in the photos than on site as the light was so bright.

The sunset wasn't outstanding. Neither enough dust nor moisture in the atmosphere to scatter the light.

En route, I'd had to stop at a service station for a comfort break. As I opened the door to get back into the car, another car slid into the space beside me. As I got in the door edged back and I heard the faintest of sounds as it released itself from my control and just touched the car. I thought it was at the bottom and I could see no mark. But you know what it's like when somebody edges your car while you're in it.

The front seat passenger, a large woman in a blue t-shirt or jersey, got out and started to harangue me, pointing to the door. There was a slither of the faintest of lines around half an inch long, but as I said, I didn't think that had been the point of contact. Things began to look ominously ugly. 

I wanted to get to my destination and could see no point arguing about what might, or might not, have been my fault. I put the car into gear and edged back slightly. Goodness me, she'd placed herself behind my car. That was it. The car is electric at very slow speeds. In gear, it moves on its own. She was shocked that I didn't stop and continued, very slowly, to edge out of my spot.

The driver got out and started shouting. I asked him to tell the woman to get out of the way. She was impeding me uselessly. Her friend, a bottle bleach dyed blonde, pointed her smartphone at my number plate to take a photo of the registration number. 

If I end up before the Beak, it's too bad. What on earth was the point of arguing about something that could not be proved?