Golden Valley early morning mists

I got up quite early to make tea this morning and as soon as I drew the curtains and saw the completely thick mist, with the brightness of the sun in the eerie background, I had plans. I pottered about whilst brewing the different teas we like, ran a bath for Helena and fed Bomble. When I returned upstairs with the refreshments, the bath was full, Helena was awake and I grabbed my camera and opened the window in my study room at the back of the house.

The sun was only coming into view as it rose over the hilltops to the east and the warming of its rays began to shift the multiple layers of mists all along the valley, and also above them on the commons opposite. Gradually shafts of light penetrated through the woods and then pin-pointed occasional objects like the golden leaves in the back gardens of the houses.

I have chosen this particular moment from many because Helena said she liked the inclusion of the big house on the south side of the Golden Valley, to the right of the picture. It is sited on the spring line in a coombe called Montserrat, for some odd reason, beside the ancient road along the valley's side leading to Brimscombe from Butterow. The latter's steep staggered terraces of houses under Rodborough Common eventually became bathed in bright light, though separated by a band of thick grey mist from the bright blue sky above.

I saw a jay perch in this big tree to the right and saw it fly across towards the sun with a large object in its mouth, probably breakfast, but it might be a stolen jewel, if legends be correct.

Every few seconds the composition, shape and thickness of the mists changed as the warming of the air proceeded. Within twenty minutes it was all gone. Within an hour it was raining hard and the mists on the hillsides seemed to be replaced by swirls of clouds falling down over the edge of the commons and then down into the valley and its the thickly wooded slopes. The rain has now cleared and the views all look dullish grey, with only the brown leaves of certain trees providing any significant colour.

One aspect of all this is that I can observe from the varied colours of their fading leaves how different trees populate specific areas of the woodland. I like to observe how the trees encroach on the meadows and pastures along the valleys' sides; much of this wooded landscape was actually cut down during and after the Second World War, so its regeneration is very much ongoing, in a pattern of land use that is traditional around here.

I have started to back-blip from last week's holiday in Holland here - 28th October 2013.

Another back blip here, with a colourful view of an old mill pond in Holland. I think it was the best picture I took on the holiday.