Glass in Glass

Detail of a jar containing pieces of glass that were found on a stoney beach.

Last night we had a very gusty nor'wester, which was followed, as usual, by  sou'wester that brought rain.  When the clouds lifted this afternoon there was fresh snow on the mountains and something missing from the hills.  My favourite tree, the one that I look at many times a day, was stretched out across the hillside it had graced for years.

I loved its solitary bearing, but must admit that it lived dangerously.  It was a eucalypt with a very long slender stem and a windswept mop on top.  Like many of the trees around here it leaned away from the north west, but so elegantly.  Perhaps it was the impossibility of its stance that made it so attractive.

I've taken dozens of photos of the tree under differing light conditions, but I haven't blipped it once.  Too late now.

The big gap on the hillside is going to take a bit of getting used to.