Nature/Cloud/Sunset

Reciprocal Nature Prompt December - 2nd week

Sunsets in Heaven

I never used to look at sunsets. Instead of the colours of sunsets, my father used to point out flowers like the antirrhinum, which he called Bunny Rabbit, probably because when you squeeze it it opens it’s jaws and appears to have teeth. That yellow flower with its tinge of white used to impress me, not only with its colour, but the way it grew out of walls in Greater London without prompting or hand watering.

Sunsets came and went without me noticing. Perhaps we were already in bed. My father was strict with his seven children. We had dinner, tea, and story time and were in bed by 7: p. m.

Then, much later, as a full-time mother to five beautiful and active children, I was always in the house at the end of the day, putting the children to bed at sunset or before, in winter.

I discovered sunsets when I moved to Shaftesbury. Shaftesbury is an ancient Saxon hilltop town in Dorset, England. I was lucky to have found a 12th century cottage over 3 floors. Perfect to house me and my youngest daughter, with a large attic room with it’s own bathroom. A small house with two bathrooms can be a rare find, especially when it is very old and has original features. The downside was there was no garden, just a yard, so we like to walk in the surrounding countryside.

My partner, who I met 6 months before I decided to rent my flat, used to arrive to visit in the evenings and he would walk over to the Victorian garden with me and we would watch the sunsets over the distant hills of Somerset. In the distance, a tor. And to the left a small hill we would go to in the spring when it was alive with bluebells.

I didn’t really appreciate those 30-minute sunset walks at the time, especially when my daughter was waiting at home, and I wanted to spend every moment with her, but I do now because I can remember them.

Sometimes, I take a photograph of a sunset. Like this one, taken a few years ago in Rye, Camber, where I went with my eldest daughter when we were allowed to meet up after an excruciating 2 years apart due to lockdowns.

What I love about the second photograph is the fact that dusk is settling in and there is the monochrome mixed with the complementary colours; the blue and the orange, and they're just peeping out, is the moon. Not sure what stage of the moon this is, so won’t attempt a guess, but I like the perfection of the curve. There is something of the fairy tale about it.

I took many photographs on that day, and the sunsets made it more memorable and fixed it in my mind. Something to go back to on lonely winter days.

With thanks to Dr. Preeti Singh for this prompt on ‘Reciprocal’.

This week, I really enjoyed reading Dr. Preeti Singh’s story about her 2 years at Medium. It was very touching to hear about all the support and friendship that has been extended to Dr. Singh, and I am sure we all wish this writer well with this continuing journey. Another story I enjoyed by this writer and editor is called ‘The Dancing Elephants Present you with A Christmas Gift’ — all about kindness and a discussion with a poor stranger who adored birds as friends.

Another story I enjoyed was the Nature/Inspire/Response ‘When I cannot go to the Mountains’ from Neera Handa Dr I enjoy looking at photographs when I have my computer handy, and these were exceptional. I enjoyed the quote about nature reminding the writer of poets. I think there is something in that, and perhaps in the beauty of a sunset too.