This Is Home For Me

Replying to a question posed by Squeeze the Avocado in Counter Arts publication — ‘Where Are You From…Babey?’

So. Here we are folks. The Beautiful Green. Or, to be more specific, the fields behind my house.

The North of England does see the sun. Unfortunately, it’s quite often only when it’s going down for the night. While the south of the country is blazing hot, we might be feeling warm, but the sky will still be clouded more often than not…and it may well be raining. It rains here a lot. Not drizzle or showers, real hammering rain — but we do need it, to water the Green and fill the various lakes, rivers and streams (becks). Behind the sun, which makes for an interesting picture I think, rise fells.

This lake is five minutes away on foot. It’s home to ducks and swans aplenty. No swimming allowed, because the bottom of the lake is covered by long reeds which can wrap around legs and drag you under. There have been deaths here, but far enough into the past that they have entered local folklore and oral wisdom — yet close enough to recent times that these tales still seem to carry weight with the local youth, because I’ve never in my life seen a single person so much as waist high in that water. We do all have a paddle around the edges though, where we throw sticks for dogs and splash over heating children on those days the glorious sun does break through the clouds.

Cloud, sliver of sun, sea (yes, there is some there, all the way out at low tide), sand, stones — and then there’s grass just off the bottom of the photograph, where I was standing with my dog.

A different beach, along the same stretch of coast. This time the sea was just coming in and here (on a bright summer day which that isn’t) there are swimmers and sunbathers, boats, water skiing, walkers heading up the cliffs, dogs, children running from sea to sand to playground and back….and ice creams, always lovely locally made ice cream in abundance.

Of course, “It can’t rain all the time.” (To quote from the glorious 1994 film ‘The Crow’, starring Brandon Lee).

The countryside is quite well populated with a variety of friendly neighbours that it’s fun to visit with on a warm summer day.

Then there’s also a cooling beck to visit — and all of these places are nearby. Even the beach is only ten minutes by car, or you can walk there if you fancy stretching your legs (and the dog’s) for longer than the five minutes it takes to pop along to the lake, or beck, or up into the fields and fells.

It’s a beautiful place. Quiet (for the most part), a place of peace and calm, just what I need. I’ve tried living in more densely populated places, with more night life, more people. I’ve always come back.

https://sadieseroxcat.medium.com/country-mouse-3bd11a05070a?sk=72c30a6692b579d969c7ff70dc0753f1.

Thanks for reading! If you would like to see the original photo prompt, please visit SqueezetheAvocado’s original piece linked above.