I knew exactly what he meant. Some years ago, when I lived in Twickenham, a water main burst and flooded a small but vital section of road known as "The Dip". For over a week, the road was closed and all buses and cars had to be rerouted. Suddenly, the world seemed a much kinder, gentler place, dominated by the sounds of birdsong and the wind rustling the leaves of trees. I felt calmer and happier.
Today, apart from a few Landrovers, the only sounds we heard were the screaming of children, the crunching of footsteps in snow and bleating of sheep. I'll feel a real sense of loss when the traffic starts moving again.
I took a few photos of snowy lanscapes, but they look like everyone else's. My son's shots are far more interesting.
Here is an 11-year-old's view of the snowfall:
15 comments:
Great shots. Lots of snow photos from back east and midwest!
Great pics!
I know what you mean. I live separated by just a few buildings from Lake Shore Drive [a main N-S thoroughfare for car traffic in Chicago]. The murmur of the traffic is a constant presence in my life, mostly unnoticed but always there. And then there is one morning each year when IT'S NOT THERE and the absence of the murmur on the Bike the Drive mornigns is beautiful. (Bike the Drive is a morning when the drive is closed to allow people to ride bikes on it.)
Of course, the road is also closed to car traffic for the Chicago Marathons ;) BUT the noise of people cheering on the runners is actually much louder (wake me up from a Sunday sleep-in!) than the murmur of cars.
So true, thanks. I blogged this.
Brilliant timing on the top shot. It looks like a pennant.
Your son has a good 'eye' for a photograph. I went out with the camera yesterday and snapped the scene. When I got back home, I deleted around 90%. The best shots were those without too much snow.
Those are seriously good photos!
Poor sheep. I'll bet they were having a hard time of it. Great piccies though.
such a splendid pun, and great pictures too.
So sorry to read about your mum - and i'm so glad to hear she's on the mend.
Hey, city girl from Los Angeles here. Curious... does that sheep have green on it's butt? And if so, why?
The green dye shows that it belongs to a particular flock. It stops farmers getting their sheep muddled up.
In LA terms, you can think of it as the sheep equivalent of Bloods and Crips.
Fabulous photos!
Another lovely post, Mr. Steerforth. I live in NYC, and traffic is as constant as the time it seems to waste. I often wish I lived on a farm in Montana. I think days like this, situations like this, are essential for the modern world...if only to get us back to where we need to be.
Re the sheep, and why it has a green bottom...
Isn't it because it shows that the particular animal has been 'tupped' (I think that's the correct country phrase, I'm a hardened urbanite!) by the ram during a specific round of mating? Different colours help the farmer work out when each ewe might lamb.
I might be wrong...
You're probably right - my ovine knowledge ism't extensive, I have to admit.
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