Saturday, December 15, 2007

winter lights

I withdraw in shame my previous comments about London greyness seeping into the soul.



After waxing lyrical about the quality of light in Suffolk, we've had a week of beautiful winter light here in London.

Sumptuous dusks





and magical dawns.




This last picture (below) reminds me of a story I remember from childhood - and which I associate with my mother, maybe she read it to us?

A story about someone who, waking in the morning, and beginning their daily work, becomes transfixed by the sight of a building in the far far distance with windows of shining gold. They set out, resolved to journey as far as necessary and as long as it takes to find their way to this glowing haven. Over hills and dales and through dark forests and across murky rivers, they are driven on by their vision of the dazzling gold. On exhausted arrival at the other edge of the horizon, they find an ordinary, undistinguished house with plain everyday windows. And looking back across the landscape, tracing the long long way they have travelled, they see their own house in the far far distance, transformed by the setting sun into a wondrous burnished dazzle of gold.





parable of life, eh?

19 comments:

Akelamalu said...

Fabulous photos Lettie and I love the story - greener.grass. and other. side. spring to mind. :)

Lynne said...

lovely photos ... lovely story

Yes, the grass is always greener on the other side, or in this case gold/golden. Why is it that we cannot see how good we really have things until we step back from our lives and take a good long look?

I love this whole post, Letty!

Brilliant! and I don't mean just the sun... :D

Elma said...

Loved the story--I must tell that one to baby Hubert.

I loved all of the photos! Magical!

Trac said...

Oh I agree with Lynne there...

I've been having a bit of a love affair with London this year myself! :o)

(Just an affair though... I'm actually happily married to Barcelona!)
x

mouse (aka kimy) said...

wondrous and wonderful pictures. ah I definitely need to start planning a trip to london - seeing these pictures reminded me of how much I do love it (has been in my top ten cities of the world for ages).

picture three for some reason has prompted me to start singing mary poppins' chim chim cher-ee!

eh yes!! thanks

Pod said...

these are more than glorious, as you, for a lettuce, are. love the story. sometimes we need to travel far far away, or run run run toward something we think is better, only to realise what we already have is what we only ever really needed in the first place. tis all about the journey though hey?
now, will you take my arm for our first turn of the season around the rink my deer?

Pod said...

the light on the gnc, that type of light is in my dreams a lot. especially in the cathedral. it's an amazing shot lettle

Anonymous said...

Beautiful beautiful, makes me wanna be a londoner again again!

call me betty said...

O, what wonderful and magical pictures. Thank you for posting them (and the story, too.) Remind me again exactly why I'm planning to move out of London??

tut-tut said...

Just great; what an eye and the camera ability to go with it!

R.L. Bourges said...

beautiful - I visited much earlier without leaving a comment. But writing of the "brief shining moment" on my post today, I thought of your pics and of your story.

lettuce said...

yes Akelulu - Canary Wharf certainly isn't as gold and glowing as all that close up!

thanks lynne, so much. x

baby Hubert? aaahhh. :o)

hahaha trac. I've only ever had a brief fling with Barcelona, but would LOVE to take the relationship further.

i know what you mean Kimy about pic. no 3. But please please don't sing it..... and please please do come and see me in london!

oh ta poddie love. that means so much coming from you. Sometimes of course there really is gold on the far horizon. I will indeed take your arm and will lend you a woooly hat, its brass monkeys over here.

not long Tat - but come for longer!!!!

nope Betty, wont.

Tuttut, this time for sure it was all about the beauty which was just there for the snapping.

hello again Lee. Thats a beautiful phrase, i will come over and read.

Pod said...

sadly i look silly in hats, esp of the woolly variety, but i shall wear my sheilas beneath my boots. true true that sometimes there is gold on the horizon. there was when i came here. these images really make me want to come back and photograph london, and my home town.....be seeing you soon!?

Queenie said...

So very clever those photos. In the last one I expected to see a young lad in short grey pants, pushing a bike with a loaf of Hovis in the basket on the front of it.Makes you wonder how my mind works!!

Jay said...

Oh these pictures are just beautiful, and they do my soul some good after a whole week of looking at snow drifts taller than I am.

Dumdad said...

Now I remember why I miss London. Great pix as usual.

lettuce said...

i think looking silly is at least half the point of woolly hats, pod. will you be here soon enough for me to see just how silly?

Hovis Boy, Queenie? hmmmmmmm. yes, i'm wondering! ;op

i'm glad jay.

and DD, happy to remind you.

Reya Mellicker said...

Your London midwinter light is so beautiful! Pure gold. Here in DC, our midwinter sun is pure silver, really different.

Thank you for these. Gorgeous!!

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