Thursday 19 November 2009

November Light



There is a certain light in the month of November that has always held me in a sense of wonder.


It seems particularly intense around the countryside of County Durham and Cleveland, most especially towards dusk.




Such luminosity of sky as evening falls over the landscape!




Soft high-lights on moss-covered trunks ...




Evening sun playing magically round the edge of twig and branch.



Overcast skies through damp russet bracken.



Looking up steep slopes at silhouetted trees against glowing skies.



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The muted colours of a twilight stream.
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This post also includes a bench - have you noticed it? 'Bench of the Week' was begun by RuneE of Visual Norway. Do visit his beautiful blog, and also the blogs of other participants, including Barbara Martin, PERBS, and Malyss.

31 comments:

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Love the moss on the tree trunk and the really cool bracken shot--looks like something I'd hang on my wall! Here is a skyline in another Cleveland!

Diane AZ said...

Beautiful skies and lighting and I especially like the green moss on the tree and the view through the russet bracken. I found the well-placed bench.

Phoenix C. said...

Thank you Monica! I've always liked moss, and there is a lot of bracken round here this year. I'll have a look at the other Cleveland skyline!

Phoenix C. said...

Both you and Monica like the same shots, Diane AZ! Glad you found the bench - it is well placed, but a little damp for sitting on when I was walking in that area!

Rune Eide said...

I think you have captured the November atmosphere (when it is not raining) very well. The quiet low light and all.

Like the other I fell for the third picture. An exquisite texture.

And of course the bench in the last on - just the place to have a rest and contemplate it all.

Malyss said...

It's good to go with you and stroll through the country, enjoying the beauty of the country , the sweet colors of autumn, and to discover a little bench, along a river, where to sit and admire the landscape!
A very quietful and refrefreshing post!

Phoenix C. said...

Thank you RuneE. (From what you say it sounds like it's been raining a lot in Norway too?)

We have a lull in the rain today, and the 'quiet low' light is shining so beautifully.

Phoenix C. said...

Malyss, thank you! The November countryside is very refreshing.

lynn'sgarden said...

I love sunsets this time of year...with shorter days, the colors aren't as vibrant but the light is more intense. Love that mossy tree trunk, too ;)

Phoenix C. said...

Hi Lynn, it's interesting, the difference in the light- there's a kind of newness and purity about it.

The mossy trunk is popular, I shall have to go and tell it next time I'm in that area!! :)

Lona said...

The picture of the moss covered tree trunk is just beautiful.

Phoenix C. said...

Thank you Lona! I actually nearly didn't put that photo in because it has no sky on it!!

Prospero said...

Somehow I thought of The Grapes of Wrath in looking at the penultimate shot. I don't know why! Nice pictures bathe in autumnal light.

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

I found the bench :) The lighting there is just beautiful, so soft. It's been so cloudy here that there isn't much lighting, it just feels gloomy. I do love when those clouds on the horizon have light shining out from under them.

Phoenix C. said...

Thank you Prospero.

The Grapes of Wrath is something else I haven't read! (Or seen, is it a film or a book or both?)

However, I did see the last half hour or so of Ice Age 2 last weekend, with Scrat and his acorn, which you had mentioned some months ago!

Phoenix C. said...

The lighting by the stream was lovely, Catherine. I took a lot of photos all along the banks.

I've always loved that effect of looming clouds with light coming from underneath.

Barbara Martin said...

My favourite photos were of the moss on the tree and the bracken. The sky shots were perfect for a day in the country for the time of year. The hidden bench is in an excellent location to watch the water run by.

Phoenix C. said...

Thank you Barbara! Glad you like the shots - there is a lot of moss around this year and I always think the mounds of moss make little landscapes in themselves.

The Solitary Walker said...

Really gorgeous pix! I do so love this time of the year. Though it's raining bucketfulls here at the moment.

Pondside said...

Your November skies are lovely. Over here we don't see much of the sky at this time - it's really the gloomiest time of year, with unrelenting rain. It all stops in time for Christmas, when sometimes it snows. Don't you love the brilliant green of the moss? It's the same over here - velvety cover on every surface.

Phoenix C. said...

Thank you Solitary Walker! It's raining almost incessantly here too - quite a warm rain, and we are fortunate not to have had flooding.

Phoenix C. said...

Pondside, thank you. The moss is one of the upsides of all the rain! It is flourishing - the back lawn is now about 90% moss, which makes mowing much easier!!

Malyss said...

Hi,
To answer to your question on my bench blog, I think the tree is a laurel.
Have a nice day!

Phoenix C. said...

Thank you Malyss! It looks so lovely next to the bench.

You have a nice day too!

PERBS said...

Better late than never. . . I was laid up with a back sprain but am doing much better now and hope to get blogging regular again. Thank goodness I ahd uploaded many benches in advance to keep my bench blog running. . .

I enjoyed all your muted photos -- especially the moss on tree one AND the last one with the bench. The colors are so beautiful at that time of day! You captured it perfectly! Thanks for mentioning my bench blog.

Phoenix C. said...

PERBS - how awful to be laid up with a sprained back! I'm glad it is much better and hope the healing continues speedily.

Glad you like the photos - thank you!

Rob (ourfrenchgarden) said...

Love that shot through the bracken.

great stream pic as well, is that a bench I see?

Phoenix C. said...

Thank you Rob!

Sure is a bench there - but rather damp to sit on!

Anna said...

I spotted the bench - eventually :) A lovely spot to sit in warmer months and listen to the sound of water.

Anonymous said...

Admiring this tree with moss and going back to sleep with flu, probably with dreams of these peaceful lands :)

Phoenix C. said...

Hi Nigea - hope your flu soon gets better, and that you have sweet and peaceful dreams. :)