From Heaven's Gate

[puddleshark]

A walk along the high ground above the Purbeck coast, in the company of the north wind and skylark song.





Followed the ridge as far as the gate to the steep stony track down to Hell Bottom (named some years ago, in marker pen, presumably by a sore-arsed mountain biker) and Kimmeridge.

Turned to retrace my steps. Stopped to sit for a while by the little wooden gate engraved with the words "HEAVEN'S GATE". I don't know who named it. Originally the words were chalked on the gate. But the name stuck, and is now official. The wind was cold and the sun was warm and the air was clear. Cloudshadow went passing over the hills inland, and I mourned the Old Girl a while.


The sun strikes sparks in your bright copper coat.
The March wind combs your mane.
The cloudshadow's travelling over the hills.
Shall we race it, Charm, again?

Yes, I write poems to the memory of my horse. What of it?



***

And the verdict on the secondhand Canon 6D I bought last week. Nice camera. Shame the auto-focus doesn't work properly. I can get it to work by pressing the AF-on button, or the touch screen, but not by pressing the shutter halfway. Looks like I'm in for yet another visit to the camera shop next week...

Comments

[mallorys_camera]

I love that you write poems to Charm.

[puddleshark]

They are not very good poems. I can just picture the Old Girl's reaction - a laconic flick of the ear in my direction, and a sardonic "Oh, good grief!" side eye.

[watervole]

I like the scansion. Especially in the last line. (I really hate bad scansion with passion....)

[sartorias]

So very green!

I love that poem.

[puddleshark]

Thank you!

Green, but not yet the lush spring green of April. We need a bit of rain to set everything growing madly.

[heleninwales]

Oh, what a pain that the camera isn't working properly. I hope you can get it exchanged or a refund.

[puddleshark]

I emailed the camera shop, and they quickly emailed back to say that the problem was probably caused by the Most Annoying Setting Ever - a custom setting in the menu that doesn't clear itself when you go into the menu and clear all settings.

I followed their instructions and the auto-focus is now working - hurrah!

[heleninwales]

Oh, that's excellent news! I hope you can start getting used to it now.

[heleninwales]

Re Charm, I do miss riding, yet I know that I don't have the physical strength or energy any more. However, I don't miss the stress of horse keeping, so there is that...

[puddleshark]

Yes. I'm not strong enough or brave enough to get back in the saddle these days.

I don't miss the physical labour and the financial stress of keeping horses, but I do miss the days of being fit enough to vault onto a horse & ride bareback!

[watervole]

It's a good poem. I like it.

I haven't heard skylarks in far too long. I went along the coast last year, but it was later in the year, so probably too late for skylarks to be calling.

[puddleshark]

Thank you!

The ridge of high ground above Kimmeridge isn't bad for skylarks, but it's the chalk track along St Aldhelm's Head that is the best place to hear them. I always think of it as Skylark Alley. And then you can sit in the darkness of the chapel, with the skylark song pouring in through the open door.

[watervole]

Oooh! I love that idea.

I haven't got the stamina for a decent walk yet, but I am slowly improving, so fingers crossed.

[puddleshark]

It's quite a nice level walk, if you set out from the little car park by Renscombe Farm. Not too much up and down. (Unlike Chapman's Pool and Hounstout!)

Hope you soon get your stamina back.

The magical mystery tour through digital camera menus.

[nikonf3]

I'm glad your camera was an easy fix. I have a Nikon FM2. It's mechanical. You can change the shutter speed or adjust the aperture on the lens. The light meter is broken so no battery needed. It's so simple, so peaceful.

Re: The magical mystery tour through digital camera menus.

[puddleshark]

That sounds great.

I wanted simplicity, and instead have ended up with a camera stuffed full of custom functions I will never use. But now that cameras with optical viewfinders are like gold dust, I just have to adapt to whatever I can get hold of.