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carol27’s TMA Blog

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Learning how to see & breathe.

I've tried the field notes thing, but there's really nothing I can add other than my own emotional experience, & I'm not sure that's what field notes are about. I'm in awe of people who can photograph, measure, detail & wonderfully describe these fantastic places. Drew, please take note, how am I to learn?
It occurred to me , on holiday in Cornwall, on my last day that I chose, after all the neolithic adventuring, to devote a day to getting in the sea. In fact that is always the highlight of time spent in Cornwall. And whilst in the sea, I found myself thinking what must our forebears have made of this. How awe inspiring must this of been for them, just as it is for me & then I thought how can you leave a lasting testimony to the sea? Sea henge & the footprints at Formby Point?
Anyway the whole point of this post is that I drove home from work today & I saw the hills, & the lumps & bumps on the horizon. I watched the bluest sky & the way the sun shone through the greenest tree overhangs. The darkness & the light. The sparkling water. The red & gold turning foliage. The mist, the frost & the stones ancient or not. And I realised that this has been the gift given to me.

ce
Posted by carol27
2nd October 2015ce


Comments (6)

I love this post, beautiful and evocative of the wonderful landscapes we have in this country.

Your fieldnotes are great by the way.
thesweetcheat Posted by thesweetcheat
3rd October 2015ce
I've really enjoyed reading your fieldnotes Carol. For me, they are exactly what fieldnotes should be about. I love reading folk's different styles. Some quite factual, some more about the vibe of the place or just how the visit made them feel. It's a wonderous world and your post above reminds us of that, thanks. thelonious Posted by thelonious
3rd October 2015ce
I have found that almost the greatest joy in visiting a monument is the progress through the landscape in which it sits and I say that having been blessed in the last week to encounter both Moel ty Uchaf and The Druids' Circle, prime examples of how in some cases the getting there is as big a part of the experience as seeing the thing itself. For me a good fieldnote is one that helps me find what I'm looking for as well as conveying the writer's impressions and in the years since I started using this site I have benefitted hugely from reading people's contributions where the map hasn't always been my best guide. ironstone Posted by ironstone
3rd October 2015ce
I loved reading this Carol ...
"The darkness & the light. The sparkling water. The red & gold turning foliage. The mist, the frost & the stones ancient or not. And I realised that this has been the gift given to me."
It is how I feel too. I've just returned from a short walking holiday in north Devon - with the lovely autumn sunshine it truly did feel like a gift.
tjj Posted by tjj
3rd October 2015ce
Carol, Carol, Carol! How I wish I had not read your blog. Your wonderful description of an autumnal drive through the countryside has left me with no option other than to load up my van and undertake another field trip having promised my wife that there will be no more this year, certainly not before the spare room has been decorated in any case. Oh dear, looks like another difficult tea coming up over the next couple of weeks....Loved it Posted by costaexpress
4th October 2015ce
Dinna worry I'm still here :-) drewbhoy Posted by drewbhoy
21st October 2015ce
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