I think I may have made this most recent move in my life with less drama than previous decampments. Well, I'll re-phrase; I know I have. There was still the usual frantic rummaging around in my room, leaping over the futon bed like a dog taking part in an agility trial and both hands burrowing like a mole on speed in my various boxes and bags. Vicki and Toby were patient with my growls and prowls about the house looking for keys, phone charger, wallet and anything useful which naturally got swallowed in the detritus of my less useful belongings. Occasionally Merryn, my ten month old neice, was sat on things but more often than not I couldn't even blame the curiousity of the baby and it was just me being scatty.
I ran my final errands around town buying socks and soap and eventually gave up and decamped to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition at the city museum. I love to marvel at the miracles of nature and felt I should take myself beyond my minor gripes with packing and literally look at the bigger picture. As always I was inspired, moved to tears and left deep in thought at some of the images presented so beautifully. I was drawn to one image in particular of "Migaloo" taken by an Australian photographer. Migaloo is a rare white humpback whale photographed from an aerial view to show him cleaving through his watery world. Migaloo doesn't really blend in with the crowd. He's bright white for a start. And huge. Amazingly, when Migaloo makes his move to begin his migration his exit has been pre-empted. Every year the Australian government puts in place legislation to ensure that a 500m exclusion zone is respected around the whale to allow him to proceed safely on his way. This fact brought me to tears as I realised how much more we could do to protect the natural world if only the intentions were there. Go well Migaloo.
I wandered back to my car and headed for home, only to be caught in an unexpected surge of football supporters all leaving the Saturday afternoon match at Ashton Gate. As I inched my way along the river I resisted the urge to swear, letting people in and accepting the potentially hour long crawl. Strangely I suddenly felt that this was precious time, trapped as I was in my metal box which has been part of my work for the last few months, it suddenly felt like a retreat, somewhere to consider my new future looming large in the foreground. I watched the red lights of the car in front merge with the glare from a streetlight and it was suddenly like the world had shifted. It was strange and magical and I realised suddenly I was leaving again. I burst into tears and sat with a wet face watching the column of traffic before me. A mini flood really compared to past crying sessions which have carried me through several motorway junctions at a time. It was necessary and part of the process and I didn't feel deeply sad or lost but really the opposite. I was surely going to miss my home in Bristol but my new horizons were just startting to appear.
I ran my final errands around town buying socks and soap and eventually gave up and decamped to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition at the city museum. I love to marvel at the miracles of nature and felt I should take myself beyond my minor gripes with packing and literally look at the bigger picture. As always I was inspired, moved to tears and left deep in thought at some of the images presented so beautifully. I was drawn to one image in particular of "Migaloo" taken by an Australian photographer. Migaloo is a rare white humpback whale photographed from an aerial view to show him cleaving through his watery world. Migaloo doesn't really blend in with the crowd. He's bright white for a start. And huge. Amazingly, when Migaloo makes his move to begin his migration his exit has been pre-empted. Every year the Australian government puts in place legislation to ensure that a 500m exclusion zone is respected around the whale to allow him to proceed safely on his way. This fact brought me to tears as I realised how much more we could do to protect the natural world if only the intentions were there. Go well Migaloo.
I wandered back to my car and headed for home, only to be caught in an unexpected surge of football supporters all leaving the Saturday afternoon match at Ashton Gate. As I inched my way along the river I resisted the urge to swear, letting people in and accepting the potentially hour long crawl. Strangely I suddenly felt that this was precious time, trapped as I was in my metal box which has been part of my work for the last few months, it suddenly felt like a retreat, somewhere to consider my new future looming large in the foreground. I watched the red lights of the car in front merge with the glare from a streetlight and it was suddenly like the world had shifted. It was strange and magical and I realised suddenly I was leaving again. I burst into tears and sat with a wet face watching the column of traffic before me. A mini flood really compared to past crying sessions which have carried me through several motorway junctions at a time. It was necessary and part of the process and I didn't feel deeply sad or lost but really the opposite. I was surely going to miss my home in Bristol but my new horizons were just startting to appear.
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