Floating balls of light

We're in a car speeding along the M11 from Northern Essex. At about 4pm this afternoon, seeing what a lovely day it was, Nathan and I jumped in the car and headed off to see the parents in Thaxted.

I was very pleased that we went. We were able to stroll down to the spot which my mum has started to describe as the "cosmic place;" that little corner of a field behind the village where the brook turns a corner and the trees whisper secrets to one another.

We were fed a magnificent meal which my mother described as eccentric because it was the product of her defrosting the freezer! We had some little filo pies that she didn't even recognise. I wasn't sure if they were savoury or sweet, but they tasted very good.

After eating, we popped back out and watched the sun setting over another field behind the village. It was magical to watch the clouds and vapour trails turning from yellow through gold and orange to purple. The moon was the merest crescent. Jupiter hovered in the sky above it. I wondered what Turner would have made of vapour trails. They have entirely changed the way we perceive the sky and I'm convinced his paintings would have been thick with them.

We sat in the sitting room. Nathan knitted. I did a bit more work on the music quiz. It was very relaxed and lovely.

As we drove back home through the darkened country lanes we could see planes taking off and arriving at Stansted Airport; balls of light like giant stars floating above the horizon. It's a rather eerie sight, but one that I've come to enjoy.