Sunset Cruise

Take a beautiful day
and choose one of the lovely vintage steam boats on the lake.
There were three of us on the cruise together
My grandson, a friend and me.

We had chosen to go on a sunset cruise
with a meal in this lovely old-style restaurant.

A photo before everyone streams in

This is our view from the table on the other side.

We took lots of photos and admired the wooden panelling on either side of the window.

We passed vineyards

and familiar mountains as the boat turned in Montreux
The Swiss flag flies in the stern of the boat.

It was still quite light
and I wondered if we would actually see the sunset
 before returning to our port in Ouchy.

It's always fun to see the paddle wheels turning

I love the lines of the mast against the light blue sky on the top deck.

The sun is getting quite low on the horizon

and the colours change with each passing minute and become more golden.

I love catching the scene through a foreground of poles and lines
and seeing the flowing French flag at the prow of the boat.

Just before disappearing behind the mountain range,
the golden sun-flares delight us all.

The gorgeous lighting after the sun has gone down
makes the silhouettes in the port look really magical.

On the other side of the sky,
everything is bathed in shades of blue and pink.

As we leave the boat and walk along the lake,
I take the last photos of the deepening sky

until just the hint of the silhouetted boat remains
with touches of pink behind the trees where the sun went down.

Such a wonderful outing on this beautiful day in August.



The Fifth Season

The Autumn storms have started and bring beautiful cooler days
to enjoy after a very hot and humid summer.
There's a different feeling in the air and the lighting is changing.
I like this change.

I plucked these three beautiful leaves from an ornamental cherry tree in my street.
I love the gentle warmth of their colours and their sharp cut-out edges.

I love all of the four seasons for different reasons
and also love that the Chinese celebrate five seasons:
Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer
and Late Summer.

Behind each of the seasons, there's an elemental energy:
the Five Elements:
Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood

By observing Nature,
we can see these five energies in the world around us
and also see how these same energies are reflected within our own bodies
and personalities.

Late Summer corresponds to the energy of the Earth: Mother Earth.
Maybe that is why I like it so much!


Hues of Soft Pink

The Eole
created by Clelia Bettua,
is a large, semi-circular wind vane with a diameter of 20 metres
by the lakeside at Ouchy Port.
It follows the prevailing wind direction
and four monoliths located at a distance of 150 metres
enable this work of art to be read.
You can check the direction of the wind by combining the semi-circle of the vane
with the semi-circles carved into the stone.

The wind blowing when this photo was taken
is simply called 'Le Vent'.
It's a south-westerly wind, very common in the summer.

Coming into port at sunset.

Three birds in a row
perched at the very top of these masts.

***

I shall be away for about a week to go up into the mountains
to attend my son's August wedding!


The Coolness of Water

During these days of extreme heat in this part of the world,
it always feels so refreshing to contemplate water.
It doesn't matter if it's the sea or a stream, a lake or a small pond.

Going down to the lake always makes me feel good, 
especially in the calmness of the early mornings
or in the early evenings before sunset.
Sailing boats add to our feeling of peace as they glide along

and the early evening lighting, 
which is often called the Blue Hour,
is particularly beautiful.

***
After posting almost every day during the month of July,
it felt very strange not to continue to do this in August!
However, 
lots of events are taking place this month and I won't always be at home.

I will be doing one more posting over the weekend and then I am going away for a few days.

I hope you are keeping cool if you're visiting from this part of Europe!