Golden Hour #005: foraging for light

refractions and shimmering portals

At this time of the year I find myself foraging for light, hunting down slivers of the golden hour—and looking for evidence that this interminable winter is coming to an end.

In the morning, light seeps into our house, bouncing off uneven walls and sloping ceilings. I brush my teeth and see that my fishy friend is swimming upstream, trying to catch some sunshine as it refracts onto the riverbed.

We need to do something about that creeping ivy.

Can you remind me to cut it back again, before it totally engulfs the the cottage?

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A small stained-glass window is set into the bathroom wall. At this time of day it becomes a shimmering portal, part of a small Appalachian church at the turn of the century.

The service is about to start, have you got your hymnal?

There’s a flight of stairs to walk down before you enter the living room. Careful of your head—the ceilings are low and it’s normally the darkest room of the house.

My desk is over there, pushed up against a window in the corner.

A milky shadow casts itself against thick stone walls, which have kept us warm all winter. I like writing here, in a dimly lit spot. It’s good not to have too many distractions, isn’t it?

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Turn to your right and the kitchen becomes visible—it’s all crisp lines and sharp corners through there.

Ten months ago my husband stood in the same doorway holding our newborn daughter up to the light. Checking she was real.

Into the kitchen, where the dishwasher hums and laundry remains in the same place it has been all week.

Towards the far end of the kitchen two double doors serve as the entrance to our cottage. During the past year they’ve let countless parcels and friends pass in and out; anonymously framing our long days and sleepless nights.

The light is buttery this morning.

Have you got your wellies? Mine are just the other side of the door, they’ve become bleached because I’ve left them out in the sun too often.

Here, I’ve got a spare pair of walking boots for you.

We walk down the path and turn right down the lane.

This is the top field.

The light is coming.