The Vancouver Island paint box relies on blue, green, and grey. Mostly grey. But over this dry, smoking summer, that has changed. Lawns are yellow and crispy; the air has been brown, the sunshine orange. Distant mountains, instead of blue and purple, were a smudgy mud colour.
When the rains finally started last week, I went out to the woods to rest my eyes on the new greys.
 |
| From Race Point, Looking across to Quadra Island |
 |
| Mist over a valley. Near Brown's Bay Road, Hwy 19. |
 |
| Muted rainforest greens |
"The woods were lovely, dark and deep ..." (Robert Frost)
It was pleasant there, wandering in the slow rain, under the evergreens. The air was cool and damp; it smelled of moss. The only sounds were the quiet tree conversations; creaking and whispering; and the gentle pattering of falling fir needles. Far overhead, eagles circled, crossing and re-crossing the patches of visible grey sky.
Farther north, the rain had been and gone, but the mist remained.
 |
| Deciduous trees, blasted by unaccustomed heat, basking now in a blue-grey mist. |
 |
| Not everything is grey. Blackberries, still green, are red. |
The blackberries this year are ripening slowly. I've tried a few ripe ones; they're acid and hard. They need water, lots of water, and sunshine; this summer has been missing both.
A 'grey, green and blue paint box' - describes so many views in BC.
ReplyDelete