Clear Blue Sky

Living in Bishop's Stortford, right next to Stansted Airport, it's rare to see a fully clear blue sky.  In fact it never happens.  There are always vapour trails from the jets streaked across the sky.

But today the airport has been closed for the third day due to the volcanic dust from Iceland, and there is not a cloud in the sky.  It's a beautiful spring day, and for a change there is no noise from the aircraft and no evidence of their existence.  Just blue sky as far as the eye can see.  I took some photos, as it's probably the only time this will happen in my lifetime.  So enjoy it while it lasts.  Scheduled to open again at 01:00 tomorrow morning, and they'll more than likely allow night flying so we'll have no more peace after we go to bed tonight.

North West - clear blue sky.

Facing North.  Clear blue sky.

This is towards the west.  There would normally be a mess of vapour trails in this part of the sky.

Facing East right across the flight-path.

This view of to the South East would normally have a plane it it at any time except very early morning or after dark.  Today, just one bird!

Cam Peak

Where I grew up, in Gloucestershire, there was a peaked hill which was known locally as "Cam Peak". I used to go sledging there when it snowed. It's just outside the town of Dursley, and there was a great story about it, which I will now ruin by writing it down:

The people of Dursley were a good people, and the Devil could not stand them. He decided to get rid of them by dumping a wheelbarrow load of clay and sand on the town. He was not very clear where Dursley was, so he wandered around Gloucestershire looking for it. That day, there was a cobbler travelling from Dursley to his workshop in Coaley, carrying a sack full of worn out shoes he was going to repair. He happened to meet the Devil at Ashmead, just outside Dursley. The Devil asked the cobbler if he know where Dursley was as he was going there to tip this wheelbarrow load of rubbish on the town. The cobbler, sensing a threat to his livelihood, had to think of a way to stop this. "Yes" he said; "I've just come from Dursley". "How far is it?", asked the Devil. "Well", said the cobbler, "you see this sack of shoes? I have worn them all out on my way. That's how far it is." Enraged at the fact he was so far from his goal, the Devil dumped the wheelbarrow load of clay and sand where he stood. To this day, Cam Peak stands there, overlooking the town of Dursley.