In Camera ... Postcard AG309

This image captures the beautiful calm of a wonderful January evening and was taken long after the sun had set. Here is my diary entry written shortly after returning from the beach:

Beach at Sunset. Down to Hall Road at 3.40 to catch the sunset and high tide. The water was lapping around the ankles of the figures closest to the promenade. The sky clear, just a few wisps of cloud over the Welsh Hills. The air sharp and vibrant, the skeletal frames of the wind farm making a strong contrast against the sky and the curved silhouettes of the Welsh Hills standing out clearly against the glowing orange sky as the sun sank into the mountains near Moel Siabod.

There was no wind and the calm sea reflected ripples of light, orange, yellow, blue and green from the sky. The sun was setting swiftly now, the glowing ball of light becoming a semicircle and then a crescent as it dropped below the silhouetted mountains. Rays of light seemed to burst forth from behind the mountains for a short time after the sun had gone, then for a few minutes the colours seemed to fade from the sky. I was about to pack up and return to the warmth of the car but something kept me on the beach. The colours of the western sky intensified, a deeper shade of orange turning to a deeper red climbing to lighter yellows, green and finally the deep blue of the overhead dome . The gently swaying water reflected all the colours from the sky, appearing to glow as it took on all the different hues. I stood there mesmerised by the beauty of the evening, the glowing sky and the calm sea a dappled palate worthy of Monet or Van Gogh. The temperature was 0ºC but, for nearly an hour after sunset I could not tear myself away from the wonderful display that the movement of our earth around the sun had created, a light show that could not be excelled. Venus had appeared in the SW sky, a brilliant diamond against the cerulean blue, and as I finally packed up. a quarter moon was starting to throw its brilliance on the scene. I made my way back up the beach to the car, feeling the cold for the first time as I did so.