ripples

There’s something about driving up and down the A1 from Hertfordshire to York and back.  I don’t know…it gives you time to think.  Three hours when (if you’re by yourself, which more often than not I am) you have to focus on driving and you don’t have anything to distract you and send your thoughts off in another direction.  I would even go so far as to say I find it meditative.  Does that make me sound like a hippy?  Oh well.

I always spare the big chimneys at ferrybridge a stare or two.  They are so impressive. The cloud billows out of the chimneys in a reliable stream and I know they are industrial and probably pollutitive (I know it’s not a word but it’s late so roll with me here) and some would say ugly…but there’s also something impressive and majestic and beautiful about them.  And I always drive past them on my journey’s up and down to home and back (both homes) with a sense of awe.  I can’t escape the feeling that they’re silent sentries, keeping steady, nonjudgmental watch over my life and my comings and goings. It’s like they know where I’m going and what I’ll be doing next time I drive up, way before I do. (Now I really do sound hippy.  Or plain nutty.  But if you’ve ever driven past them and looked, really looked, you might know what I mean.  Anyways..)

Today, on my way back Southbound and to (Hertfordshire) home, its about 9pm and the sun is just sinking in a cloud scattered sky. Looking left across to the Ferrybridge chimneys I notice (for the first time ever, weirdly) that there’s a wide mouthed river, still and calm winding up towards those huge concrete tubes.  A breath later and I notice gentle folds rippling out in two circles across the water’s silky surface.  And there they are.  Two crisp, perfectly white swans, swimming together like they’ve never been apart.

And I can’t help but feel like it’s a good omen.