Saturday 1 October 2011

Where Ghosts Wander In The Trees.

For days now the rain clung to the mountains, a distant threat, a pale swathe that seemed to embrace them, draw them away from us. And each day we watched, waiting, but still they held.


And so we took ourselves off, running out into the afternoon sun, the day as muggy as high summer. We took ourselves up a winding, tree-lined road to a familiar place where ghosts sigh and murmur amidst the beech trees, and a happiness seems to linger.


There amongst the green the children ran and ran and ran, excitedly calling to one another, small hands busy finding treasure in the humus and leaves, their voices echoing off the trees, bouncing through the leaves.


And there in the virescent light a stillness found us, as though we sank into a verdurous pool of that magic that is leaf-sunlight, our thoughts straying to those lingering ghosts that dwell among these trees, and a silence fell over us for the briefest of times.







In the end the rain found it's way down the mountains, and today we awoke to a slow smothering of moisture that soaked and sank in to the earth, our clothes, our skin, filling the air with moisture, like a silvery haze. All day.
Finally.


13 comments:

Anonymous said...

beautiful, Ciara! i enjoyed every word, every photo. blessings~

Juniper said...

You write beautifully, and the ghosts of the forest seem so tangible in your photos. Lovely post and perfect ending- do like the last photo, the mountain looming in the distance with rain threatening. Hope you are enjoying a rainy day in today. We are waiting eagerly for some rain here.

gz said...

Sometimes its as if the earth is holding its breath, waiting for the rain

SWEDISH HOUSE said...

Hej Ciara

A beautiful atmospheric post
and the anticipation of rain...
The light is magical
I LOVE the last photograph
LOVE PEACE enJOY a cosy rainy Sunday
Julie
x

Martin said...

To be outside, in and amongst the real world, and those who went before. Wonderful.

Only A Girl said...

What a beautiful place you live in, and I love your descriptions of the photos.

Kerry O'Gorman said...

Ireland's ancient places called to me while I was there...I never made it to Powerscourt but the grave sights and the trees and fence line remind me so much of Muck Cross Abbey in Killarney. The whispering in the trees and the children waiting to hear is such a powerful image. As is the one of Sugarloaf(?) at the end. Enjoy the heat while you can!

Rebecca S. said...

Just gorgeous. Especially those last two photos, where the trees have an almost human quality. I also live in a place used to rain, and when it is hot and dry for too long a period we pray for it and are relieved when it finally comes...it's like the earth springs up once again, as does the hair on our heads.
No one writes a blog like you, Ciara xo

bright star said...

The photographs are magical,thanks for this lovely post.The trees are wonderful!

ramona said...

The graceful shapes of the trees, the hills behind them and the children in the fore corner put together a picture of such lyrical beauty, a feast of color and poetry! Thank you.

helen said...

Great photos!

Ada Beth Croft said...

Those are wonderful pictures, great photography!

Unknown said...

those trees are so beautiful...the things they've seen!

you're making me fall in love with Ireland...