The view from Pico do Arieiro
It’s time to set off for Madeira’s third highest peak. I fancy seeing the sunset from the top. As I drive up and up the slopes, twisting and turning, I begin to see huge banks of cloud billowing below. The roads are certainly straining the engine. Or the gear box. Or it could just be my driving.
I stop the car to put the roof down and my jumper on.
There’s an incredible layer of fluffy white clouds stretching far away. A couple of trees make a great silhouette.
I don’t consider myself a landscape photographer, but here, how could I not be? The light is changing from minute to minute in a never-ending Generation Game conveyor belt of delight. I want to remember every moment.
Landscapes with a telephoto lens always look impressive with their compression of distant objects.
There’s a skeleton tree clinging to the mountain in the distance. I love it. This is a very satisfying photograph for me:
I could live with that on my wall. There’s layer upon layer of water condensation cloudscape as far as the eye can see. And the camera.
As I drive down and down the slopes, twisting and turning, I can see next to nothing in the dark. It’s certainly straining the brakes.
Madeira; it’s not just wine and cake.
The evening’s almost gone, but there’s always time for a little Psapp (it’s pronounced ‘psapp’). Tricycle is such a beautiful piece about a socially inept and delusional mouse who yearns for friends. I can’t imagine why I identify so much with it. Psapp make pop songs with invented instruments and squeaky toys. I’m so pleased I have them in my life.
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