I was out in the wonderful Cotswold countryside just after the snow had fallen, a few days ago, and it reminded me just how beautiful this part of England is. The air was crisp and cold but the sun made it feel fresh and welcoming. The sky a translucent blue with a light low cloud that heightens the colours. The Cotswold stone a warm, aged yellow.
The building you see in the picture is Broadway Tower. A folly that was built in 1799 for Lady Coventry – it sits at just over 300 metres. One of the requests was that it should be seen by Her Ladyship from her home in Worcester, some 35km away. It could be and is a clear landmark visible to the naked eye from across the Vale of Evesham.
The building has an interesting history, having been used for a number of purposes – one of which was as a retreat for the artists Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris in the late 19th century. I am sure this view gave them much inspiration for their artistic work. In fact the view stretches to 100km so there much to see.
As we are still in the early part of the year I stood for a while admiring a view I had seen many times. Each time different, each time noticing something new. This time I thought about the view we sometimes take in our lives – be it work or other areas. If we were artists too, like William Morris and his friend, what would we paint onto our canvas? More importantly what do we want to paint onto our own canvas of life?
All too often we are rushing to deal with things that are pressing, and we could say in our near vision. I know that is all too often true for myself. So on this occasion I started to think about the long view, what I am seeking to achieve in the months and years ahead. And whilst the things in the long distance seem small and less clear than things close, they do make up much of the landscape that creates the interest…..that draws our eye, that captures our imagination.
As I stood on top of Broadway Hill looking at the view I noticed the features on the distant horizon – this was no featureless dessert. It was a rich picture.
So how attractive is your view? Are there interesting features close by, and what about the distant horizon – does that have something interesting too? What does your canvas of life look like? What could it still look like? What will you make it look like?
Hmmm – now there is something to create. And the beauty of a canvas is we can paint over things we no longer see as important – now where is my pencil and brush, I need to take action. And you….
My best wishes,
Peter
