Seagulls, sunbeams, buds

This morning, I see two seagulls flying above Mount Sion. They follow the line of the road and then veer off in a north easterly direction. A sign of cold weather, they say, when gulls come inland. The seabirds look as though they know where they are going.

Watching the sky at this time of year, it isn't exactly sunbeams that catch the attention, but the way the pale light touches sparse clouds, creating perspective lines, which seem to converge on the sun.

I like the defiant way the tight, armoured buds of rhododendrons and camelias, appear in the autumn, and hold themselves through the winter in readiness for the spring.