Mountains of my Imagination

I've been looking forward to the clocks going back so that there is light in the morning to grab a blip before heading into the office. I took some pretty autumnal shots of trees today, with the colours about as good as they are ever going to get, but in the end I chose to go with this image taken high on the moor. I love these cloud banks which you can pretend are distant and exotic mountain ranges. I've journeyed into them in my imagination for as long as I can remember.

I cycled over some big passes in the Alps this summer but that's not the same as walking on the highest ridges and having the whole world laid out before you. Seeing this sight today made me realise how much I've missed getting into the mountains this year. I ran up Snowdon at the end of September, which gave me a little fix, but that's the only 'proper' mountain I've climbed all year. Actually, that feels more like a tease than a fix right now! Mountains have been such a big part of my life that I'm making a vow here to make up for it in 2012. They feed my soul. And I'm recognising that as part of achieving a better balance in life I need to do more of the things that feed my soul - which, of course, applies to all of us. What feeds your soul?

PS Thanks again for all the amazing feedback on yesterday's Halloween Blip. I have to admit that I was rather spooked by it myself! It was taken at Weston Church, between Askwith and Otley. It's something of a hidden gem, positioned at the end of a tiny lane which doesn't go anywhere. It dates right back to Norman times. I shall be returning!