The Reward of Patience

My photography has always been far more about creating opportunity than any great technical skill. I think I have a good eye for composition and I believe also that I'm getting better at the processing side to make the best of the photographs I take, but the key thing is simply being in the right place at the right time. There is some degree of instinct involved in that, also local knowledge and good judgement, and, of course, a fair share of luck. Patience is another factor, one which I don't often exercise but I chose to today. And I'm so glad I did.

The weather forecast wasn't very inspiring, with some very ominous black clouds around, but I set off on the bike anyway, fully expecting to get wet. The sun was occasionally being glimpsed and I was hoping I would capture one of those magical moments when the landscape gets bathed in bright sunshine with the backdrop of a slate grey sky. As you can see, I was rewarded.

I caught sight of these trees glowing in a brief burst of light but by the time I stopped the bike the moment had already gone. To get the shot I wanted I needed to clamber over a barbed wire fence, not the easiest thing in cycling cleats, but I wanted to make the most of the conditions. I than had to wait - and it turned out to be quite a long wait. I was on the point of giving up when I saw a little patch of blue and reasoned that this hole in the high level cloud cover was being blown in the direction of the sun. I just had to hope that the rapidly moving lower level clouds would not get in the way. A few minutes later my patience was repaid. The moment only lasted a couple of seconds but I got the shot I was after.

I got a little wet on my ride, out through Blubberhouses to Greenhow and back via Appletreewick, but the rain never really came to anything. The air felt positively warm too (although not at the top of Greenhow) and it was great to be riding in shorts and shirt. I worked up a good sweat today. On the road that runs above Troller's Gill I bumped into another retired farmer, Bill Sutcliffe, and stopped to chat awhile. After he obliged me with a portrait I asked him what his day was going to be like. He replied that he was off to catch himself some moles! I'd found another mole catcher!!

So I asked a few questions and got the low-down on the poor moles. It seems to be a necessary evil in terms of land management. Mole hills mess up the silage. The soil carries bacteria which can infect the sheep. The use of poison to control the mole population is now banned so traps are used and it seems to be quite an art. A good trap will kill the mole as humanely as it is possible to do so. Bill clearly had a lot of respect for the little creatures, particularly their industriousness. Because it's such a labour intensive activity I guess it naturally tends to be a job that falls to retired farmers like Harry and Bill.

I asked about the photographs I'd seen of moles being hung from fences and why that was done. He wasn't entirely sure but suggested it was probably to show your neighbour that you'd done your bit to eradicate the moles from your own land. It was a way of saying now you get rid of yours. He also said that other animals don't eat moles as carrion. The remains of the trapped moles would not get taken. He had no idea as to why. I had all these questions after my encounter with Harry yesterday and they all got answered today. I was much more inclined to ask them today without having to look at a couple of handfuls of the poor things!