News vs views

As a contrast to the terrible events in Boston this week, the photos above are of the beauty in my week.  

The striking white building top left is Danesfield House hotel, so named because of long ago Danes that built a fort on the hilltop.  It has spectacular views of the Thames Valley below.  I took the picture as a tree had come down on the front lawn.  It was only when I downloaded the photos from my phone that I noticed the soft, gray blanket of cloud contrasting so starkly with the pristine, diamond white stone of the hotel.  

Bottom left you may just spot a helicopter coming in to land. It was a very windy day.  On the ground adjacent to the giant white H where the helicopter was to land, was anchored a marriage proposal printed on a large  sheet.  We waited to see if the proposal had been accepted, or whether the would-be-wife was berating her would-be-husband for organising a helicopter trip on a day of such high winds.  The couple dismounted when the blades stopped whirring, both were smiling broadly.

The other two photos are of a walk I do down to the river when I need a quick burst of exercise,  fresh air and a new perspective.  The Magnolia looked elegantly defiant in the sharp, cold air. I was glad to see my favourite Oak tree had survived intact, the winds of recent days. 

Happy weekend.