Sunrise 12 August

Posted: 29/08/21

Sunrise 12 August 2021 - MATTHEW SMITH

The first thing that came into my head as the Vigil started was how much daylight we waste.  The gulls were already awake, their cries almost the only sound since most humans were still asleep.  Yet already there was plenty of light.  A resource we hoard desperately in winter, in summer we’re happy to squander it on sleep.

Although at first I was surprised that I could make out the Wolds in the distance, I shouldn’t have been.  I’ve often looked out over Hull from hills near Skidby and been able to see the very building I was now standing in.  It was great to turn that view around and look out all the way to the Humber Bridge and Spurn.

Looking out over the buildings of the city, large and small, I contemplated how much the cityscape has changed, not just in my lifetime but before that; the gardens below me had been a dock until less than a century ago and in another century they’ll be underwater again.  Ordinarily I might quip that the view is ever changing while the city remains – but will it?  The thought of my home disappearing beneath the waves was a bit much for so early in the morning!

As the Vigil finished, I was watching the ferry from Rotterdam make its way in to port.  A regularly scheduled reminder that we’re all connected.

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