I wonder how long it's been here? It hasn't been moved for a while and it's reddened with rust. The nettles grow around it in a feral, stinging clump that rises in a mound from the sheep nibbled turf.
Maybe, though, it hasn't been here as long as we might think. And I can't help wondering how long it would take, if our civilisation crumbled, for the only remains to be hulks of rusting metal, like this, the purpose of which has been long forgotten.
A nice evocative piece, Kate. But what's with the snow falling slowly over the picture? Is it an hallucinatory moment or a google gizmo. I'm half hoping its the former.
ReplyDeleteI agree - whenever i see it, I want to photograph it. It feels like capturing a by-gone era, of lives lived on this land - who were they? was life hard for them? where have they gone?
ReplyDelete@Mike - the snow has now gone - even though Winter may still be with us a while longer :-)
ReplyDelete@Melissa - Those are magical questions aren't they :-)
Hi Kate,
ReplyDeleteI'm liking your thoughts on this and I can understand your fascination with old farm equipment.
I wonder what future generations would make of discovering ancient artefacts from our time.
Take care and happy writing :)
Gary
Evocative indeed. I remember a trip to the Outer Hebrides and seeing old, rusting farm equipment and cars, buses, vans and lorries, all lying around across the landscape of Harris and Lewis. Apparently there was no satisfactory means of disposing of this stuff so it was just left there.
ReplyDeleteWell, for instance, an old bus with intact windows makes a good greenhouse.
ReplyDeleteKlahanie, you're right - we do leave some very strange things lying about for future generations to puzzle over!
ReplyDeleteCatherine and Ken - I've not been to the Outer Hebrides but I can well imagine that!
Lovely!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I tend to have the same thoughts about derelict buildings. I wonder how they came to be in such a state, who were the last people to live there and why did they leave in a hurry (without selling)? Did they have nobody to leave the house to (in which case, how sad) or were they running away from something? If they'd got into a scrape financially, the bank or a fortunate buyer at auction would have had the house, surely? I've been pondering such things for years, I leave it with you!
Great post as ever.