Brill - 21st September 2009

Never Trust the weather forecast.

I mean it, never never trust the weather forecast!

Late last summer, while returning from Sheffield my father mentioned the existence of a windmill at Brill. I had no idea where Brill was, except that it must have been near the M40 and Chilterns as that was where we were passing. At the time I didn't really react but inwardly I was intrigued. I've not seen many windmills and certainly one so near to me would be worth the visit. I think the last time I'd come across a windmill was on a 10 year plus old family holiday in the Norfolk Broads. Personally I wasn't aware of any windmills near to me by a long stretch but then again I live in a valley which is generally not conducive to a frequent and decent breeze.

I was aware that for the distance I would be going and the things I would be photographing that I needed the day to be glorious sunshine. So I decided to keep an eye on the Met office forecast and only go when it was meant to be sunny, not sunny intervals mind you, full sunshine. From previous experience I knew that sunny intervals might not be often or even definite sunshine and I knew that I couldn't in this case tell the difference by just looking out of my window. Unfortunately the days passed and all the forecast sunny days turned to overcast as they approached or I was unavoidably busy.

Suddenly a few days before I ended up going I saw that the mid range forecast was saying that Thursday was going to be amazing glorious sunshine. This seemed to be good news but it was too many days away to know for sure. I had been cheated by the positive weather forecast before. But only a day or so later the forecast changed to have that very day good sunshine (for at least the morning) and that was enough for me. I wasn't busy and although I could have waited till Thursday I decided that I might as well go that day than wait for a day that may or may not just be as good.


Photographing the windmill was not exactly as I imagined. The landscape was amazing, high up on a hill in Buckinghamshire, but in the immediate vicinity was the most hummocky undulated ground I've ever seen. I understood why some think Brill was apparently Tolkien's inspiration for the village of Bree in Lord of the Rings. It looks like Hobbits would have a wonderful time there. Unfortunately the weather forecast that I so pinned my hopes on was not entirely accurate. It was sunny but it had that autumnal haze that obscures the sun and loses the intense shadows and highlights that are so desired. The fact of the matter is that the forecast just cannot be that specific.

Usually I wouldn't care, Summer is usually easy to predict, bright sunshine will be bright strong sunshine and you can deal with the occasional fleeting cloud. But the autumn and spring months are more changeable. The sun is weaker and less likely to burn off high cloud, you have to know each season intimately and even then I am not sure you can really tell. So while the little sunshine I got from up there was a little on the weak and watery side the nature of the colours I use will undoubtedly make the whole image more intense. The view was still amazing, it is very nice to get to high places once and a while and I can always go back when Summer is in full bloom.