On a stretch of the walk from Beadnell to Dunstanburgh Castle I contemplated the juxtaposition of four elements captured in the photograph: First, in the distance there are the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle, built by the Duke of Lancaster ostensibly to keep out the Scott's but in reality as a defence against York in the Wars of the Roses; then we have centre a pill box built in 1940 when we feared the North East coast would be the location of a mass invasion of German troops from Norway; in the foreground we have a golf green symbolising the shifting use of this stretch of coastline from strategic military fortress to place of relaxation and enjoyment and finally, all around we see a volcanic headland whose natural beauty endures and will surely transcend the vicissitudes of human domination. So as we undergo a collective panic attack about national debt, house prices, obesity and swine flu we might like to set aside just one day in order to give thanks for the freedom we enjoy, the providence of our condition and the amazing corner of creation in which we are blessed to abide--the result may be to place our current difficulties in context of our many blessings.
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