Rising to another day of blue skies, the scent of coffee, head almost clear, a trail of weariness following me as I pour another. There's a remnant chill in the air, over on graveyard hill leaves are dancing upon branches, clouds rushing above, across the river the hills carry a slight haze, dark curved upon the morning sky. Off to find a bike, through the city, towards Xian Shan, a walk to clear the head.

Caught at traffic lights, gazing distractedly upon the scene being played out, there's a feeling of disconnect, not within my head but outwith it, the disparity between what I'm seeing and moving through and what I'm reading about, hearing about, the experiences of friends in other places, lockdowns and isolation, the lack of ppe for those whose work makes them necessary but, apparently, also expendable. But here things just keep moving, the pulse of the city slowed but steady, faces masked against the storm raging beyond the border.

At the base of the hill there's a group of about twenty people scattered around, taking photographs as others appear from the stairs. Weaving through them I climb, heavy legged, removing my mask, slow steps, trickles of sweat already forming as I pass the gate to the temple. Arriving at the first map I choose, as always, the quieter way, now feeling my calves in gratitude that my focus has been diverted from the murky feeling inside my skull. The path's quiet, sunlight falling in broken shafts, gleaming upon vegetation and the small shrines littered around the mountain, air heavy with the mingled scents of flowers and incense. At the rest point there are half a dozen groups, sitting apart, distanced upon walls and chairs, others in the small pavilion, further along other voices sound through the undergrowth, groups appear stretched and linear, birdsong fluttering above the drone of distanced traffic. And then weariness resumes, the migraine lingering, casting ripples behind my eye. Leaving the climb for another day I begin the descent, pause in a temple, noticing another path that I haven't been along, stairs winding their way across an untrodden hill...