Illuminated

A moment of such astonishing sudden beauty I thought I might have a heart attack. As I lay in the bracken to take this I heard my first cuckoo of the year. It had to be hugged and as I pressed my cheek to the gnarled prickly bark it felt like my husband’s beard. In all these years I had forgotten that feeling and in an instant was reminded of it again. After the tears and inspired by Arachne’s Apple tree I took one of its suckers which I reasoned would otherwise soon be grazed by deer (I had just seen one moments before) and will try to plant it on.

Everything was so beautiful it took me ages to progress to the top of Great Mell where it was lovely to be rewarded with a glimpse of the distant Solway. I do miss the sea.

It was a real relief to walk somewhere local but away from some of the tension of the paths close to home and straight onto the Fell with no gates or farm stock. One farmer did pass me in his land rover but just gave me a very cheery smile.

Once back home and having tea in the garden I saw my first swallow too. Then I put the potatoes in and polyfilled part of the kitchen wall ... a job I’d started when the weather was rotten ... a lifetime ago.