Long Walk

"Beset by fears, she became
the hare who hears
the mowers’ voices grow louder."


A Calendar of Hares
~ Anna Crow ~


I felt a wee bit like the hare today.
As a diversion from negativity, I packed some snacks and my camera and set off on a long 14 mile walk in the sun.

The brilliant, almost luminous, yellow gorse and oilseed rape fought a clashing contrast against a brilliant blue sky; just the kind I like - a few chirpy clouds to make things interesting but bringing the promise of continued good weather. I love this quintessentially Scottish summer colour palette.

The stock in the fields looked full of health and good feeding, Yellowhammers teased me as they flew ahead, Goldfinches skittishly squabbled in the hedgerows, Buzzards soared and mewed above, butterflies flitted in and out of the beautifully overgrown Lockdown verges...

Despite the effects on my feet and joints, pounding the miles on mainly quiet roads felt a welcome relief from the tick-infested woods and paths I have stomped along in recent weeks.

I called a friend when I began to realise I was becoming a bit jaded and our chat pulled my spirits back up. We always joke when we see each other - we realised today that we haven't seen each other since Ne'er Day - that we don't have enough time to "use all our words" (we are blethers!)
Today we used a lot of words, but as the time, and the miles, passed, we came to realise that Lockdown is stealing our words. Once Lockdown relaxes slightly (please, behave people!), I plan to walk to her farm and enjoy a physically distant (much prefer the use of this term over "socially distant") chat at the farm road end.

I am missing my friends so much at the moment. My only consolation is that I would feel worse if I saw them and couldn't hug them...
Friendship has been strengthened in other ways and there has been a lovely circuit of wee gifts and care packages making their way around which brings a bit of a glow to my old-ish cynical heart...

Back to the hare.
Better photos taken today, but, like yesterday's Osprey, Blip allows me to post what gave me pleasure. I equally liked the shot I got of him/her bounding away over the grass after I grabbed this single shot from behind a bush.