Grey cloudy chilly campervan morning. A morning blanket of white cloud above the van, reflects onto the sea colours of white, grey and silver. The tide has retreated during the night exposing greens, blacks, yellows, reds and grey rock and seaweed. A North Sea breeze brings a chill to your fingers and face, morning coffee is welcome once again ( To be fair it always is ). The sound is that of waves breaking on the shore, the snorts and barks of nearby seals, bleating of baby lambs and sheep accompanied by bird calls of various descriptions. Our local knowledge experts didn’t let us down, another beautiful campervan spot right on the sea in a quiet cove. Around 30 seals for company on a gloriously sunny, warm sunday, they lay prostrate on rock and ledge, bellies sunward, the occasional snort and bark. Walks basking in twinkling sunlight on jade and turquoise coloured seas. Eyes cast seaward for most of the day, conversations with passing locals around Orca and the seals, but no sign of any whales yesterday. A beautiful return to the slower pace of life that is nature watching and travelling at campervan pace, after the relative trauma of the Lerwick visit. Desperately trying not to fall into the tourist tick box challenge, we move further north heading for Yell and Unst. A return to Shetland almost guaranteed and desire for this adventure not to end. My erstwhile literary companion on this journey, has in life at the moment, Rebecca Solnit writes of the challenges of endings she writes :
“ What if we only wanted openings, the immortality of the unfinished, the uncut thread, the incomplete, the open door and the open sea “.
A deep desire to keep the door open and talk of openings, the hope that these openings continue. Hope she writes pushes you out of the door and that :
“ It’s always too soon to go home “.
So a mixture of maintaining openings, hope and to soons. It’s Monday, be gentle with yourself. Lovely days people.
“ Despair demands less of us, it’s more predictable and in a sad way safer “. Rebecca Solnit.
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