A cool start to this campervan morning. White thick cloud clings to the hilltops of the Fell of Telnotry. Bit of a breeze appears to have disrupted the midges plans for the morning, though last night there were hordes and hordes of them. There is an early morning chill carried by the wind. Birdsong and breeze through bush and briar for company this morning. Surrounded by lush greeness and the grey of stone boundary walls and the heights of Craigdew hill in front of me. A warm day yesterday of hikes, waterfalls and swimming in rock pools. In fact at one point swimming in a rock pool with a waterfall. A pretty idyllic day in truth. The water was as freezing as expected and not being a strong swimmer, cautious as ever ( As in life, also in swimming ), but once settled in a superb swim for a wee while. Roger Deakin wrote in his wonderful book Waterlog :
“ Most of us live in a world where more and more things are signposted, labelled, and officially ‘interpreted’. There is something about all this that is turning the reality of things into virtual reality. It is the reason why walking, cycling and swimming will always be subversive activities. They allow us to regain a sense of what is old and wild in these islands, by getting off the beaten track and breaking free of the official version of things.”
It felt a little like this, regaining a sense of the old, the wild and breaking free of the official version of things. The sun was warm so quickly dried and off walking again, my little bit of subversion done for the day. To all subversives everywhere, go us.
The journey home now on my mind as prepping for the drive back to Surrey., though soaking up one more Scottish morning. The last thirty days have disappeared quickly, drumming, teaching, touring, walking, exploring, experiencing and learning. Lovely days people.
“ Smallness is subversive, because smallness can creep into smaller places and wreak transformation at the most vulnerable, cellular level. In a time when largeness is threatening to topple us, I wish to remember and praise the beauty of smallness … “ Sarah Ruhl.
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