Even though it hasn't been many days since we visited the geese and the lambs, we really wanted to see them again because, dayum, them lambs is cute! So we drove out to the Crook o' Lune again. Just me and Matthew, of course – even the promise of lambs couldn't tempt James away from the PlayStation or Thomas away from FaceTime.
We parked a bit closer this time so we could spend more time with the animals. Here is my car, parked on one of the bridges. I don't think I'll ever get used to the idea that I'm old enough to drive, even though I got my licence 24 years ago.
It was still nice and light for a change, enough for this little path to Narnia not to look scary. (There are lots of ways into Narnia, as we all know.)
That's the bridge my car is parked on, but it's hidden off to the side, behind a bunch of trees. We'll go down there into the river in the summer – bit chilly right now, but great for a paddle when it's warm.
And here on the other side, Hobbiton. I know I keep taking pictures of the same things, but I'm just recording memories, which is a nice thing to do. Honestly, if none of you ever read this again, I'd still write it because I love having a record of these pretty adventures. I know we're lucky to be able to have them.
The wild garlic was pungent this evening – you can smell it before you see it. Also, I think these steps are another path to Narnia because they seem to go nowhere.
And there they are, sheep and lambs and geese and ducks. I always smile when I see this path because it makes me want to walk off for miles into the hills there, on a quest to find some hidden and ancient treasure and/or save Middle Earth, accompanied by a terribly handsome elf, a mighty and slightly grumpy dwarf, and a wizard. Yes, yes indeed, I do still have these daydreams. I hope I always will.
The geese hissed at us this time, so I didn't think they deserved a photo. I took about twelvety hundred of the lambs, though.
Like little mountain goats, lots of them love scrambling down the banks and chasing along the lower path.
Look at 'em! They're so brave!
I called this one Eleven.
Matthew followed the sheep babies for a good while and I had a sit. One of those idyllic sort of moments where you remember to just stop and look and listen. Very zen.
Right, so, that was all jolly and enlightened. But you know I'm on a mission to not sit down for too long on these walks because they're about shifting my arse and not being still. 'Matthew,' says I, 'shall we do the long walk back to the car?' Matthew agreed to the long walk because he's always happy to go along with whatever I suggest. I wouldn't mind if he said, no, that's a stupid idea, why don't you just engage your brain, mother? He'd be right to.
So off we went, tramping the length of this huge field (it's longer than it looks), through the next field as well, and into the woods. You'll be getting used to my appalling memory leading me into silly situations by now, so it will come as no surprise to learn that we very soon found ourselves in the middle of nowhere and in the dark. I thought the long walk was about a mile, but it turns out that it's about seven. But I was undeterred because I thought we'd soon be out the other side of the trees and crossing the river. We trotted along quite happily, talking about this and that, keeping only half an ear open for werewolves.
I did notice that there's a lot more wild garlic in the woods.
I would like it to be noted that, although it looks quite light out there, not under cover of the trees, it was in fact much darker in reality. This is a trick of the iPhone.
More darkness, more trees.
Some more trees, a bit more darkness.
We had a little pause here to admire the river because it was so still, not a ripple to be seen. If you stared at it for too long it looked like it wasn't there at all, like a bit of the sky or a strange void where you could fall through into the upside down.
Eventually, we came to a gate leading to another field and another wood on another hill. Hmmm, this gave me pause because it really was getting pretty dark now and this was when I finally suspected I'd got my distances wrong again. 'Matthew,' says I, 'shall we do the long walk one weekend when we can start in the morning?' 'Yes,' says he, 'that sounds like a better idea.' He's very wise is Matthew, so we turned back.
The thing I am learning about walking in the wilds at night is that it's very important to remember that you have to get back from where you end up. That's the thing I keep forgetting. It's okay to be walking in the dark, but by the time it is pitch black, you really need to be almost home. Especially when you're a woman accompanied by a 12-year-old boy.
No more dark walking in the countryside, promise!
The other thing I've noticed is that using the flash at night makes the dark more hostile, like you're pushing it away from you and it wants to reach back in to where you are, because the light makes the dark look darker. Look, eh? That's way more sinister than the actual dark pictures!
We didn't bother stopping for more photos in the woods because we just wanted to get the hell out of there in the end.
Back in the sheep field (and it turns out that they just stay here all night, grazing, sleeping a bit, chillin'), we saw Venus again. We've seen it most nights, but I've forgotten every time to check that it actually is Venus.
It is Venus, confirmed by my Sky Guide app (which I totally recommend, it's gorgeous – but don't stare for too long at the Milky Way underneath your feet because it'll freak you out!):
We stepped in a fair bit of sheep poo as we stumbled and tripped back through the long field. I feel that's worth mentioning.
Now we just needed to find our way back to that path that makes me smile and up onto the bridge.
Which we did, because it wasn't difficult to find. I did not like it, though. Much worse than the woods, the path was absolutely terrifying in the dark. I am not coming here again at night unless it's with a crowd of people for some kind of festival, which isn't even a thing here.
Look at it! Like a conveyor belt to hell!
Anyway, we made it across, though I do not know how because I think I blacked out a bit from fear.
Finally, I would just like to show you this absolutely enormous bin! I made Matthew stand next to it so you can see that it's clearly a bin made for giants. Matthew is about 5'4". Why is there a bin here that's 5' tall?
The car was just round the corner from here and we had secret snacks in it (secret from Thomas and James, shhhhh!), which I felt we'd earned after getting lost in the dark again.
Until tomorrow, friends.
WQ
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