My plan was to have a brisk hour-long walk along the Tweed and through the woods before popping into the Co-op for school-sandwich bread and arriving home for 6:30 dinner (or tea, as we have come to call it).
But first I was distracted by something blooming in a pretty little park.
And by the views therefrom (see top photo).
But I made my way via a shortcut to the Nuns' Walk, a path high above the river (no railing or wall -- imagine those medieval nuns scurrying along that precipitous path pre-pavement!).
I was trying to achieve something artistic featuring dried vegetation and the bridge to England when a couple of walkers stopped me. "What do you see?" the man asked.
"Oh, just the shifting clouds and the reflections in the water and the changing colors of the mountains."
And then we stood there for 25 minutes, talking about his life as a shepherd and then farmer who lost his flock to foot and mouth disease; about her struggles with food allergies; and about their new home on the grounds of a mansion whose owner is absent but who drops in via helicopter from "down south" when the fishing is good. They told me about good river walks, a favorite "secret" tea room, and the best place to see bluebells in May. It was lovely.
Then I sprinted to the Co-op, bought my bread, and zipped home (as much as one can zip on those curvy roads), arriving just in time for dinner. No serious exercise under my belt, but happy from having made new friends.
ReplyDeleteToday at 3:22 PM
That was a cheery little excursion, Lynn!
I just walked out of the shop and sat out on the bench at the corner of Main and Spring. The sun is shining and so I just took the phone with me and sat there, feeling terribly conspicuous, yet determined to "get over it". Nobody sits on our town benches except thugs. A woman came along and I admired her very citified hot pink leather purse with shiny gold initials on it and she stood and talked about how this Sunday she's going out to work in her yard. She's decided she must clip her roses, because her Martha Stewart book of gardening said she must. Martha's always "musting" people with her pinched nose authority. The lady with the pink purse talked about how she grows lots of herbs. I asked what she did with them. She cooks with them, cuts off huge bouquets of 8 kinds of mints and hands them to friends, and keeps big pots Lavender in vases in her house. She said she waves them around and just smells them. Then she said I must go to Powell Gardens and see the herb gardens where the herbs are arranged like the pieces of a quilt. Then she and her four times pierced ears with diamonds in them trip trapped off down the street. I closed my eyes and stretched my face towards the sun, imagining what the people at the stop lights were thinking about this odd woman on the bench. I decided they were jealous. They would be sitting in the sunshine too if they could!
love your photos!
ReplyDeleteThat is what I love about Scotland, the natives are very friendly.
ReplyDeleteNow that's a conversation which was worth having, a teas room discovery and a bluebell excursion to plan. I would not walk anywhere that had the sign unfenced cliff, I am a wuss!
ReplyDeleteLisa x