A sunny Sunday, the decision was easy to take a run and make a pause by the lake. It is lovely to sit by the shore with no one near, just Toby and me, and the lake. We both went into the water, Toby swam and I walked up to the height of my knees. It was lovely to just sit there in peace on the bank, contemplating the beauty of the sky and river, and the light green leaves of the trees by the lake and watch Toby’s delight in the water.
There is something wondrous about spring rain. It is as if the plants delight in breathing the water vapour, drinking water with their leaves. The air is saturated by uncountable odours. These days I love to take a run in the forest. In there the smell of wet moss dominates together with the soft aroma of sap rising in the birches.
I remember this lunch, sitting on the slope of the mountain, looking at the lake far beneath and on Norwegian mountains on the other side. The dogs loved it especially Ajax, who curled up beside me.
Light fog in the morning gives such a beautiful beginning of the day.
Toby and I went out for a brisk day’s walk before noon. It had been quite cold during the night, but the temperature had risen during the morning. The damp air softened the colours of both trees and ground.
I love the colour of the reeds on these days, similar to that of ferns, but more distinct, perhaps since they are much bigger. The rustling sound as the wind moves through them soothes my mind as it enhances the silence, making the walk very peaceful.
I was out running with Toby. The weather was uncertain, but we took the chance and left for the woods and soft roads. We were running uphill into the forrest when the sun suddenly shone through the trees.
Together, the damp air and the beams made a beautiful display in front of me. And there stood Toby in the middle of all the light, waiting for me to catch up, a perfect part of the beauty that surrounded him, but unaware of it. I hesitated, stopped for a moment and gazed. Sometimes it feels that you have finally stepped on the right spot and entered into a fairytale.
There is few things as beautiful as fog in the morning a winter day… A walk that lasted some hours, cold but very beautiful.
I love these lonley roads, especially on Sunday forenoons when people prefer being at home, I suppose taking a long breakfast. There is a silence in the air created, I think, by the low temperature, as if every creature is economising with even the callings to save some energy. Even the thoughts become sparse, the mind listening to the sound of birds flapping and one’s own footsteps in the snow.
The snow comes and goes, and with it the reflection of the sun on the ground. One never really knows how the walk will turn out, as this walk with Toby. We had been waking for one and a half hour then suddenly the sun found its way through the clouds and we are standing there bathed in winter evening light. I appreciate these gems of moments very much. I think it is because I am not in control, and thus can receive it as a gift.
It was more than seven years ago. I got up before the others in the house. It was the month of April, thus nature was not in her complete spring colours, but the mornings were bright, full of smells and sounds. Toby was just some months old and as all puppies, an early bird. This particular morning we took a stroll along our little lake. While standing by the edge of the lake, the air together with the rising sun created an almost unreal feeling. Toby was fascinated by the water, but also by the light I think. He sat for a long time just looking at the surface. It was a lovely time which I still would like to return to, the silence, the light, the warm air.
As the years have passed I have tried to realise that some moments just don’t repeat themselves. They remain there in your soul accompaning you through life. Toby isn’t a puppy anymore, the lake is different.
Some months ago my sister and I was returning home from a walk with the dogs. Passing by the lake at another place I was suddenly struck by the same feeling and the same ambience. He sat there, looking at the lake, now seven years old, attentive. Just a moment of silence, now at dusk and the lake partially covered by ice. A quick feeling of gratefulness and surprise came over me to, to just for some seconds, get hold of the same feeling of a slight unreality created by sun and water.
This was a special moment, – 7 degrees and a long run. The low temperature caused frost to gather in the fur of the dogs. A lovely day for all three of us.
Flores Island · Azores
From Where I Stand...
Wandering on trails and places around the coast of Wales
Wonderer of Nature 