As I walk down the stone steps towards the canal towpath, I’m caressed by a gentle breeze. It takes the edge off the dry heat that had accompanied my walk from home to here. Time now to turn off the chilled tunes of Kamaal Williams and take in the ambience of the moment. I set off, heading south, away from town.
Ten minutes or so later, I deviate from the canal side and head towards Danes Moss Nature Reserve. To my right there are picnic tables. Two of them occupied by happy and noisy young adults, their laughter follows me to a footbridge that crosses the railway tracks.
On the other side of the tracks lies my destination. Once over the bridge, the still heat returns, the breeze from the canal is long gone. I have thoughts of Elvis my dog, my constant companion for nearly 15 years. It’s almost 12 months since he passed. The pain of loss is still aches, though less intense now. I smile and think how much he would have loved it here. I just didn’t know this place existed until recently. I have my lockdown daily exercise walks to thank for the discovery.
It’s tranquil though on this side. I walk away from the railway line. I take photos with my iPhone, using the fisheye and macro lenses. I don’t see much wildlife, maybe its too hot at this time of day for the birds and other creatures that live here. The macro lens uncovers a few bugs, spiders and a vivid green caterpillar. And then, all of a sudden, too many other people appear congesting the narrow path. Social distancing etiquette quickly becomes painful, as there are too many prickly shrubs, weeds and bushes to jump into in order to maintain the 6-foot gap between strangers. I turn round and head back for home.
Safely back at home I check the Health App on my phone. My exercise for the day is done – 9,397 steps, 6.4 km, 7-floors worth.
Now it’s time to edit the photos. I scan through Spotify, Sticky Fingers appeals for some reason. So on it goes. I quickly drift into my own bubble. The album completes and the tunes segue into a radio station based on the album, back-to-back early 70s bangers from Neil Young, Crosby Stills & Nash, Creedence Cleerwater Revival and the like. However the stand out track of this creative session is Sister Morphine. The main picture for this post is most definitely inspired by that tune.
Ronnie xx
