Early yesterday evening with the sun out and work finished for the day we got in ‘Baby’ hood down and drove off to a near by forest for a walk. The drive was wonderful near empty roads, the warm wind and sun making me feels good to be alive. Driving as always been something I have enjoyed but now that joy is heightened.
Pulling off the road the peace and quiet quickly invaded us. Choices, choices, did we go up into the forest and see the views, or down and walk along the river. Up won and soon we were trekking upwards into the forest canopy. The forest itself is a large pine one and the smell of pine yesterday was ever present with the leaves on the trees shimmering with a bluey silver. At one point there is a level walk with no trees and lovely views down to the river, for the first time - not the last though I am getting to that - I wished I had brought the camera. We kept on walking down a small incline and then up the next rise. There we gazed around hearing nothing but the sound of nature, seeing no sign of humans (unless you count the path we were walking on and the fact we were in a manmade forest. Suddenly Hubby caught my arm look he said, pointing down at our feet - for the second time I wished I had brought my camera.
There scampering across the path was a wee orangey, greeny yellowy lizard. We watched it for some time as it moved a couple of paces with a distinctive wiggle then stopped before taking some more paces. Its camouflage isn’t very good Hubby commented, just wait I said.
The lizard moved off the path and when he paused looked just like a twig, then with a final dash he made it to the heather and bracken and vanished; his colours now working the perfect camouflage.
In today’s world we seem to spend much of our time walking around with our eyes shut, maybe not in the literal sense, but certainly missing things that are there for us to see if only we actually looked, yet there is so much beauty and wonder to behold - even if it is in a city street rather than a forest path. The smile of a baby, the wrinkles in the face of an elderly person each telling a tale, look up - and in all of our major cities - you will see incredible architecture, the colour of a pigeons feathers, the way a rain drop falls in a puddle or a light casts it’s shade, the list is endless if only we have our eyes wide open.
