Call of the wild - not for me.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against 'the great outdoors'. I often enjoy a birdwatching walk in my local park, seeking out woodpeckers, nuthatches, treecreepers and such. I love to go up to our closest fells to observe the view over Morecambe Bay. I like waterfalls and love the Lake District with all my heart.

One thing that I can't get excited about is camping. Why anyone would want to go out into the middle of nowhere, spend hours putting up a tent, gathering up wood to build a fire and spending a restless night sleeping on a groundsheet, on the cold hard ground, is beyond my comprehension. Apart from that discomfort, I really don't like spiders and snakes!

Another outdoor activity that holds no temptation for me is white-water rafting. Just the thought of sitting in a flimsy rubber dingy while being thrown around by thundering, fast-flowing water fills me with dread. I certainly won't be embarking on that very soon.

I don't get fishing - why bother? Nor do I get mountaineering, Apart from my fear of heights and fear of falling to certain death or sustaining serious injury, I simply don't understand the idea that you climb a mountain 'because it was there'. When my children were younger, if I wanted that kind of excitement, I simply had to put my hands under the cushions on my couch. I called it Star-trekking, 'boldly going where no-one had gone before'.

How about a walk in the woods?

The Teddy Bear's Picnic

If you go down to the woods today
for camping or fishing
especially in North America
if you go down to the woods today
here are some points to remember
wild animals call the wild their home
deer and wolves and bears
when you decide to invade their territory
prepare very carefully.

Black bears and grizzlies
may be down in the woods today
with very different personae
black bears are shy and retiring
they will flee if you make a loud noise
so attach little bells to your clothing.
Grizzlies may choose to approach you
so carry a pepper spray with you
and discharge it into their eyes.

It is simple to identify
the species of bear by it's scat.
Black bears are vegetarian
so check it for berries and nuts
Grizzly bear scat, should you find it,
is easily recongised
it contains small bells
and smells of pepper spray
So don't go down to the woods today
or you may have to run for your life.

Thanks for reading. Adele

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Sun, Sea and Spray....

      Well I experienced all three when I lived in my clifftop house in Buckie.
       Although the house faced north, in the summer the sun  virtually came right round and on Midsummer's night it just dipped into the sea and rose again. We experienced the most amazing sunsets, of which I was always taking photographs.
      The sea was in front of us and sitting in the bay window there was always something of interest going on either in it or over it.Not many trawlers came and went due to the decline in the fishing industry, but each day 2 or 3 boats went out creeling ( my husband included ) or line fishing. So everyday I had crabs or fish to prepare. at certain times of the year many "resting" trawlers went out fishing for calamari , as there was no limit on the amount landed and lorries arrived from all over the country to pick up the precious catch.
      There is a repair yard and this mainly used for the repair and maintenance of lifeboats from all over Scotland. Occasionally cruise ships were seen on the horizon making for the deep water berth at Invergordon ( we saw the QE2 a few times ).
       RAF Lossiemoth was just across the bay and jets took off and landed over the Moray Firth ( sometimes INTO the Firth ). The rescue helicopters participated in 'mock ' rescues in conjunction with the lifeboat.
      Dolphins crossed the bay making for the Spey estuary , hunting for salmon. Sometimes they entered the smaller bay below the house (known as Whale's Wig ) hunting star fish. Minke whales were easily spotted as they were always accompanied by flocks of attendant gulls.
      A naval aircraft carrier came in very close and with the deck open we could look into the aircraft hold ! About 2am one warm night we looked out and a small cruise ship anchored out fairly close. People were dancing on the decks , a small boat went out from the harbour with a doctor aboard, after an hour the ship left and nobody knew it had been there !
     Am I permitted to tell you that we saw a UFO over the sea one night ? Friends didn't believe us, however when I last visited them in their seaside home they admitted that they too had seen one recently....
      The spray bit stands to reason when you live in close proximity to the sea. Every week my husband hosed down the windows to remove the layer of salt that accumulated. Come a storm the front windows were plastered with that foam that is produced...often with seaweed interspersed with it. Boy did we have storms ! One from the north east brought frightful cold conditions when the house was difficult to warm, but it also brought interesting washed up timber (even banana trees or palms from the Gulf Stream drift ) . It all went on the fire to keep us warm !
     The photo today is of the aircraft carrier that paid us a visit....

 
      Sorry no poem today, but I do hope you liked reading my piece.....Kath

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