The Morning Road Walked

The year nears its zenith, when the sky's clear, the beauty of the day replenishes the soul with those subjective conscious experiences that return as memories of purest joy.

I woke shortly after 6am, opened the roller blinds to discover a cloudless sky through the trees. Time to get dressed quickly, grab a quick bite, down the lime tea I'd made last night - and set off as soon as possible.

Past the orchards and into the wood, the sun - which rose today at 04:15 - still low in the sky.

Below: this is always a magnificent view - "out where the pines grow wild and tall" and the sandy track leads from Jakubowizna to Adamów Rososki and Machcin II.

Around the corner, to head south for a while, a loop around, gathering a large bunch of wild sorrel along the way as I headed back. It grows in profusion on either side of this track. Sorrel - the acidic leaf that forms the base of zupa szczawiowa - is a taste I very much like; I read that in India, curries are made with sorrel and lentils, so I thought it'd be worth a try. It is in season now. In a few weeks' time it will be tough and fibrous.

The sky is crystalline blue; no Photoshop trickery, just a polarising filter faithfully rendering what I saw and felt wearing a decent pair of polarising sunglasses.

Out of the wood and into the orchards, greeted by a row of silver birches reflecting the strong morning sunlight. I have a thought; "Jesus died to save Mankind," the Bible says. What about the rest of the planet? Does that not merit salvation?

I'm back in less than an hour; time for lentil and sorrel stew (with Halloumi cheese) before the working day commences online. The sorrel just needs to have the dust rinsed off thoroughly, then cut into thin strips before cooking.

Just after lunch, I pop down the road the other way to see how the the works are progressing down by the railway line, and I catch this classic 1950s-USA style Kodachrome view. Convection clouds are starting form, but the day remained dry (unlike yesterday, when I collected two soakings).

One could not ask for more from Nature.

[I should get up early more often for more such sublime walks!]

This time seven years ago:
Poppies in bloom, Jeziorki

This time 11 years ago:
Historical photos of work in progress on the S79

This time 14 years ago:
The year nears its zenith