Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

A Foretaste Of Spring

by Russell Turner - 16:25 on 19 March 2022

Another day, another walk – or, to be precise, two. My 30min fitness maintenance this afternoon was preceded this morning by an outing of almost the same duration but a quarter of the distance in which I was accompanied by Willow and Pandora. Spring seems to have arrived, the daffodils are almost in bloom and the sun shining, so a group excursion was definitely called for. Maia, of course, stayed home.

My feline companions were initially cautious, for next-door-neighbour Rafi had been spotted earlier wandering around. The fact that he’s the softest, friendliest cat you’ll ever meet meant nothing to them – you can never be too careful. Added to that, the latest Mr Pheasant had been shouting in the garden around breakfast time, watched with great suspicion (through the kitchen window) by Willow.

Despite all that, eventually they enjoyed a leisurely half-mile stroll up the lane and back, although Pandora confirmed that she’s no longer a youngster by flopping on to the kitchen floor on our return. A few Dreamies perked her up enough to go straight back out unaccompanied.

I may have failed to appear at the Inverness Half Marathon last weekend but through it I did make my own small contribution to a better world. I’m now the proud possessor of a digital certificate which confirms an oak has been planted in my name because I chose not to take the race day T-shirt. I’ve got more shirts than I need and already have one from Inverness 2020, the last race before we lost our pandemic innocence.

Randomly, a small corner of Mull will be forever mine because the sapling has been (will be?) planted above Salen on the road to Tobermory. It’s a long time since I’ve visited the Hebrides. Now I have an excuse to return.

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