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You cannie beat a good looking dry stane wall or dyke. There’s quite a few hawthorn hedges in my locale as well. Each to their own. The old guys used to say the poorer the ground the more walls you’d have. The better the ground the more likely you were to see hawthorn hedges. Clearing the marginal hills of stone gave a more readily available supply of material I suppose. I’ve seen a few hedges getting ripped out in my day but I am seeing more being reinstated. Prefer a hedge because you can sneak a few trees in as well. Anyway this is a typical Border style wall., near Morebattle. Lichen on it will be 100+ years old probably.
In my mind there is no boundary between the physical world and the spiritual (or other) world. My world of “spirit” is not primitive or pagan in terms of religion but a natural perception of myself remaining part of or integral to the natural environment.
Western thought is based on philosophical theory of dualism, that matter and spirit, body and mind are separate states that cannot ever blend. Current research in quantum physics suggest that the idea of the perception of reality allows for multi-dimensions to exist. My work consists of symbols, patterns, images that have been left in the physical world but created in the “other” world. Seems like an age away. This was the first course of 2020. We’ve had to postpone fourteen since then. Not be long now ... but different I suspect.
Always been concerned about low flying aircraft over Scotland - and have myself been the subject of some observation because of my interest. This lockdown episode has been quite devastating on tourism and jobs through the clampdown on air travel. Been some massive layoffs with the big commercial passenger airlines. But they’ve got a cheek asking for bailouts when registered in the Protectorate of the Cumming Islands or wherever. O’Leary and Branson can go fek themselves !
However it is interesting to see who is flying around up there in the past few weeks. I was keeping my eyes open for the midday (our time) Beijing to Dublin flight every day. Or the 3.30 Singapore - Prestwick or the Brize Norton airbus sojourns up makes chem trails off Peterhead. Or indeed the increase in small private jets with no registered destination. It’s been great to have blue skies and imagine myself being that indigenous tribesman in the Amazon , not knowing anything about international aviation and waiting for a sign as the great silver bird passed over my longhouse. It’ll not be too long before the skies become filled once again with long white clouds - shame really. This lockdown walks with Scoop have been great. I’m so lucky to be able to walk out my front door and into the relatively unrestricted countryside for my daily exercise. I’ve got a phone with a camera, got no demands on my time and the ability to walk for a fair distance. For a few years now I’ve been concentrating on local locale. Getting to know one small piece of inbye countryside better and better. It’s interesting to watch the same plant, bit of riverbank, or tree change day to day. It’s been good to get to re know what’s on my doorstep. I know it’s been a completely different story for pals cooped up in city flats with boisterous kids. I hope other folks with tricky personal problems and domestic issues are coping.
There’s a tiny church just across the fields from the house with pretty weathered carving of some bloke on a horse spearing a couple of dragons. Some say it’s a Somerville knight slaying the Linton worm (a serpent who still sleeps in a nearby cave) This wee Kirk is supposed to be the only church built on sand in Britain after the medieval authorities being told to “build my house on stone” by some other bloke. Another story is that the mound was laboriously created by two sisters to save the life of their brother, who had slain a priest.
Can’t avoid thinking about the death statistics as a result of this pandemic and the ongoing suffering of displaced folks around the world. It has touched everyone. What are we going to learn from all of this re lifestyle, food, travel , workplace, entertainment and family ? Let’s not make it any worse than it already is folks - please. |
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