Harbingers, Heather and Hippies

Well, maybe I'll leave the hippies for another time. But much to my surprise (who'd a thunk there'd be hippies in Radnorshire, after all?) there ARE hippies in Radnorshire, though the way some folks say that word comes out more like Ippy; that'll do!

'Fraid I've had too much work to do and also a bit of a dry spell in terms of things I think are interesting to write about. I have been very busy with my camera, however. Those of you who fool with digital photography probably understand what I'm talking about when I say I spend every free hour fooling with photo files! That's just getting through them and tossing out the blurry ones, backing them up to a couple of external hard drives and maybe saving out the best to put in a slide show. Then again, some weeks I shoot 5,000 photos (they're all perfect of course ).

Oh yeah I was going to talk about harbingers. I'd better look up this word to make sure I'm not accidentally using the word that means a metal spear that's thrown into a whale to kill it. There may be some connection. The only dictionary in the bungalow is the New Collins Concise English Dictionary. Concise, huh? So why is it two inches thick, huh? Most of us only ever use 400 or 500 words regularly; take me, for example. Camera, hounds, horses, hills, you get the idea. Anything over two syllables is pushing it; three is downright gettin' above my raisin'.

'Course to read this "concise" dictionary you either have to be well under the age of 40 or have like +3.00 reading glasses slid way down to the tip of your nose. I'll give it my best shot. "Harbinger: a person or thing that announces or indicates the approach of something; forerunner." Oh, that's sweet. We are ALL harbingers. What of, hmmm....doom? In this case I was thinking of all the daffodils and narcissus that have blooming for weeks and weeks around here and the crocus that are popping up in lawns and verges...the lengthening of days and the quality of the light, the hedges beginning to come into leaf, a delicate light green.

Today the hills around were white, but the sun was warm and by 11:00 the snow gave way to pretty green fields. I spent the day driving around up among the heather and gorse on all these hills around here.....hunting within the law, you see. It would have been a spectacular day to be on a horse. I had to settle for 4 wheels and decent tires.

Now you see why I haven't been blogging lately; it's easy to see that I don't have a lot to talk about. Perhaps I will put up a few pictures I've taken in the last 5 weeks.

This has been an excellent winter for reading. The local library has actually gotten in some very good books, much to my surprise. Seems like for years about all they had were crappy romances (as in....who would publish that drivel?) and mysteries and things like that...lately they've been featuring books by Jodi Picoult who is a current favorite of mine; currently I'm enjoying "Small Island" by Andrea Levy, winner of the Whitbread Book of the Year and Orange Prize for Fiction. It's a good'un, assuming you enjoy reading Jamaican dialect. I spent about a year in the Caribbean oh, about 25 years ago, and it really does take me back. Support your local library! Here in England/Wales, they're pretty good about getting you books through an extensive inter-library system for a nominal fee.

This isn't the season really for appreciating heather, but I have to say I appreciate it all the same. It's a lovely thing any time of year. A day like today, especially, makes me appreciate all the good things: lovely hills, animals, daffodils, good friends, a good laugh, and a rich blue sky.