We had just arrived in Northern Brittany. Our first stop was to be a field on the edge of the Ile Callot. You get there by crossing a causeway at low tide. When the tide returns and the day trippers go home, there are only a few occupied houses and the wilderness left.
And ourselves of course, camping out under the stars.
We woke on that first morning to a beautiful silence, interspersed with the sound of the sea. At sunrise, a couple of Little Egrets flew on to the treetops above our camp. In a matter of minutes two or three more landed and it was from that point that Himself started to count them. He eventually stopped after about 80.
We live beside a small marshy lake and get very excited when we see even one Little Egret! In fact they were unknown here in Ireland until 1997. These days they pad around in the shallows avoiding the larger Grey Heron, who patrols the lake,
I was lying on my back snapping these guys. They basked in the golden light of sunrise and as the morning settled in they flew away. Probably returning to their feeding grounds along the edges of the island.
This magical morning was the beginning of a very slow meander along that coast. Miles of wild beauty, extraordinary landscapes of rose granite, and small fishing harbours perfect for an overnight stay. No particular plan except to put one foot in front of another and follow the edge.
START CLOSE IN
Start close in,
don’t take the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.
Start with
the ground
you know,
the pale ground
beneath your feet,
your own
way to begin
the conversation.
Start with your own
question,
give up on other
people’s questions,
don’t let them
smother something
simple.
To hear
another’s voice,
follow
your own voice,
wait until
that voice
becomes an
intimate
private ear
that can
really listen
to another.
Start right now
take a small step
you can call your own
don’t follow
someone else’s
heroics, be humble
and focused,
start close in,
don’t mistake
that other
for your own.
Start close in,
don’t take
the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.
David Whyte
Oh, those birds are just beautiful! What an glorious way to start your day. So glad you shared this.
Thank you Kathleen! It really was such a memorable morning, I will never forget it.
A magical morning indeed! Bright blue and shining white! I am lover of île Callot and its surroundings. Enjoy your trip through Britanny.
O I love that you know it! Such a surprise to us. We were so lucky to be able to camp there. Off season is really the best time to travel. x
What a magical morning surprise they offered in those fleeting moments. Thanks for sharing their visit. And the Whyte poem was synchronistically what I needed to read this morning. Starting close in? Perfect.
Thank you Barbara. It was really special and a great excuse to just lie there on my back staring into the tree tops! David Whyte….always apt. x
Those Herons can be bullies, but as lovers of solitude, you have to feel sorry for them with those beautiful coloured invaders, stealing their fish and their show
I know Andrew! They certainly steal the limelight. But they don’t have the same magnificent slow and enchanting wing movement…..Love em all sure!
What a sight to behold!
Thanks Maery Rose, our kind of magic, you would have loved it:~)
Dear Cathrine! Thank you so much – as always your weekly photostory is both beautiful and thoughtful. I am so exciteted every time I get an e-mail from Foxglove Lane, it’s a real treat! You seem like a lovely person, and I am very glad that you shear your reflections and the beauty you capture with all of us.
Smiles from Norway <3
Welcome Ida! All the way from Norway too. I’m delighted you are enjoying the emails. I think that’s my only plan with this blog to make everyday stories that allow us all to pause and enjoy the world a bit more. Thanks for being here:~)
My favorite is the very first image…a show stopper! Gorgeous! I remember when I had a similar experience in Hilton Head, South Carolina. I’d never seen egrets before…and over a hundred appeared together! (My dad counted!)
That’s such a similar experience…..wonderful Robin!
hello Catherine. long time since I talk to ya . but always the bearer of bad news my younger brother passed away this wk. heart attack Michael. I m sure you knew him
he lost his wife Maggie many years ago. but found a new love and had built a new life .he was due to retire in May this year form Hickeys fabrics
with great plans. your photos are phenomenal and for me personally in the picture where the Heron is ascending leaving 3 behind seems to represent
Michael and the 3 behind me Martin and John. take care Catherine.
Jimmy, I’e sent you an email.