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Lisa G Saw • Nov 13, 2022

Sunset Over The Sea

I headed down to the beach at dusk. It was a sunny autumn afternoon and several people had the same idea as me. I walked down the beach away from most on the esplanade. I recalled one of my last visits to the beach, when the air was warmer and the sea calmer. Today, the sea was noisy. There was no silent moment between the rise and fall of the tide. With the wind behind me, I flipped up my hood and instantly it dulled the sounds around me and provided some warmth.

 

I realised my shoulders were tense. So, I let go and relaxed, standing, facing the sun as it neared towards the horizon. Despite the distraction of the sea and wind, everything else seemed calm and effortless, the way the seabirds were gliding across the darkening sky and how the sun slowly dipped behind the faraway clouds and then appeared to melt into the sea. The sun was such a gorgeous fiery orange. I stood still, watching the light change and the sun set, thinking about how happy I've been the last few weeks.

 

The challenges of this year have been floating away behind me. What’s past is past. The sun has set. I’ve embraced the hard times and delved deep inside to get to where I am now. It’s all been worth it, in ways I never dreamed possible. With a feeling of hope and optimism I can move forward. I’m so happy about all the things on my horizon.

 

I continued to walk along the beach, wondering if the sun would provide that wonderful encore, that last light, before the day was done. It didn't look like it would, so I turned around and started to head home. Thankfully, I cast a glance over my shoulder and I saw it, the last rays of the sun illuminated the underside of a band of clouds. The glow warmed my heart and made me smile. It was beautiful.

Autumn Tour of Scotland - Part 2

By Lisa G Saw • 14 Jan, 2024
During the first half of our autumn holiday up in Scotland, we'd filled our boots with sightings of deer. Now our focus switched primarily to Mountain Hares and Ptarmigan. Since both species live at high altitudes, it meant a lot of walking uphill! It would be hard work! But, I felt confident I'd be able to manage it, so long as I simply took it slow and steady with frequent stops. At least we were able to intersperse these challenging days with more relaxing ones. On our first day based in Boat of Garten, we decided to venture up the Cairn Gorm Mountain. The mountain railway was closed, as were the ski lifts, so there was no easy access to higher ground. But, since the car park was located at 635m, we were able to start our walk from a reasonably high point. I was thrilled the top of the mountains were covered in snow. It looked so beautiful, though of course, this meant we'd be walking through the white stuff and would undoubtedly get quite wet. We chose to follow the steep Windy Ridge path up to the Ptarmigan restaurant - the highest in the UK. It was given its name due to the high number of this species on the mountain, which was perhaps a good sign. So, I set off with optimism and very happy that it was a glorious sunny start to the day.
Red Deer stag in the mountains

Autumn Tour of Scotland - Part 1

By Lisa G Saw • 29 Dec, 2023
I love visiting Scotland, seeking out new places as well as returning to favoured locations. Even though I've been several times over the last few years, I've never been up there during the autumn, around the time of the deer rut. I was thrilled to finally have the opportunity this year, even though I knew the chances of actually seeing any activity were extremely slim. As much as I wanted to see the Red Deer up in the Highlands, there were actually two other species that were higher on my 'Want To See' list for the trip - Mountain Hares and Ptarmigan. I've been lucky enough to see them before, but was eager for more wonderful experiences. I knew they'd still be just as potentially challenging to locate and photograph, with declining numbers even in favoured locations. It would certainly make the trip more of an adventure. The fact I wasn't going alone this time, but instead sharing the experience with Bob - on our first holiday together - made it even more special. I really hoped we would get lucky with our target species, especially as Bob had only seen one Mountain Hare before and never laid eyes on a Ptarmigan.
Marsh Fritillary

A Day Trip To Wiltshire

By Lisa G Saw • 10 Sep, 2023
April 2023 marked the end of my quest to see all the butterflies that live their complete life cycle in Sussex. The final species I saw, during the Easter weekend, was the Large Tortoiseshell. Following the exciting conclusion to my adventure, I wrote a post about Discovering the Butterflies of Sussex . In it I mentioned how chuffed I was with what I'd achieved and how I didn't really want to start the next obvious quest straight away, to see all the UK butterfly species. But, with the spring and summer months stretching out before me, it seemed silly not to make a start this year. Bob and I were still in the early stages of our budding romance, and the idea of spending a lovely long day out together was just too enticing to pass up. So, in late May, we headed over to Martin Down National Nature Reserve in Wiltshire, in the hope of seeing the Marsh Fritillary. It would be my first, but not for Bob. He's already seen all the UK butterfly species, except for the Cryptic Wood White, which is only found in Ireland. We woke super early and reached the nature reserve by 8am. Unsurprisingly, we were the first ones there. It was still quite cool and a little windy, but nice enough to enjoy our breakfast sitting on a bench by the car park, overlooking the wildflower meadow and the hills just beyond to the south. We heard a Cuckoo calling nearby - an unmistakable sound of spring. Lovely! It was a great start to the day.
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