I was out all day, with no chance of a wild walk, and by the time I got home it was wet. Luckily though, I had the loveliest wild moment before the school bus rush, when I spied 3 handsome hares in the field in front of the house. They used to come into the garden regularly but now that we let Coco the dog into the garden off the lead, they wisely stay on the other side of the wall. It is not as nice for me though, as I did enjoy their daily visits last winter.
I crept out of the house, closely the door quietly behind me, and tiptoed up to the wall. Quite often the sound of the door opening and closing is enough for the hares to disappear over the brow of the bank, and away. The hens were still in the hen house - nothing to alert them to my presence, so when I stuck my head above the wall, there they were sitting stock still, listening.
For a moment no one moved. And it was lovely to watch them reasonably closely, see their colours darkening again into summer coat. And then, I must have moved and they were off - darting to safety.
It was 6.30am. The sea was flat calm and silvery. Common gulls flew over head to the lochan. It was still and quiet.
The hares stopped. As if frozen, watching me. I loved the way one seemed to sit up, more alert than the others. I moved and they disappeared over the edge.
At the other side of the house, as I made a cup of tea for myself and Farmer, I could see a flock of roughly 20 Rock pigeons cleaning up underneath the bird feeders - the hens were still in the hen house, so there was no one to chase them away.
It is raining very hard now!