5:30 am. I wander downstairs. Sophie looks vacantly at me and pretends not to have been in a deep sleep. She wanders over for a lengthy tickle and start of day reassurance. Satisfied that all is well with the world we head out of the front gate for our morning 'constitutional'. As we leave the rising sun bursts through the low cloud and turns the field of wheat on the other side of the lane deep gold. Now, that's a sight worth getting up early to see.
Half an hour later we've been to the waterfall, Sophie's had a drink, we've watched a dozen dragonflies do cartwheels in the sky and returned home. En route we've waved at the matron of the old folks home and the young garagiste. The young garagiste , who is now sporting a luxuriant jet black beard, stops to tell me that he's become a father.
Not everyone in the family is an early riser. We tiptoe quietly back inside The Rickety Old Farmhouse.
Today we opt to drive into the little market town. It's a twenty minute drive but with the windows down and the radio on both dog and owner enjoy the trip. Sophie's ears fly up in the gale.
We are the first to arrive at the cafe on the square. Three months since we've been here. Coffee, croissant and a bowl of water brought as if we'd never been away.
By the time we go a couple of tables on the street side of the cafe have filled up. The waiter is wearing a mask but none of the customers are.
Well I never : https://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/taipei-songshan-airport-taiwan-tour
Am I better off for knowing this ? : https://sciencenorway.no/art-art-history/scientists-have-determined-what-damaged-edvard-munchs-the-scream/1696138
12 comments:
Love the colours and light in your first photo!
Your photo of the wheat field at dawn is spectacular - I am not too much of an early riser myself, but seeing this makes me realize there might be some benefits. I enjoyed reading about the Taipei airport tour, it seems like something my kids would have adored at a certain stage of development. We took Cherry to our second house this past weekend. She's starting to lose her eyesight and the last few times she's been there, she's had trouble with the stairs and been kind of generally off. This time, she realized that she can stand at the top of the stairs and "summon" us when she wants to come down and needs a safety escort. Much better.
Ah, yes, the eyesight thing and PONs. One of our most gentle and rewarding periods of life was living with a dog that lost his sight but steadfastly refused to let it bother him. 'Summoning' is a very PON way of showing complete trust.
Some things are worth getting up at 5.30 to see. A dog owners reward.
Oh that light on the wheat field. Stunning indeed.
To be fair to the the café customers - it's perhaps understandable that mask-wearing presents problems when enjoying one's morning coffee and croissant.
Cheers, Gail.
Magnificent wheat field photo. Something very comforting about the warmth of the colour, the ripeness of the ears of wheat.
Hari Om
Okay, I'll join the chorus - FABulous wheatfield shot!!! And my goodness, back to the square and not a mason in sight. YAM xx
I got up at 4.40am but it is winter here and not light until 7am. It us so much harder in the winter, but easier when it is warm and light.
Glad to hear that cafe life is returning.
A stunning photo Angus, and worthy of a prize.
Until last week, our cafés looked very much like yours, but this past week tourists have been creeping in and suddenly there are very few empty tables. The beach, too, is slowly filling up, so by July the holiday season should be in full swing - or as full as it's likely to be this summer. Sadly many of us are not looking forward to the thought of crowds. How quickly we've become acclimatised (or brainwashed?) into accepting the lack of human company.
WOW! Spectacular photo!
Love the first photo. So vivid. Re: airport experience. I hope they have the man (men) who always forgets to take items out of his pockets to cause a hold up the security machine. Or is carrying loads of gadgets that have to be unpacked and put in the little trays...…
I have been wondering about how you wear a mask in a cafe as a customer. I haven't been out much yet. Will be interesting to see.
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