At The Dimming Of The Day
Jonathan & Denise >
Recently, Pickle has become almost completely blind, due to severe cataracts – which developed over the course of just a two or three weeks. She has adapted amazingly well : she seems to have a remarkable mental map of the house and garden (and even beyond) ; but she has to be left to find her way about, as carrying her at all leaves her confused and distressed. She loves a sunny warm windowcill – even if only the wan sunshine of mid winter.
At the other end of the house, the east bedroom has a big window looking out on a very different scene – inland and mountainous in character, compared to the west bedroom (ours) which looks out across machair, islands and oceans. Here, as the sun lowers in the west, the shadow of our house extends a quarter of the way to Roineabhal.
Later still, but from the east bedroom window, again, the light is failing fast. With the sun now below the south-western horizon – behind the islands to the south west, the shadow of the Isle of Barra casts darkness over the southern end of Uist, and the waters of The Minch. In the far distance – 30 miles to the east, its just the the snow-covered peaks of the Isle of Rhum that catch the last rays of roseate light that passes over the top of the lower hills of Uist and Barra.
I stay home most of the time. My yarny group and I all meet up each week over Zoom. We usually end up cutting up something fierce and laugh a lot. Its brought me through some tough times last year.
Beautiful shots Jonathan! Makes me miss being there. Hope you and Denise are dating well through all this. California is in a mess although not as bad where we are to the north but we still go nowhere except curbside pickups for groceries and animal feed. Luckily these systems work very well.
J > Thank you, Jacalyn. Apart from wearing a mask when we go to the shop, and that the only options for a day off is a very local walk, daily life goes on pretty much as normal. We are lucky. You’ve had a tough year, over there, Jacalyn – we think of you very often. Pass our very best wishes to the other half – and the animals!