DetermiNature

Last Tuesday’s striding out in the fresh air was more a scramble in the bracing sea breezes, over the pebbly moonwalk landscape that is, Spey Bay.  The Spey is a world-renowned whisky and salmon river, and the delta is a wildlife sanctuary.  A long riverside walk, ‘Speyside Way’, passes through Fochabers village, of Gordon Castle Walled Garden fame, and on up the Spey valley.  Over the years, at the river delta, I’ve seen everything from seals to salamanders (okay, it was a common lizard, but I liked the alliteration).  It’s great for bird-watching and dolphin-spotting.  Bonus, Dolphin Centre café does soup, cakes and coffee, and sells lovely souvenirs and pretty cards.  Which is why, ‘yielding not to temptation’ (The Bible), went on a day both Dolphin Centre, and Gordon Castle Walled Garden Café, were closed.  No-spendity being mostly joyless, found joy in the chilly-sunny weather instead.  It’s grand being out in nature on a chilly-sunny day, so long as have plenty factor50, layers of woollies and some mud-loving footwear.   There are few things more smugly comforting than being dressed for weather. 

After recent storms, the dune crest to shoreline width is half the distance it used to be.  Doubtless, the supermoon tides helped push the pebbles into islets in the river delta.  Hoped the salmon would cope.  Then, realised, of course they will.  Nothing’s more determined, than salmon swimming upstream.

According to NASA, we are, as a planet, officially in solar max.  The peak of the sun’s eleven year cycle of activity.  Have been aurora hunting three times, and missed them every time so far, as was too cold or freaked myself out.  The wind woo-hooing like Mick Jagger, pulsing like a ceilidh, around the car.

Double X-class flare hit on Saturday. 

Am determined to see auroras again.

Woo Hoo!

Images for this journal have been posted on Insta @purplehaze_journal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spey_Bay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f47TZePukuQ