Bus Pass on a Secret Trail
By purplehaze
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“Come on, Bus Pass”, chirped bus-pass-lady, “Let’s go to Portnockie”.
“Not for the open-air swimming pool?”, said Bus Pass, with a worried, side-eye glance.
“Of course not! The ‘Moray Coastal Path’ passes through Portnockie”.
“As fast as it can, I’ll wager”, snortled Bus Pass. “Portnockie couldn’t even be called ‘one-horse’”.
“Yes, but we won’t stay in Portnockie, we’ll start there and walk to Cullen”, bus-pass-lady explained.
“Oooh, my favourite! Sparkly thrift shops, cozy cafés and the good ice cream”, waxed Bus Pass, perking up, so full of hope, that a tear came to bus-pass-lady’s eye.
“Well, yes, Bus Pass, but we’ll probably take a flask with us instead. Like real ramblers”.
“What is a rambler?”
“Well, rambling is another word for walking, but with thick socks, stout footwear and a silly hat. It helps if there’s a path with the odd stile to cross, and best keep an over-priced tiny rucksack for the purpose, as you take your own flask and sandwiches with you”.
Bus Pass was silent.
“We might see Bow-Fiddle Rock”, pleaded bus-pass-lady.
Rambling!
Flasking!
No cappuccinos!
Bus Pass suspected some dark, Hallowe’en trickster-dixstering must be afoot. Much like Tam O’Shanter’s wife, Bus Pass stewed into a fug, ‘nursing their wrath, to keep it warm’. Declining to comment further on the ‘R’ word, other than to proclaim it ‘an abomination’.
With a heavy heart, bus-pass-lady went for the bus to Portnockie anyway, passing charity book shop’s pavement stall without so much as a second glance. Bus Pass had a point, Portnockie has little going for it, but finding interesting walks was fast becoming bus-pass-lady’s favourite pastime, so bus-pass-lady stuck to her guns. (She and Bus Pass are very much alike). Portknockie may lack one-horse status, but the sea views walking to Cullen viaduct! Even Bus Pass was bedazzled.
Images for this journal have been posted on Insta @purplehaze_journal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portknockie
Credit: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43815/tam-o-shanter
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Comments
I feel like I need to see Bow
I feel like I need to see Bow-Fiddle Rock now.
That's a charming tale well told with its Hallowe’en trickster-dixstering.
Really enjoyed this.
Happy Halloween!
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Are you going on a massive
Are you going on a massive shopping spree tomorrow? : )
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This charming, engaging tale
This charming, engaging tale is today's Facebook and X/Twitter Pick of the Day.
I have added a pic to promote your work on social media. Please let me know if you prefer to use something else.
Congratulations.
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