Staying local

The difference between staying at home and staying local is nuanced. In practice I have never travelled more than 5 miles from home either walking or by car since the beginning of December, possibly longer. So today when the guidance changed from stay home to stay local I decided to mark it by travelling to Hogganfield Loch, within the City of Glasgow but 8 miles away.
The car park at 8.45 was almost full, perhaps not surprising because it was a stunning morning. It was a joy and not too crowded, at least at the beginning of the circumnavigation of the loch, nature reserve  best known for its swans of which there are hundreds. I saw just one nest but I’m guessing there are more, probably on the wooded island where I spotted at least 4 herons and what looked like a small heronry.  Their raspy squawk was unmistakable. For my own amusement and record I have included a fuzzy heron nest shot as my extra.
Spent the afternoon reading Richard Cole’s ‘Madness of Grief’. I met David Oldham several times when he and Richard were on holiday in Saddell, Kintyre. We shared otter watching experiences (he was more successful than me) and it was a conversation about paddle boarding that made me give it a go in Stornoway. A sad, funny, memorable read about love and lost peppered with ‘reverse anticipation’ – Richard Cole’s words, not mine. A fitting metaphor for Good Friday.