"Not all those who wander are lost" Tolkein

I had all the intentions of getting up early this morning and tackling the vast amount of curved Oak laid out in the workshop, but as I climbed out of bed my creaking, sore and seized up limbs dispelled any work ethic I had. "Age!" I hear you cry. Well hopefully not.  I've just spent a lovely couple of days out walking on the moors on my lonesome.
Every now and then the desperate urge to escape to wild places grabs me. I use it as a way to mentally re-boot my system. Turn myself off and on again. What I love is the simplicity. It's just me, my kit (could have been a bit lighter) and the elements. All I have to concern myself with is which direction to travel.
Travelling on my own gives me the chance to think about the things I need to think about. I'm definitely one for putting distractions in my way, whether its watching something, getting a book fix, or researching to the Nth degree whatever new fad I've discovered. Walking by myself strips away those shields and forces me to face the issues and work my way through them.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a deep walking meditation. I was far from the Kwai Chang Caine archetype. Half the time my thoughts were on such issues as "Why won't my lungs take in more oxygen?" or "Why are my buttocks chaffing?" or "It doesn't say there's a bloody wall here on the map!" But these time are just as good (maybe not the buttocks) as they are the times when I'm just here in the moment, the times when I'm just travelling. Just me doing what animals have always done, moving through the landscape, finding water, looking for a good place to sleep. Although I'm on my own, doing this kind of trip makes me feel like I part of something bigger than myself. On my own but not alone.
I slept to the sound of owls and the River Bovey, awoke with the sun and the dawn chorus, breakfasted with jackdaws and a couple of Roe Deer, then wandered to wherever the mood took me.
I had planned to stay out a second night but was enjoying the feeling of walking so much that I covered the distance in half the time I had intended whilst still fitting in the sights. Hence this mornings lack of movement.

However, it'll be a fresh start tomorrow. First job is to clean up all the Oak curves. These are going to become a new bed once the client chooses which curves she'd like. I'll post pictures as we go.

gx