Eostara

Ok, usually when The Wheel turns, I set out a ritual at home, they all follow a fairly similar pattern, as to what I've found works best for me.

However, this Eostara things played out a little differently. For most of last week I was fairly ill and as a result spent Wednesday through to Friday in my boyfriends 'Halo 3' T-shirt and leggings. The kids got shipped off to childminders and then their Dad's and my sleep pattern went entirely out the window. All this lead to me being wide awake at 4am Saturday morning, and feeling a lot better than I had in a number of days. Maybe I should get some fresh air, I thought to myself.

So off I set, at 5:30am. The Tyne valley was filled with mist and there was a feeling of watching the world waking up as I watched the street lights blink out one by one as I made my way through housing estate.

The Riverside National Park seems a different world at that time of day. Rabbits leaping away everytime my hadow fell a little to close to them. Grouses and moor hens shrieking in alarm each time i snapped a twig a little too loudly. Thick jewel link rain-drops coating evey available leaf, branch and blossom.

Anyway, although it was entirely unplanned, a dawn walk is definatley a ritual I plan to repeat. It's worth doing just for the slightly smug feeling you get pulling of your hiking boots and pouring a cup of tea thinking already today I've seen all those beautiful things, and everyone else hasn't even got out of bed yet!