|
carol27 wrote: I'm lucky enough to see hares almost every day on my drive to work tjj. I set off at 6 on a beautiful drive from grimy old town to the beautiful Forrest of Bowland. Lately I have to wear my sun specs the day is so bright. Everything is as clear as a bell & the air so fresh; the scent of new mown grass must be my favourite; that and manure which smells like runny French cheese! Yum yum.
Anyway the first time I saw a hare I was blown away, they're so much bigger than rabbits, ganglier and a bit rough round the edges! They have a proper wild look in their eyes and move really fast. I'm always terrified I'll hit one, but I think they're too canny. Once though I had to crawl behind one for ages as it scampered in a straight line along the road in front of me till it veered off. I don't like the thought of the wildlife being frightened to death of our ridiculous noisy metal machines but then needs must.
I've managed not to hit anything yet thankfully but there's always road kill on this stretch. I also see rabbits, pheasants, cows and sheep, and twice now a beautiful deer which skips across the road; she always stuns me.
Beautifully descriptive, thank you for that Carol. On the way back from North Wales we visited St Melangell's Church near Llangynog. You probably already know that Melangell is the 'protector of hares' - legend has it she hid one in the folds of her cloak to save it from the huntmen back in the seventh century. The church is built on a bronze age site, encircled by ancient yews, in a deep valley in the Berwyn Mountains. To get to it we had to drive down a very narrow lane for about two miles with dozens of pheasant chicks running in front of us - I had to get out at one point and herd them along so we didn't hit any.
When we arrived at the church a great sense of peace prevailed; a small black dog from a nearby cottage came over to us with a tea towel in its mouth, tail wagging and very definitely greeting us. The church itself was simple with lots of images of hares and Melangell. I came away feeling ... calm, peaceful and yes, it did feel a bit like a spiritual experience. I don't know if I'll be able to go back there anytime soon so its something of a precious memory.
|
