Camouflage

I walk about eight kilometres a day, often in a hurry. Keeping an eye out for nature forces me to slow the pace, calm down and take a deep breath. Tuning in to things can be profoundly meditative. I watch the stage set of the landscape come alive. I see a butterfly in a sun spot on a lichen-blotched log. As I enjoy the patterns on its wings an invisible bird makes a break for it like a catapult being fired. For a split second the butterfly and the bird seemed to carry the same colours, though the woodcock is so fast it turns to silhouette in an instant.

I am out of the habit of just sitting quietly and watching awhile. It's a good time of year to get back into it. Birds, frantically courting or squabbling, are less sensitive to human presence. Kingfishers and woodpeckers play kiss chase right past my face. But when the silly season is over and chicks beg with voracious bright gapes I will have to be discreet. Ray Mears, in his current ITV series, has inspired me look for a camouflage net.