The Leviathan

Leviathan is a biblical name for a sea monster, big water serpent or a whale. In the Bible it was a symbol of a devil power.

There has been a footage circulating on the  internet, which shows a scary scene. In the waters off California coast, a woman surfing on a kayak was nearly swallowed by a whale. The giant animal jumped out suddenly from the deep, while hunting the shoal of fish. The woman was lucky, it was near miss.

Less lucky was Rainer Schnepf, a scuba diver, filming in 2019 in the waters of Republic of South Africa. Out of the blue, he found himself in the mouth of a whale, who was chasing sardines. Fortunately, the big mammal  spat out the man before long, evidently finding him not to its taste. It reminds me the story of Jonas, who according to Bible jumped out to the sea from a ship, and thanks to God's intervention, wasn't drown, but was gulped down by a big fish ( most probably it was a whale). Jonas spent 3 days inside big monster, to be eventually spat out safely on the shore. It makes me think, what was the real inspiration for creation of the story of Jonas ?

Bloody morning

The morning was gloomy ; at 7 am when I got up there was still dark outside the window , or at least just a little better than in the middle of the night . I have never liked getting up from bed very early morning - because of this weird, overwhelming feeling of darkness creeping around . I didn't have to get up so early for a long period of time and actually had forgotten about this feeling by this time  . Anyway , I jumped out of  my bed and took a quick shower . And when I was in the kitchen , I looked through the window and it was getting brighter - the sunrise came over . I watched the fast-rolling dark clouds and red-orange sky in the background with fascination . I felt like in the other world - it was worth waking up early morning to experience this phenomena .

Yes or No ?

The final date is so close; this Thursday . The future of the country will be decided : not only the future of Scotland , but of the whole of United Kingdom .

So the question is ; Yes or No - for the Independent Scotland . However , as I have been following the public dispute over that matter , at last I can see there is a clash of interests . Nothing has change over centuries in Scotland . Like before , the main line of division is the conflict between traditions , national pride against maintaining financial benefits of being in the Union . Pretty the same as at the time of declaring the Act of Union , back three hundred years ago . Poor but patriotic Highlanders standing behind the lost cause of Stewarts and english-speaking population of "Lowlands" ,  happy with Union for its financial support .

What "No" campaigne says is that the Scottish will be poorer ,  less safe .
"Yes" campaigners say - we will be independent from the Westminster .

As to me , the result depends on the level of conformism and fear , not ideology . To be safe or to risk being independent .

Man v Birds

On this planet human race is a dominant kind ; other species are no match . Since the time of Industrial Revolution , Homo Sapience have transformed lands and oceans in the name of progress . Wildlife retreats as a result of fast urbanisation ,extensive farming and pollution . That's well known fact . However , few species have adopted to this situation and even thrive well alongside us. Like rats or more recently , foxes moving to cities . And undoubtedly  birds , which learnt perfectly how to coexist with us , people . But I am not sure if those flying creatures are so welcome anymore . Unlike rats which are respectful towards people keeping  mainly off underground , birds have no respect whatsoever . Nowadays they are often consider as pests . For instance , I have heard stories how nasty could be flocks of starlings - large flying squadrons of these birds make such a noise , not to mention birds' droppings . In Rome the city council scares flocks of these little aerial acrobats emitting sounds of  birds of pray. Another example , seagulls venturing from the coastal areas - it seems they perfectly know where and when is a bin collection day , leaving mess around on early mornings .
Recently a woman in Glasgow who has been a victim of a sea gull's attack , sued an owner of the building for not removing  bird's nest from the roof .Having heard that news on the radio , I thought that Alfred Hitchcock creating his " Birds " had had to be inspired by similar stories .
On my daily route to my place I pass under two sets of bridges , where I observe a regular battle between man and birds. Between civilisation and intruding nature . All because of pigeons perching on the ledges , clinging wherever they can  . To prevent them from sitting there and leaving excrement , rows of iron spikes has been set  on ledges , street lamps .The underbelly of the old iron bridge has been covered with a new wire net , to keep birds away . Sometimes I could hear birds' flutter , trying to get through the net . The service maintaining the bridges did the best to repel pigeons .

All that measures don't seem to work however , as birds are very resilient . To my amazement when I was walking under the bridges recently , I saw a nest located directly on the lamp between prickles and pigeons calmly nesting . What an irony .

Yellow

Blossoming flowers crave for the sun . So do people .

The sky

The last evening the sky was set in fire ; a spectacle that one can observe for free .The Gods are sometimes favourable .

Embracing the wind

Looking at that larch tree , one can say the wind has become a friend of this tree . Instead of resisting the element , the plant got to terms with it .

Rainbow

I caught it , the rainbow over my favourite tree , a mighty oak which I see every day out of my window . I saw that phenomena over the same tree some time ago , but it had disappeared before I got and set up my camera . This time I was quicker .

Many shades of yellow

The yellow against gray background . The yellow tree has not surrendered yet , keeps the wind off and soak up the sun . Amongst bare branches of other trees , it caught my eye .

The fall

These leaves fell to the river , not willing to float down the stream . The strength  in numbers .

The night

 

During the night the brain seems to work differently than by day .

When I came to the end of the road where mountains meet the Loch , it was shortly before twilight. There was a small car park by the water and a fenced camp site . I decided to stay overnight at this place .I noticed another car , left probably by someone who  had been hiking in the hills , I thought . Or the car belonged to a forestry worker - there was a tree plantation nearby where logging takes place . Anyway , after having eaten something warm ( thanks to a portable cooker ) I set the fire ( partly to repel mosquitoes and midges ) and started pitching my tent. When I sat by the fire , I noticed that somebody had had the same idea - the smoke given out of fire was visible a bit further down the shore , by a small pier . The pier was in use by logging company  I guessed , but  that time of a day the workers must have gone -so it were rather people who had left their vehicle in order to stay overnight . I decided to ignore the fact and stayed by my fire . I felt content that they stayed away of me

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At last the night covered the Glen and the outlines of surrounding mountains disappeared , melting with dark sky . The only sign of life were roars of stags , keeping away potential rivals from females . I was preparing a sleeping mattress when I spotted a flickering torch - somebody was walking toward me . The fire had gone out already , so I wondered if whoever a stranger was - could know about my presence ?. I felt a bit anxious - and having put a small hammer into my pocket , I  chose to show up to the stranger .

" Are you going to camp here ? "  - I asked coming up with a torch . I stood facing a man in his forties , maybe . The weak light of torches couldn't tell much of the guy , his face seemed to be somehow harsh .He was accompanied by a dog , not big one .         

" Yes , I am going to stay here . I was sitting by the fire over there , by the pier " - he replied shortly in confident tone - " I wanted to go further down the shore , but the road is finished here " - he added .

" Yes , it's true " - I confirmed - " There is no passage from here , maybe you could try to get there from the other end of Loch , out of Oban , possibly "  - " Maybe " - he agreed .                                                                                                                  

" I am camping here , I just pitched a tent over here " - I explained , just to say something . He looked at me for a while and then finally said ;

" OK , I am going to sleep now in my car . If you need anything just give me know " - He cut the conversation and walked off to his car .

" I will be fine , bye " - I took my stuff needed for a sleep and headed to my tent .                                        

I couldn't get into sleep , thinking what this man was doing in the Glen , what was his purpose to reach far beyond this point . Was he going to fish or what ? I got out to the car for a bottle of water and as walking back I suddenly saw the gleaming eyes in the darkness . Gradually I noticed four more pairs of eyes glistening in the light of the torch - deers . The animals seemed to be curious of the light , they run away at last as I approached closer . But I still could hear the noise later in the tent - what a strange night it was . 

I woke up early in the morning , took my camera and moved toward the pier to take some pictures of the Loch . An hour later at the camp site I met a stranger again .He had taken a stroll with his dog toward the pier - no wonder - it was a bright morning and pleasure to take a breath of fresh air among such spectacular scenery .He smiled to me when passing by , his face  looked surprisingly friendly . I replied to his greetings with a broad grin .I was glad that somebody else could enjoy the 'great outdoors' in the early morning .

How differently things can be perceived in the full light .    

  

I                                                                                               

 

Indian Summer

Ripen fruits mark the definite end of the Summer and  chilly nights start. But just for now , before rotten berries and leaves fall down , lets enjoy the last warmth and sunshine .So called Indian Summer .

The river knows

I stopped on a bank of the river - to steal its image with my camera . The river looks nice in the low light of the evening . But the river does not care . The river is oblivious actually to the fact , that the surface of its water attracts my attention . In the calm , warm summer evening the river pushes slowly through greenery , ahead . Nearly motionless , it seems .
But the river knows , that no further then a couple stone-throws down the stream , it will blend into salty waters of a shallow bay . And will be taken possibly to the open sea or even the ocean . It's a splendid destination . But for a while the river slows down - so that it can enjoy the warm touch of the sun rays and memorise the gentle sound of leaves , rustling on the branches .
Mesmerized by the silence of the moment and awaiting refreshing coolness of the oncoming night , the river halts loosing its speed clearly . It will be plenty of time yet for pounding seashore's reefs and rolling gently over sandy beaches , yes .
No need to haste now , the river thinks .

Out of the window .

Every day I see this scenery - the long line of green hills , running from west to east ( or otherwise ) . Mainly without trees , some on the top . And with dry-stone walls rolling down . Typical farmland landscape .
I see this chain of hills through the window , sitting in the canteen during my break from work . That's a precious  half an hour . I can forget for a moment all working routine - swipe your card when starting a shift , charge your I-fob , then log in your accessories , with specific numbers . Start the first assignment by pressing enter ,and again the next assignment . Remember to log off if you need to change battery and log in again when it is done . And so on .
On the break you are shortly out of the system . Looking out of the window towards this greenery makes me relaxed - other people seem to be not interested in outside world - they just talk or sit deep in theirs thoughts . But I always look at this direction . The other day I noticed  a road running on top of the hills and sometimes I could spot the car driving there . Probably the road used by local farmers - who else could use this road high on the hills ?
Not long ago I decided to ride over these hills and having finished my shift one evening I found the way to the hills . In the setting Sun the road winding amongst the fields and grassland led me through idyllic scenery .
Like on this photograph below .

Amongst green leaves I found the gold - the last message of the sinking sun .

Outside

After 9 hrs spent working under the roof , travelling in the car back from work , shopping in the supermarket and preparing evening meal , I felt I need fresh air . So strange to be in different places and not being outside  . Artificial light , sparse air . The world seen through the window .

I found at last a while to have a stroll . Unfortunately , it started raining . Never mind , I stuck by the front doors , leaning against the wall . In such moment you can appreciate to be outside a home . Even though it's raining and the sky looks grayish . It stopped raining for a while - I could move on , strollin to the local park nearby (it's rugby pitch actually ). I spotted the couple playing with a dog , despite the weather . Yes , the dogs need to be walked ,they like run wildly . Why people don't need to unwind in such way ? If somebody wants to , goes to the pub at weekend or for party . Basically , some people benefits from walking only because they are the owners of the dogs .

I stayed short moment watching the green surface of the pitch , my eyes followed the flight of a seagull .  I thought that I would seat probably long time watching birds or sea - waves pounding the rocky shore , somewhere far away . But here just a few steps off the house , I couldn't stay long . Back to the matters which keep mind busy , to carry on .
So I miss the moment which must come up  , when I will be sitting just watching flying bird , smelling the grass and enjoying the song sung by the wind . I need to find right time soon .

Muir's truth .

I have found the quotation of John Muir , which he wrote over a century ago ;

"  Thousand of tired , nerve-shaken , over-civilised people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity  "

I thought when I read it the first time that's the true , and nothing has changed since the time when Muir said so . People still are nerve-shaken and over-civilised . The thing is however , that a few people have understood that fact - that the modern civilisations makes us poorer in fact . Because the lack of contact with the wild nature is simply bad . More stressed and goal orientated . Ready to destroy the rest of wildlife in the name of progress and comfort . The less people visit wild places the more they want to gain the things which in fact are of no use . And the chase for those things makes people more crazy and nerve-shaken .

Possibly there is more and more people who feel like being closer to the nature . But how many people would consider the idea that ' wildness is a necessity ' ? For majority it's probably only a curiosity , attraction memorized by the camera ; I was there once upon a time .

But for me these very words are true .


            
         

Turn the phone on

I survived without the phone around 10 days , after I had lost my mobile somewhere . Surprisingly , I barely noticed the difference . I didn't have any sudden urge to ring . But obviously  I had to come back to the Matrix . I just bought the new on , with android's system . Never had one before , but eventually I decided to follow the spirit of our time . Despite having known the saying  - "We live in the times of smart phones and stupid people" . What may means that using technologically advanced gadgets make you more and more stupid .
In some way I am getting stupid with that phone sometimes . Till now I have used used a simple models , nothing complicated . I am slowly getting to know the new one , though . Today just when standing in a bus stop queue  , I took out my new mobile phone to explore its functions , trying to set up an email account .Without success , I looked over my shoulder , behind me the queue of people awaiting the bus had grown  enormously . Well , people were doing the same ; operating their mobile phones while waiting .

In general I can't understand people's urge for using cell phones whenever possible . No doubt this tiny device might provide a lot of fun and much of practical information ,too . But as a traditionalist I prefer traditional things then . When travelling or sitting in the waiting room , I d' rather read a newspaper or the book taken with me . Or simply observe what happens around me ; especially on the bus I enjoy watching other people and some small events like an owner of a dog arguing with another passenger .

Hopefully I won't get hooked on use of mobile phone in the future , there are enough things I am addicted to .  

The end of the world

When I am thinking of what happens around Korean Peninsula , I feel  creeps . What if the barely grown - up boy , who governs the last communist country in the World , will not stop playing ? Does he realise that's not a computer game called  "The Third World War" ?  I tried to imagine what are the feelings of the servismen  on american  warships being sent to the waters of the conflict ? Surely they aren't happy going there , I suppose . Actually , what think all Americans or Korean people ?

I can't imagine what is in the head of Kim . And why anybody around him won't tell him " Stop playing the God , kid " .

Benefits of the morning walk

It's Saturday . Got up early again , quite early . I left home at 9.00 and rushed to Pentlands Hill , nearby . The morning was beautiful , sunny , however still chilly and with snow on the hills . But in the sun everything looks better . A bit wintry , not like last saturday , when I walked in Pentlands too, and there was strange silence - no wind at all . But the wind today wasn't much strong , so I could enjoy . Overhead larks singing - the first signs of spring . I heard even the sound of gaggling wild geese - this is a traditional rout for these birds to the  north where they spend summer time.
I like the snowy scenery and the sun rays sparkling around . Next time when I visit Pentland Hills the snow will probably disapear .

Out of the network

I have lost my mobile phone , not sure where and how . Nothing to regret much , just cheap temporary model .

The only problem is that I lost sim card with it too , obviously . But the first time I am not nervous I am out of phone network . Normally when the battery was flat or I forgot to take the phone leaving home I would feel a bit anxious about it . Somebody would phone , maybe even with something important . I would feel guilty that somebody phoned me and I was nonresponsive . " Where have you been when I phoned you " or " Why don't you answer the call ? " - people tend to ask . I think we have got addicted to the mobile network . Nowadays we are available for other callers practically every time and everywhere . Even on the holiday . The best way to escape is to go to the mountains where often the signal is bad . Or simply turn off the phone .
But this time I don't care much about that . I nearly forgot I don't have my phone . That's fine . There is nobody important now who could phone me . So I don't care about outside world . But not for long . To be a part of this world today , you have to be in contact , available for other mobile users .