Step Four-Point-Five: A Reflection
It is November. And the coldest November night since 2010. As I draft this, on a chilly Monday morning, the temperature in Braemar is currently -12°c, and falling. Here in the far north, in the town at the end of…
Tag Thirty-Nine Steps
Friday Photo #17 Ridgelines Beyond Ridgelines
I have shared this photo of ridgelines in Highland Perthshire before, in my essay “Trees, A Brief Personal History.” It is a favourite of mine, illustrating how Scottish weather, so oft-derided, can actually increase the beauty of a photograph. Being…
Step Three: Self Assessment Pt. III
I have started this series by looking at where I am at present with relation to the past. Talk of assessment and reassessment, snippets of ideas that are fleshed out, others that drift away on the tide. I have been…
Step Two: Self Assessment Pt. II
In Step One I introduced the idea of self assessment, of looking at what has been, and what is. As an example, I talked about my physical condition, and how it has changed for the better over the last year.…
Step One: Self Assessment Pt. I
Before any journey it is important to take a breath, a pause. Check your pack, your tickets, your passport, your fitness, your contacts, those notes you’ve made, that map you’ve printed — all these things we do by habit. Or…
Step Zero
Today is my birthday. This, to me, is not normally a big deal. Another year on paper, another year since the date recorded on my birth certificate, maybe — but every day is another year. I like celebrating birthdays that…