A walk in the park

A recently found, previously long lost chum (who turned out to be the only useful bastard when it came to my struggles transitioning to this bloody Mac), very kindly sent me his old iPhone 6 to solve the problem of the stupid Mac refusing to communicate with my digital camera. Normally a parcel from the UK would take a week, maybe ten days to get here. This little parcel took more than five weeks (long enough, as I suggested to him, to travel to the moon and back). Just as I was resigning myself to the probability that some tea leaf in Royal Mail or Canada Post had nicked it, the parcel turned up on Monday. The next morning I followed the directions he’d sent on setting the phone up without a sim card (as you may recall, I live in a mobile network dead zone) and that evening took the phone/camera to the pub where I was meeting a friend for dinner.

I took several photos.

All of which included my thumb. (In fairness to me, it was a sunny evening and I couldn’t really see what I was snapping.)

More luck yesterday when I went for my weekly pandemic walk with my mate Joe and his dog Lexi. When I got home and checked, I couldn’t believe quite how many photos I’d taken. Must remember to delete most of them.

As promised, transferring photos from the phone to the computer was easy peasy, lemon squeezy. (Although I’m still struggling with how to sort the photos, but, well, you know, fucking Macs.)

So, here are a selection of the photos I took.

A just because photo.

Ditto.

One of two fairy houses in this particular park.

There is, in one open field, a patch of wild mint. This time of year the smell is absolutely wonderful.

I have never seen a horse (or any sign of a horse ever being) on this trail, but apparently I’m supposed to give way, whether or not I am on a bike. At least I think that’s what this sign means.

There is also a pond, complete, this time of year, with ducks, ducklings, geese and goslings.

I had no idea until an earlier walk with Joe that pileated woodpeckers made square or rectangular holes in trees. This particular tree has so many that I have dubbed it the woodpecker condo. What’s truly fascinating is the way the tree repairs the damage.

The “dancing” Arbutus trees at Drumbeg remain my favourite trees on the island, but this one is now high on my list.

It looks positively pre-historic (or, as I pointed out to Joe the first time I saw it, like something out of Lord of the Rings). It is one of the gnarliest trees I have ever seen in my life. Unfortunately, as Joe, who’s attempted to do so on many occasions, has pointed out, it’s impossible to take a photo that does it justice.

Another just because photo.

I’ll give Joe credit. He’s trained Lexi to pose for photos in return for a treat.

And that’s our walk in the park. And not one photo featuring my thumb.