I rushed out of the apartment to catch a bus to Cedar Hill. My head was full; messages to send, appointments to keep, winter art classes to book. It took me the entire bus ride to get my head sorted and when I stepped off the bus I was in another world. Hillside and Gosworth, an intersection of thick fog and mystery.
I crossed the street and headed down Gosworth in silence. The clouds in the distance almost touched the street. There were a few other people about and we nodded in passing as if to say, let's keep an eye out for each other. I was expecting a stag to come bounding out of a side garden, at minimum. A wolf felt more likely.
I have several options when walking to the Rec Centre, but this is my favourite. The streets are exceptionally quiet and I can get lost in thought. Nothing leapt out at me today, but the anticipation was enough.
By the time I wanted to head home, the fog had burned off and the sun was out in force. I took a bus to Chinatown so I could check in at UP, then had a leisurely walk home along the harbour. It's one of those perfect sunny winter days in off-season. Not many people about so I can slow down, look around and breathe deeply. So that's exactly what I did.