
Stepping away from the riverside and out of the gloom of the overshadowing cliff our return walk was accompanied by the echoing alarm call of peregrine, warning us to find elsewhere to sleep for the night.
Eventually we chose our resting place amongst harebells, lady’s mantle and eyebright. Tawny owl welcomed us with a flyover of hoots and screeches. The night was clear. We watched the Milky Way awaken, and saw satellites scribe circles overhead. Arcturus burned bright in the western sky and eventually the third quarter moon rose, lightening the inky skies.
Visions of the previous evening occasionally fleeted by, the enormity of our work resting heavy as sleep wandered the dewy meadowlands.

Hawthorn punctured the horizon, mixing with the moonlit sky where the stars of the Way faded into nothingness as her half-face cast a veil of light over the misty sparkle of our nearby cosmos. Tomorrow life would reign once more, but tonight was for others to enjoy.

Mid morning, she showed her face,