Day 8 Sunday 21 August 2022 – 2pm

Gentle weather, warm on the skim

Sun bounces on the water surface

And follows me along

Gentle gusts of wind

are there to lean into

every now and again

West wind and the

water ripples towards

the East

The Canal is dark and

still in places

still water runs

deep

Then I remember

that this still water

is shallow

I put my hand in and

once more reach the

bottom

Thrilling

Sludgy silt

It is cool today

the water

For what seems miles

in my experiencing

of things, there

are lush abundant

edges of green and

wild, trees and plants

brambles and ivy

No houses to be seen

and only a glimmer of

the canal at times

my thinking mind

that measures things

knows that I have

not travelled miles

Time has changed

The way of knowing time

Time runs differently

When we consciously

experience things

through the body

These felt senses

exploring

unfolding

responding

discovering

The smell of things

The feel of flowers

on the face

The touch of stone

The strength of wood

decayed and rotten

Takes my weight

Holds me up

And I can balance

out over the water

Exhiliterated

A sandbank wall

replaces crumbling

stone – dense, soft

and surprisingly squidgy, yet strong

A squirrel watches

me, though I am

unaware, someone

else catches the

duet between us

Floating feathers

Caught in the rushes

under the bridge

where the pigeons

live

Sound of the train

So close

The iron horse

That took away

The life of the

canal

Original purpose gone

But so alive in the

present time

What will happen now?

A man picks

brambles and

eats them on

his walk

How can we appreciate

what we already

have

A civic green

space

To be unprogrammed

unplanned

open-ended

To share with

each other

I can dance undisturbed

and disturb

no-one

Smile at folks

and say hello

Sharing greetings

Connecting

Belonging

With agency

responsibility

autonomy

Not setting a

target or a

goal

Not trying to get

it right

Without fear of

getting it wrong

Filled

And fulfilled

It is spacious here

Perhaps that makes

it easier to be

relaxed and friendly

a fellow artist

suggests to

me

There is such peace here

gentleness again

That’s very far away from the

gentle or the gentrified

All the time we

try to have a

purpose or an

end-point

Perhaps that is

so much easier

than explaining

the substance

of things

The same fellow artist

companion

comments as we

end here for the day

NEXT: Monday 22nd August 2022 – an intermediate time (will let you know). START: Bridge 5- Near Kingsknowe Drive and Kingsknowe Road North