Wednesday 6th December and it’s task No 6 in the Turf Scotland Advent Calendar 2023. I thought this would be a fairly simple task. Select a zone of your choice and add the points value of the zone to the total number of characters in the zone name. For example, zone HappyHibby has 170 points, plus 10 characters which gives you a combined value of 180. Then take 5 zones, with each zone having exactly the same combined value as the zone selected above, all within 30 minutes. The more challenging option entailed 10 zones in 60 minutes.
However, once you delve into actually finding suitable zones it proved much more of a challenge, not only finding suitable zones but also taking them within the time limits. But, eventually, after much spreadsheet coding and wrangling, I found 6 sets of 5 zones and one set of 10 zones all locally to home in Bonnyrigg, though taking any of them within the set time frames is going to be tricky. And to top that off, overnight sub-zero temperatures have left everything covered in slippery ice and frost.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, studying the zones selections, and armed with my local knowledge of the zones, their relationship with each other and the distances between, I’m of the opinion that each and every one of them would require me to ride about like a thing possessed, and doing that today is plain daft. Therefore, no advent turfing for me today. So, as Bill Bryson once wrote, I went for a nice walk in the woods instead.
I like walking in the woods, rather than cycling. So much better to actually look and see things. Time to spot those little woodland secrets most people miss. The weird orange fungi growing on the fallen birch branch. The drift of goldfinch feathers left by a hunting sparrowhawk. You get the idea? It also gives you more time to think and I found myself thinking about by life BT, Before Turf. Probably a bad thing.
There were so many things I had planned to do before Turf came along. I was going to continue growing my sand collection from all along the Fife coast. I was going to go out brick spotting again. I was going to take up trig pointing again. Those everyday normal activities that people get up to in their spare time. Life was simpler then. Back then it was all analogue, lead pencil and a notebook. Not like nowadays, mobile phone, battery packs and stuff. I miss the old days.
I guess the catalyst for this thinking is the Turf Scotland Advent Calendar 2023, yes, my own creation, therefor, my own fault, for sure. Not sure why I react to all those questions when I post the days task. I find myself changing, like Dr Jekyll turning into Mr. Hyde, I find myself become Mr Annoyed, then Mr Angry, almost Mr Right-No-More-Advent. Perhaps I should just chill out and relax.
And finally, do you like the photo above? It was taken from zone TheSouthPath, looking towards Newtongrange. Notice what looks like the moon, although it isn’t the moon, the moon is a 37.4% waning crescent at the moment. It isn’t digital editing either. I think it’s a Death Star passing through the solar system. Could be you know!
Copyright ©2023 Gary Buckham. All rights reserved.
