At 10:30 - 15C o/c

The Haggis event went well yesterday.  The dinner was excellent - even the Haggis.
Today we will take a day off, local kids coming over for M's BD dinner which we couldn't have earlier.
Remembering special days takes so little effort, but means so much to those who are remembered.

The evidence of its hurried departure clear in the tracks it had left in the sand and gravel.

  Nat deposited his meager load on his bed and rested again.  As he rested he looked about looking for something he could use as a digging tool; an idea had occurred to him during his search for food and now he wanted to follow up on it.

  He got up and searched in the pool’s log jam finally coming up with a flat slab of wood of manageable size.  He took this and the piece of pipe and went to just one side of where the water was oozing from the pond, backed off from the pond’s edge about five or six feet then on his knees used the pipe to loosen the sand mud and rock.  When he had a quantity loosened up he used the slab of wood as a shovel and scooped the loosened material off to one side.  His progress was slow, occasionally a larger rock would appear and he had to scrape and dig before he could lift it out.  When he had a hole a couple of feet wide and almost three feet deep he started extending it towards the pond.  When he was about half way his muscles started to knot and cramp, on top of his other wounds his knees were sore and bruised from inching ahead on the wet surface, he dug on for a few minutes more but realized he was hardly making any progress.  “To hell with it.” He muttered, “I’ll finish it tomorrow.”

  He rinsed off in the pond then stumbled to his bed and the pack.  After peeling and eating the berry bush shoots, he ate the puffballs, hesitated then ate a half dozen of the little mushrooms.  He stoked up the fire, using larger chunks than before then flopped onto his bed.  Within moments he was asleep.  

18

N

at awoke with a start.  ‘What was that, did I hear something?’ He sat up and looked about.  There was nothing, the night was quiet except for the river’s murmur and the crackling of the fire. He shrugged and started to lie down.

  “Hey, don’t go back to sleep, what do you want?” A voice said. In his mind or aloud? He didn’t know.

  He sat up again, still nothing.

  “Up here, I’m up here. Do you only know earthly bounds, have you forgotten about our first meeting?”

  Nat tilted his head, there above him, lying as though it was bedded down in the bush was the white moose.  Nat felt no surprise only mild curiosity.

  “What are you doing up there, why are you lying there?” He asked.

 “I’m lying up here because I can.” The moose replied.  But if you are really asking why am I here, it’s because you wanted me.”

  “No, I don’t er didn’t.”

  “No?  Did you not wonder about the bed you found over there?” The moose twitched one ear in the direction of the bed Nat had found earlier.  “Did you not shout out at me when you found that the fire had gone out and do you not want me to tell you that you’re not pitiful?”

  “No, no, what do I care about that moose bed! No I wasn’t yelling at you, I don’t know if you even exist, and pitiful, I’m not pitiful, look what I’ve done look at what I’m doing!” Nat waved his arm at the excavation.

  “The moose curled his upper lip, “Well I’ll give you some credit, you are less pitiful than before, but have you planned ahead, what will you do when the fish are gone and the grouse move away from your noise and blundering.  You have snare wire, why haven’t you set any snares? Why haven’t you rebuilt your shelter why ….?”

  “Shutup, shutup!” Nat yelled. “How many hours are there in a day, haven’t I worked all day, didn’t that bloody bear almost kill me, was it my fault I was passed out when that stupid boat went by?”