I didn’t get that perfect picture. But I got to watch.

It was a clear morning and the stars lingered. Ani and I got back from her run in the half light, frozen and in need of warmth. I switched on the kettle then, on impulse, grabbed the camera and got in the car, driving up to the top of the hill and one of the few places to park on the narrow, winding roads. The field gate faces east over the valley and from there you can watch as the sun rises over the Chiltern Hills and the ancient Ridgeway.

I drove past the spot where a snowy owl had one flown up over the car one afternoon on a long ago adventure we had not realised was about to begin. Of course, once was gift enough, but I cannot drive that way without looking even now.

Fingers had…