It was a beautiful Saturday up on the Solway Firth with my dad, there was a slight hint of “autumn” in the early morning and early evening, but a lovely sense of sun and summer still in the air. I drove up to spend the day with dad and we played around with telescopes and binoculars on the estuary, watching herons and swans and other local bird life.
Driving home, still keen to squeeze the last moments out of a beautiful late summer day I came off the motorway a couple of junctions early at Crooklands so I could drive down the A6 to see if the deer were close to the river at Dallam Park. A perfect time of day to see the sun shining through the branches along the riverbank. I wasn’t able to stop to take pictures so have had to use one I took up in Scotland on August Bank Holiday weekend. It felt like the last of the summer sun and by the time I had got home there was a chill in the air.
Twilight sun shimmer
Deer grazing by the river
Sense of Autumn chill.
©Alison Jean Hankinson.
Today the prompt for dVerse Haibun Monday is komorebi which means sun that shines through the branches.
The feature image was taken at Threave just over a week ago, the other picture is of Dallam park, the deer shed is very near the river and the deer often congregate here. The image was labelled for reuse under creative commons- © Copyright Karl and Ali and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
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Hues of Hankinson 
I love your prose.. though I’m a little less fond of deer these days… they seem to think our flowerbeds are planted for them.
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I know that wildlife can be a nuisance in our gardens but I can’t help but feel privileged whenever I come across wild intruders..
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It’s always a treat to see deer. It sounds like a lovely day, one to treasure.
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It was, especially taking all the telescopes out onto the marsh to see which ones worked best. Time didn’t seem to matter. Sometimes it is about the connection.
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Yes it is all about the connection! I love your photo of all the deer. The deer may be annoying but I always plant extra for all the wild animals. surprisingly, they do not take advantage. Oh to see swans!
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What a beautiful write. You reminded me of my visits to my parents in the fall, and the deer that gathered near their home. Those were the last days, and I long for them today. I wish I had somewhere to go “home,” to.
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What a wonderful way to spend the day and I love the photographs. I live close to Cannock Chase and we get a lot of deer there. I will have to make the effort and go there again soon.
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I have never been to Cannock Chase. It sounds wonderful. XX
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Lovely feel to the prose and the haiku is a fine finish. I’m a big fan of the Dear.
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A beautiful haibun telling of a wonderful day and it is great to peel off at Crooklands and travel down the A6 for a while. I love to see deer and I remember seeing them by that shed at Dallam Park when we lived in Kendal :o) xxx
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Thanks- how nice that you know the place.
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We lived in Kendal for eight years and have many happy memories walking our previous rescue dogs (who are now across the rainbow bridge) in Lancashire and in the Lake District, Silverdale and Morecambe Bay :o) xxx
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How wonderful, This area was my home from 1992-2002, and we have just come back here…I love this area. I used to teach at Dallam school. I love Scotland too though. XX
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Wow, we have just missed each other then – we lived there from 2002-2010 and it is a beautiful area with so many wonderful walks :o) xxx
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You have lovely walks with your dad, Alison – I wish I’d had a few more like that with mine. Were they your own telescopes and binoculars? We have a few spots for birdwatchers here in Norfolk and I know what a treat it is. Plenty of deer here too. I thoroughly enjoyed reading a haibun from a kindred spirit, Alison.
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Such a nice thing to say. We took a motley assortment accrued through the years….we wanted to see what was easiest to use and transport- dad walks a little sideways like a crab, he only has one lung left…so we were experimenting, the telescopes need tripods, he manages best with a monocular…It was fun, it is a popular walker/birdwatcher area- he talks to everyone and we cause general chaos. XXXX
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I can remember when I first visited Norfolk with Ellen – she was ten or eleven and very interested in wildlife. We went to Blakeney and spend a morning in a hide, hoping to see something unusual. Ellen complained that she couldn’t see much without binoculars. Just before lunch, an old couple joined us and pointed out that there was a nest inside the hide with baby birds in it. I can’t remember what they were, but I can remember the excited smile on Ellen’s face!
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What a lovely memory. XXX
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What a lovely way to spend the day with your father, with the early autumn chill – enjoying mother nature ~ I would love to see the deer up close ~
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What a beautiful day you’ve described. I am fascinated with the “deer shed”. It looks ancient. Thank you for sharing.
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It is, Dallam Estate is a very old estate and the deer and local estates were mentioned in the Domesday book- 1086.
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A beautiful journey Allison. The September chill is definitely here and I don’t envy the deer in months to come.
Time (I think) to drag warm clothing from the wardrobe…
Anna :o]
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What a lovely way to spend a day with your dad. I like the leisurely feeling of the haibun which mirrors the leisurely day and especially stopping to see the deer.
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A lovely series of moments preserved. Time with Dad the most cherished of these. We should all spend that late, summer day that way, Alison!
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Beautiful Autumnal write for this transition between seasons. This prompt has also reminded me of what my mother used to call “Indian Summer.” Those days, far and few between, in Mid September to early October when we would have high summer temperatures. I wonder if that terminology is even used anymore….or is just peculiar to midwest USA in my mothers’ days?
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We still use it too. It is a wonderful phrase.
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The evening chill after a summer day does seem to suggest more cold is coming. Sunday for us was almost too warm. Monday was cooler and just right. Today, it might be a bit too cold.
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Sounds like a perfect day…
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