Feelies

Does anyone else remember the feelies, those movies in Brave New World (I think) in which all the senses were assaulted?

This morning as I walked Kenya along deserted roads, I found myself wishing I had more than a camera or a keyboard to record the experience. The camera could capture the blue of the sky, the shapes of clouds that invited me into their hidden world, the smoky mists rising from the valleys and lakes, and the golden vibrancy of the fall colours, but I wished I could capture the other sensations and keep them alive forever.

In a quiet world, all sounds stand out. This morning the dogs at the boarding kennnel a mile or so down the road were being fed and their raucous voices carried over the distance. Despite their noise other sounds also reached us. The honking of geese still here enjoying Indian summer. The shuffling crunch of leaves underfoot, and the dry snap as they continued to fall.

It smelled wonderful today ... woodsmoke ... green freshness of evergreens and leaves ... morning damp earth in the woods. Down on Mountain Road hints of cow manure and baled hay wove themselves into the fabric.

And this was a day that felt good. The air against my skin was cool enough to make me wish I had knit mitten ends for my fingerless gloves, but the sun's warmth was already promising another summery day.