Tuesday of this week I’m up early, 5:30am, for a 4 mile jog around the lanes. What a great time of day this is to run. It’s cool and quiet. Some rain must have fallen recently, and the village church is half hidden in a light mist. A few minutes out I’m in a long lane off the Bradfield Road. I begin to hear something crashing about on the other side of the tall, brambley hedge. I can’t imagine what it can be. Then suddenly, through a gap in the hedge, right in front of me, leaps a young deer. It turns briefly to face me. It’s trembling and sweaty. There’s a sudden… moment, as we exchange startled expressions, then it darts off again through a gap in the hedge on the other side of the road, and goes bounding off across the field towards the thick wood on the other side of the river. What an extraordinary and a beautiful thing to happen. It is a memorable moment, and one which reminds me yet again that despite the hassles and the strain of finding time to do it, running can be a constant source of wonderful and unexpected little gifts.
