The Art Of War?

I’m just back from a little impromptu holiday, three days and two nights of wilderness camping. Out in the wilds of County Fermanagh in west Northern Ireland in the most unusually hot and still conditions. On one level it was tough – in fact I was heard to declare “It is a war’ a few times. We felt like we were being eaten alive and it is hard work being there and living with the elements – battling insects, heat, piercing hot sun, swinging branches of trees that had to be negotiated overhead and sinking shuck holes underfoot. Thorns and even smoke from our fire felt like an onslaught to the senses.

Oh but the stillness, the peace, the views, the sounds, the light, the moon and the stars. In the shelter of the little caravan the basics were just enough. We had carried just the right amount of water and food. Little was wasted or unnecessarily brought. We swam in the murky waters and rowed across the surface to the sounds of rippling water and the buzzing of the insidious winged creatures that inhabit that part of this ecosystem we call our planet.

Every time we set something down it had to be lifted again quickly before something colonised it. Think marching ants that have evolved air power to add to their weaponry as well as damsel flies that seduce with their beauty. But the biggest threat to us the whole time was that of the female of the species. The dreaded clegg, horsefly or gadfly to give it all the names I have known it as. If I, and it was particularly me, left any exposed skin available for attack I was had. Each time it seemed as if one fly was sent to do battle with me and it was every time very persistent. So I’m back with several huge welts from the bites all over me.

Also, because there were five cows in the fields that our dog insisted on barking at every so often, we tried to keep her tied up on a long rope. She in turn decided to invent a new game called canine knitting …

“Oh they’ve tied me up again, I’ll just skip the bags etc and go in and out the logs…

…and just add another bush then I should be done.

Why can’t they see me? And what are they flapping their arms at?

Something is crawling all over me. Okay if you let me sit at the fire I won’t do this..

Ah, at last thank you. Look at me not that lovely moon”

Anyway we made it back. What did I really miss out there apart from antihistamines? Mine and yours of course. Blogs I mean. Need to get back into the flow of words but I seem to be battling that for some reason. Sun Tzu apparently said “The considerations of the intelligent always include both benefit and harm. As they consider the benefit their work can expand, as they consider the harm potential troubles can be resolved” I’m considering the benefit. Blogging keeps me feeling connected. The harm? Withdrawal can lead to itchy lumps all over the body.