The Bogle Hole ...

As we drew nearer to Caw Gap, we saw a shepherdess on a quad bike, rounding up her flock - a sheep dog was cannily perched upon the back of the bike - the sheep fled before them, fearful and agile, leaping over lichened stones - we watched, fascinated, as they were herded from one pasture to another - 

Alyson stood there, for some moments more, whilst we walked ahead - I was counting them she said - 

I thought of Isserley, in Under the Skin, gazing at sheep, snaring vodsels - 

A dry stone wall, constructed using stones from the Roman Wall, ran along Winshield Crags - we followed this downwards, towards the Gap - 

A largish gang of walkers went past us - I thought the woman in front was wearing a hijab - she was, in fact, wearing a Roman matron's hood - many of the walkers were wearing Roman costumes - 

Salvete she said - 

Salve Julia and Alyson chorused -  

My teacher used to say that said Alyson - she'd come in the class and say salvete puellae! - 

I remembered my own Latin teacher, Mrs Lawford - she called two boys in the class the Heavenly Twins - I still had my Kennedy's Shorter Latin Primer - 

We were looking out for the Bogle Hole, shown on Map 24 of our guide - we wondered what a bogle might be - perhaps it was a a troll like creature, we thought, skulking in a burrow - 

We then thought there might be an obscure forgotten verb, to bogle - 

Woman unused to bogling court told I said - 

Alyson was laughing - then she tripped and fell - there was a loud crack, like a stick being broken - she lay on the ground, clutching her ankle - 

Julia stopped two men who were walking past at that moment - 

Are you doctors? she asked them with magnificent insight - 

Ish said the older man - he graduated last week in Edinburgh - 

11.15

July 11 2014

Caw Gap