Skylarks and stitching

I was gifted a book called Journeys with Stitched Birds recently, and it motivated me to finish my skylark stitch-and-share. Only a small stitched bird, but alongside a passage that I loved from John Muir’s The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, about him and his friends spending hours ‘on a broad meadow near Dunbar’ watching skylarks rising. I had always planned to hang this at the Musselburgh coast - where I have heard and seen skylarks for many years, long before I realised that this National Cycle Network route was also part of the John Muir Way. I headed over there today to work out exactly where to put it, and immediately heard and saw a skylark singing over the fields by Musselburgh lagoons – in fact hovering over the perfect post to attach the stitching to, which also happened to have fresh sunflower seeds poured on it. It’s a really popular place for bird lovers, so hopefully John Muir’s description of this little musician will be appreciated. As I cycled off, what I thought was a skylark flew in front of me and perched on the sea wall…but it wasn’t a skylark, it was a snow bunting. My first good view of one and it was properly beautiful. I've added the record to iRecord as part of 'conserve'. I hung a second stitched John Muir quote on the Innocent Railway Path on the way home – also part of the John Muir Way and the National Cycle Network. Both stitchings have signs inviting people to take them home if they like them, and sharing that they are connected to the John Muir Way, and the John Muir Award. These are places I go regularly to spend time outside and in nature, so I’ll be able to keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t become litter. I took my #2minutecleanup bag with me today, but again not much to collect and in fact on route 1, it looked like someone was already collecting litter, as there were small piles of recyclables gathered at regular intervals – a common thing to do on a litterpick…collect the general rubbish first, put the recyclables at the side to come back for. By the time I cycled back it was gone. Thank you, whoever you are.