You can’t help noticing animals on roads. It makes you wonder why, because there’s so much land around what’s the attraction to tarmac? A first reaction is to imagine the animals are seeking company. They’re not though.
Reindeer on the road. They can easily hold up the traffic – a herd of reindeer have a tendency to run from side to side so it’s hard to judge when it’s safe to drive by them, and then just as you do they start running ahead of you – they’re herd animals after all and think you’re herding them. But what are they doing there in the first place?
A nice cosy and safe place to feed your young is, apparently, a road or driveway.
And one of the best places to hang out on a warm summer night is, a driveway.
It’s taken us a while to catch up with what they’re doing. It’s the time of year when we can spend ages trying to decide where to go for the day. A walk along the river, perhaps, or a trek through a low birch forest? These seem perfect ideas for a warm summer day, until you reach down your leg to scratch your ankle for the fifth time in the last minute. You remember.
So, where can we go in town? Or where is a good stretch of road, preferably a very wide road – a good distance from the birch scrub on either side – as unused as possible? Then we can bring out the chairs, have some lunch, and relax, for a change. On the tarmac, away from all those pesky mosquitos.
