Morning's minion

Today was a brightly polished type of morning.  Sparkling with frosted roofs, grass and distant hills.

A bright, fresh, clean, patterned light sort of day.  I didn't have my camera - just my phone as I was trying to log up some miles before church.  It's not often I see a heron up close - they are usually standing on the weir, patiently fishing.  It made my morning, as did warming up with a coffee and a book before church.

Minion - no not the blue and yellow thing but Gerald Manley Hopkins beautiful salute to the falcon.  He is a poet whose rhythm and love of the outdoors have resonated with me.

"I caught this morning morning's minion, king-

    dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding

    Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding

High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing

In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,

    As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding

    Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding

Stirred for a bird, – the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!"