Stained skies and detachment

Over the last few weeks I've been working hard; that's not to say I don't usually work hard, I do, it's just that with my budget year at work coming to a close in a couple months I'm putting in a herculean effort to ensure I am happy with the result at the end of the reporting period. Hard work pays off.

I can be a little intense at times, and by a little I mean, a lot, and when I'm focused on something I want to achieve is one of the times it comes out. That means I've had to learn to switch off, recharge, re-set or re-centre. No matter how I describe it, doing it is essential for my forward progression.

It was with that in mind I decided to go hunting tonight, more for the hike in nature away from everyone and everything.

I headed out before the sun set and got some hunting and hiking done and then sat around on the crest of a hill to watch the sunset. You can see me below doing that exact thing. Of course, I also scanned for targets, and found some, but when the sun dipped low it had my full attention. As it slipped away, so did the pent up stresses and pressure from work. I felt good.

I did some more hunting and managed to find some more targets but, if I'm honest, I wasn't really into it. I was there to relax, clear my mind and to get some fresh air, so I wandered about not concerned overmuch with scanning for targets. It allowed me to truly listen to nature, and to feel part of it.

I left around 21:30, well after dark, and as I was locking up the gate behind me heard some noises in the scrub not too far from where I stood. I closed the gate (it wouldn't do to lose several beef cattle - I'd have to pay for them), and sought out the noise.

As it turns out it was a little kangaroo moving about in the scrub and he wasn't the least bit concerned that I was there; he must have known I'd packed away my rifle. I followed him up the road a way and he then hopped over the fence line and into the property which is when I took the image above. You can see him in the spotlight at the centre of the image but you may need to zoom a little.

I went back to my four wheel drive and headed off home. Although it was actually dark, there was a little colour in the sky and I wanted to see if I could capture it so I stopped and grabbed the image you see at the start of this post. I love the way the silhouette of the trees looks against the colour-stained night sky and if you look carefully you might see a star or two.

Tonight I went with the express desire to relax a little and put some distance between work and myself; it worked. A strenuous hike in the countryside is always going to help me detach. I came home, ate a late dinner, showered and now it's bed time. I feel tired, but settled and ready to push into Friday and then the weekend.

I hope you folks have had a good week and plan to finish it strong. Let me know in the comments how your week has rolled out if you like.