Birds buffeted by the wind

A blackbird on a yellow reed, bent down by the bird’s weight. The bird had a red dash on its shoulder and was larger than I expected it to be.

A man running with a boy on a bike. The boy was small and wore a helmet ridged with green dragon scales down the center. The man had fleshy lips and curly black hair, going grey. On the down slopes the boy pulled ahead while the man sprinted to keep up. On the uphills, he gained on the boy. Up hill and down, slower and faster, they wove their way along the path ahead of me until I lost sight of them.

Nibs of tender new grass, turning the forest floor bright green where the sun shines.

Parents running with their children. At first it was rare and mostly with teenagers, but there are eight- and nine-year-olds jogging like any seasoned runner now that the days are fine.

In the right light, the reeds around the marshes look red.