How do you do it.

‘How do you do it Mum? Get up so early on a cold morning and go for a walk.’

I love it. Mornings are my favourite. They are the best when I am up alone. Silence is key. No radio, no conversation, no more than one light to cast many shadows across the room. It is so quiet that I can hear the hum of the fridge and the kettle iron warming on the stove top.

I flick the electric kettle and feed the cats, stoke the fires and put the kettle iron over the fire. I brew a pot of tea in my little red iron teapot. The cats saunter off to the warmth of a bed. The kettle on the stovetop begins to get louder. I place my diary and phone on the kitchen table, take my teacup from the shelf. I hug my cup and sip my tea. Maybe write, read or just contemplate the day ahead and the day that’s about to begin.

This morning the grazier interrupted my quiet time. A couple of mornings straight he’s been up early with me. He turns both the kitchen lights on and then the radio. The presenter on the morning show is constant. The grazier curses his commentary. His movement through the house is not quiet nor slow. Instead he stomps around suppressing all the other quiet morning noises I enjoy. This morning there is no writing. Others emerge silently, vying for the kettle and the wood-stoves warmth. The kitchen is no longer full of shadows instead it’s full of morning mayhem.