Hanging in the sky bright and clear is the first quarter moon as we set out on an evening walk. The sun has just gone to bed and the horizon glows pink and orange fading into blue as I gaze upwards and close my eyes. My head back, I drink in the sweet air of the gloaming. This place fills me as I stretch to the sky and stand with strong roots reaching down into the earth. Soon it will be dark so we set off down the track. Every few steps we encounter a new night smell. It has been raining during the day but it is ending with much clearer skies. The freshness of country walks when everything has been washed clean is utterly wonderful. Large droplets that have gathered on lady’s mantle leaves glow in the fading light. The children call them fairy drops which I think is an accurate description! We walk along a smaller path and notice that special mushroom smell, that delicious smell of decaying wet leaves. Dampness changes into drier ground as we leave the patch of woods and smell field grasses and horses grazing. These walks are all about the senses as I’m often carrying a pine cone, stick, leaf or flower one of the children has asked me to hold for them. We walk along and enter a path that in spring is known as ‘the garlic path’ because both sides of it are lined thickly with wild garlic in full bloom. Tonight, the laurel is sending out its sweet smell along the narrow path as the garlic disappeared many weeks ago. There are several buddleia bushes as we round the corner for home and we stop to enjoy them as if we are the butterflies attracted to the sweet purple flower spikes. It is no wonder that it’s known as the ‘butterfly bush’ but at this hour we have it all to ourselves. We have smelled the soil as we walked along, green leaves, mold, a freshly cut woodpile with that divine lumber mill smell, night scented flowers and cool clean air. Pure wild magic. And so home to bed now after a perfect end to the day, to sleep deeply under a blanket of stars.