By Inverness

Sitting here alone by an empty railway line, casually gazing at a drifting sheet of sunray light as the cloud-dappled sun sinks softly to a silent sunset, I see nothing but Scottish beauty at its best - in the evening.

True, my sodden right foot is slightly uncomfortable, but far from detracting from whatever it may be that makes sitting here so special it only serves to bear testament to the trials I overcame to get here; these in themselves lend worth in high doses to what I can see.

And it's not the sun alone that I can see. The sparkling water of the firth illuminates my imagination, allowing me to see the real-gold-leaf coating of a liquid crystal river. Enchanting zephyrs bring purple-pink head of rosebay willowherb to life and friendly-looking trees stretch their arms wider to embrace me in Scottish nature - and the nature of Scotland.

My bike seems perilously close to the road, I realise, as a truck drives incongruously past. The road is not a quiet one anyway. Vehicle after vehicle - one can barely take the time to hear the silence between passings.

It's getting chilly, and the chances are my patience will not be as long in coming as the setting of the sun. But it's been nice, taking photos of the wall I'm sitting on, watching a different picture from the one I saw this time last week. And though this may not be the last, the last is not far off, for someday soon I leave... and the memory will be sealed with time and distance.

Nathan