The shepherd

I was left wondering whether those who read my last post cottoned on to how I managed to upload a video of over 500 MB to YouTube… Anyway, I'll give you the lowdown. I simply switched on my mobile data, and despite the dire or virtually non-existent signal at home, I managed to get onto the Youtube platform and started uploading the video. I popped my phone in my backpack and pedalled a little over 8 kilometres towards Terminal 2 of the airport. On the way, I assume the signal perked up a bit, and perhaps being near the airport did the trick as well. When I rocked up at the place, I had the notification that the video had gone up without a hitch, and since I arrived ridiculously early for my medical appointment, I thought I might as well jot down a few paragraphs to explain things and chuck in the photos too.

Cheers to everyone who backed me up! For me, this was quite the milestone, as I really made the most of my time.

I did a spot of multitasking!

1 – I cycled all those kilometres—of course, you have to double that, as I had to make my way back home. You know how it is, physical exercise does wonders for both body and mind.
2 – I went to my dentist appointment. Now the only thing left is going back for the bit I dread the most—the extraction of my last wisdom tooth.
3 – I managed to share something with you all that I thought I'd put off for much longer, especially given that I’m once again cut off, thanks to my telephone cable being nicked.
4 – On my way home, I snapped these photos you’re about to see.

The first thing I spotted was the dog, hovering at the edge of the road. Then it wandered off after its owner, and I spent a few minutes watching where the two of them were heading. I pulled out my camera and had a bit of fun composing the shots, all while soaking in the distant scenery.

Look at that magnificent tree—absolute stunner!

That yellowish grass could be down to the sun and the lack of rain lately, though I also noticed signs of fire around here.

Another theory might be that the landowner or caretaker has been trying to keep the marabú in check and did a bit of clearing.

Further along, there was a fire right by the roadside, which explains the wisps of smoke you can see in this view.

And I was coming from that direction.

Seeing the man herding his goats and rams took me back to years ago when, two or three times, I spotted someone doing the same near Boyeros Avenue, though closer to the Ciudad Deportiva.

Each time, it was the crack of dawn, and you could even see the mist lingering over the path where he led his flock. It was such an utterly picturesque scene that I’ve never quite managed to shake it from my mind. I’ve kept it tucked away all these years, in my head, thinking that maybe, one day, I’ll have the chance to capture something like it through my lens.

Back then, I toyed with the idea of hopping off the bus to snap that shot… or something close to it. Of course, we all know it’s never quite the same, but in the end, I never went through with it—and the excuses piled up. From the rush to get to X or Y, for work, to simply not wanting to wait for transport that only turns up sporadically—or sometimes not at all—or is always crammed with people, only to find myself stranded in the middle of nowhere with no clue how to make my way back… Truth be told, I had zero motivation.

And speaking of motivation… I have to say that in moments when my defences falter, I am lucky enough to feel accompanied by angels. Today, I want to mention one—someone I saw this afternoon, spreading joy and colour. And I know full well that the invitations weren’t handed out at random. Thank you, @enraizar. Thank you for being present.

Here are some screenshots of my connection speed on the terrace. When I go inside my house, there’s no phone signal at all.

At different times of the day if you look at the time of each screenshot... the data shown is the download speed and the upload speed.

Here sharing the mobile signal to the laptop via hotspot.

The little 4G bars—gone.

This is the reality for many of us. It’s a paid service, yet completely inefficient. Even so, you still see us here, trying to give our best.