a mooving tale

Once upon a beautiful Tuesday evening I was feeling a little antsy. I just spent 5 days cooped up in the house with 4 children and basically no one else, and I needed to get out. Alone.
Sunset was nearing and I figured I'd get in the car, go for a drive, listen to music and maybe park somewhere nice and go for a little walk. Anybody who has ever been in the car with me knows what a scatterbrain I am and how easily I get lost. Thus, true to form, as I was driving through Scheveningen, admiring how the sunlight was hitting the buildings, I suddenly found myself on the road to Wassenaar. Whoops. I figured i had better get off soon before I find myself on the road to London or something, and I turned around at the first available exit. As it turned out, this was a stroke of luck.
The road that then led back into The Hague had city life (busy streets, appartment buildings, noise) to the left of it and farmland (pastures, cows, peace and quiet) to the right. I was enchanted. As soon as I saw a parking spot I grabbed my iPod and camera, ditched the car, and started walking along the field, marvelling at how much more beautiful the same sunlight was when it was hitting trees and grass and flowers instead of buildings.

As I walked along, feeling all zen and at one with nature, one of the cows trotted up to the ditch that separated the meadow she was in, from the foot path I was on, and JUMPED. Have you ever seen a cow jump? It is quite a sight and I was a little taken aback. Also, cows are rather large, and for a city girl to suddenly have one licking her sleeve was a little intimidating for about 5 seconds. Then I realised how gentle she was with me and that she was obviously just curious, and I began to worry for her. Her curiosity was driving her through the grassy bumper between the foot path and the busy road that I had driven up on. Beyond the road was nothing but concrete and noise, not a good place for a cow to go and have a little twilight stroll.

A passing jogger stopped and recognised that this was a predicament, and something needed to be done. We called the police who were able to contact the farmer, who then hurried over. All the while the jogger and I did all we could to keep the cow from escaping into the city (I may have spanked the poor animal once or twice). The police arrived first and took over from us, the farmer followed soon after. The most amazing thing about all of it was seeing the farmer jump the gate into the meadow and call out to the cows. The cows instantly recognised him and ran towards him, and when he started walking, they all followed meekly. It was really something to see, and I realised that somewhere in there was a lesson I maybe needed to experience that evening. As soon as the police arrived a crowd started to form and within a few minutes I wasn't able to see a thing through the throng of people. I left without seeing the cow returned to the safety of the meadow (well, relative safety until they widen those ditches). While I drove myself home in silence I pondered how amazing things can come on your path when you don't know where you're going, but you're going, open to new experience. Here are some of the pictures I was able to take, starting with the escapee.