Arrested development

While Mark was walking nine kilometres or so to get to the building in afore-mentioned post, I was clambering around looking at rocks and tiny spring flowers. The 'Cap de Creus' is a volcanic, (or rather was) region, hence the extraordinary rock shapes.
This was the most action-packed rock I had ever seen, well, action-packed a very, very long time ago. I stood for a while thinking about the point, however many thousands of years ago, it had cooled into that shape, the temperature being just right to allow the rock to solidify into that emerging dragon head form, for ever.

I risked my dodgy hip, climbed onto the top of the rock and sat for a long time listening to the wind ruffling the low scrubby bushes and the distant gulls wheeling over the sea. It was one of those moments when I felt so aware of being on the turning Earth and all the usual questions tumbled over themselves in my mind: how does the sea really stay where it is, why is the sky so unutterably blue, etc.
I know I've been told all this stuff in science lessons, or checked it on the internet, but sitting there it all seemed as if it was all such a vast mystery and tears rose in my eyes.
Eventually I stopped being in awe as I realised Mark would be arriving at our meeting point and I was really thirsty having forgotten to take water with me; clambered back down and took a tiny glittering piece of rock to remember the moment.
It's now joined all the other bits of rock that litter the terrace and front room. I generally can recall where most of them come from and the day they were transported in the car back home to remind us of a certain favourite place.