The rough outline of an oddly structured novel and the first few chapters thereof; another ten pages of a high concept, low budget screenplay; a small cairn, alongside another hundred cairns that only this year have sprung up on the easternmost edge of the coastline here; a tray of scones (250g wholemeal flour, 25g baking soda, 10g butter, mix to crumb consistency, two handfuls walnuts, two handfuls raisins, 125ml milk, 80ml water, mix, roll, chop out disks, bake at 180C for 15 minutes, turn to cool, eat, delicious!); peach Bellinis; a proposal for some production work; a business plan for an indie film; a map to remind me that only about an hour's drive from here there are some natural hot springs hidden in the hills which consist of a waterfall of icy fresh water that cascades into a pool fed from underneath by a stream of hot water which combine to produce a jacuzzi-warm pools about six feet depth all year round, and there's a place to camp five minutes away.
But then I go and read this ... and I'm not so sure...
I hope you follow your map and visit the Catalunya springs - if that is where you are. Let us know what its like.some natural hot springs hidden in the hills
This sounds like a magical spot. It reminded me of a trip I took to Mount Baker Hot Springs in the 1970s. From the highway, one drove an hour on a dirt road. Parked, then hiked 20 minutes into a west coast rain forest, eventually coming upon the hot spring. The only man-made features were some cedar seats built around it.... I just googled it and it was apparently ruined by mud slides over the years.
It was a magical spot! I was unclear before: I created the map myself after following the verbal instructions to the springs given by a friend. These instructions reminded me of the sequence in The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test where Tom Wolfe is instructed to 'follow the road and turn left where the tarmac shines in the moonlight', only longer and more ambiguous. We got there just as night was falling and nearly skinned ourselves scrambling down a sheer rock face in the dusk. Exhausted, we had just long enough to snap up the tent and brew some dinner. That said, we did appreciate camping on a ledge overlooking the valley illuminated by a waxing moon. This is deep in the mountains of a natural park, therefore peaceful and scintillating with starlight. However, dawn the following day we made our way back down to the spring and there we had a two hour bath in the waters. A camping luxury. Here in addition to the deepest warm pool, there's another which is fed only by cold water (our icy plunge pool) and a third lukewarm one fed by the other two. Not just a natural hot spring but a natural spa.
I'm going to use your note to introduce a new writing prompt for the community. Look for #todayswritingprompt in the tags for the archive.