Part 2 of the continuing story for Beltane Night

Part 2

Then, ... mum paused to drink some more wine,  went to the bottle to pour more for herself and into Lindella's glass.

"I remember hearing this story many times in my youth....."

Lindella's father looked up from his book and fixed his eyes on his wife as she started the story.

"The weather had been fairly good for some time before your Nan set out that day.
She had been waiting for the right conditions in the air and the soil for her herb and root gathering.
There had been no rain for just the right amount of time and the soil should be dry and loose enough for the roots to slip out of the soil without damaging their delicate nature when fresh.
She woke up very early that day, the sun was not even above the horizon. But, there was just enough dim light for her to start her journey. Nan had marked the plants bearing the roots she needed back in the Autumn when the whole plant could easily be found and identified. She had waited patiently through the wet and cold weather for this day, but this was late in the season and Beltane Night was just hours away so she would have to make haste to get this done.
She bundled up her sack and some food and drink to carry with her and headed out before the birds had woke up.

The dew was still covering the ground as she made her way, about a mile from her home to the first of the marked areas to start her work. By the time she arrived the sun was breaking the horizon and the birds were chirping away and swooping around her in their mid-air dance.
She worked as fast as she could to fill her sack only stopping once as the sun was high in the sky to eat and have some tea she'd brought along that day. She even ate faster than normal so she could get back to her quest, still having much to do and more grounds to cover.

Nan had been on the open moor gathering herbs, roots, and various unusual items for the better part of the mid-afternoon.

Some of the roots needed to be dug now before the sap started to run upwards to create the new growth of Spring. This would be the last time these particular types could be brought in to dry and store this season. She had wander very far in search of this root and would need as much as possible for the treatment of new lambs for digestive vitality and a salve for the cows udders.
This same root would help young infant with colic, sparing the parents from the woe of hearing their newly borne child crying because of stomach problems. There had been many a time, she'd had to advise women that were feeding their child with her own milk, that they would have to 'stop eating haggis for awhile'. The ingredients would have an effect on not only her digestive system but ...that same problem would be passed on through the milk to the babe. 

Before she realized she had wandered many miles from the croft and even farther from the hills beyond, where she could see the bonfires had already been lit, the flames looked golden in the still dimly lit sky. At the sight of this she suddenly realized darkness would be upon her soon.

She gathered up her last root and shoved it into the clothe sack she'd been filling all day, now heavy with herbs, roots, and twigs. Nan threw the sack over her shoulder and started her trek toward home.
Nan hurried along the heather clad pathway working her way back to her home.
She was quite pleased with herself and the amount of medicinals she had gathered that day. She hummed an old tune while she made her way home."
  End Part 2