Last Christmas I heard about an outdoor nativity event held on a farm. A crowd of all ages gathered and moved around different parts of the farm, hearing how Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem all those years ago unfolded, and singing carols, while farm animals (goats, sheep and donkeys) bleated or munched hay in their pens.Continue reading “Out In The Open”
Tag Archives: nature connection
Sketching Nature
On the very first day of meteorological autumn, as it is now called, I saw a cranefly – or daddy long legs – bumbling along the back wall of my house, up and down and across. Always a sign that autumn is on its way, and a sighting I’ll record on a page in myContinue reading “Sketching Nature”
Overlooked
Outside my window as I write this is a small patch of grass – maybe 2 metres by 1 – where I have let the grass grow longer to see what else might appear. There’s some dove’s foot cranesbill with its little purple flowers, there are some daisies and dandelions, and a few Timothy andContinue reading “Overlooked”
Forest Of Flowers
Recently I saw a photo of wild flowers blooming in the middle of a busy city, part of the Forest Of Flowers initiative. I remembered the photo in part because I like the name: Forest Of Flowers. It conjures up a mental image of flowers growing in profusion, carpeting the ground, an expanse of colourContinue reading “Forest Of Flowers”
Into The Woods
What first comes into your mind when you hear or see the word “tree”? Is it tree bark, gnarled or shiny or covered with ivy? Is it autumn leaves tinting now all different colours? Is it a walk in a wood or a city tree on a crowded street, or a childhood memory of doingContinue reading “Into The Woods”
Well Spring
The other day I heard someone say how boredom can become a real issue when struggling with mental health issues, and how being interested by nature and seeking out new species can be a help. It made absolute sense I thought. If mental health issues oblige you to take time out, to step back fromContinue reading “Well Spring”
Concrete Cows
A few years ago I heard about Providence Youth Club in Battersea, London, welcoming a group of farm animals from The Shallowford Trust’s Dartmoor farm to a local city carpark for a week. Londoners could come to see the calves, lambs and pigs in the straw in pens just across the street from shops andContinue reading “Concrete Cows”
Art Meets Nature
Have you heard of the Singing, Ringing Tree? It is an outdoor sculpture on the Wayside Art Trail, on moorland high over Burnley in Lancashire. Hearing about it recently for the first time, the Tree really captured my imagination. What a unique way to draw together art, nature and music in one structure. The steelContinue reading “Art Meets Nature”
The Garden Shed
People like to joke about men retreating to the shed to escape a nagging wife or household chores. But there’s a positive side to this too. A shed can become a refuge, a haven, a space away – to enjoy solitude or gardening or woodwork maybe. It’s an outdoor shelter. And it’s spawned an entireContinue reading “The Garden Shed”
Music Of The Night
Do music and nature seem worlds apart to you? As I think more about how art, music and nature can all draw together to enhance wellbeing, I’ve seen how music and nature in particular can be interwoven on different levels. Song titles might reference nature: think Nat King Cole’s Ramblin’ Rose or I Talk ToContinue reading “Music Of The Night”
Medley 