Even the most reluctant gardener (or rambler) is more likely to venture out at this time of year. Many plants and flowers emerging, fresh leaves on the trees, roadside verges high with cow parsley. Yes, gardening can be fun, but also back-breaking, frustrating, a losing battle to stop weeds and bugs taking over – orContinue reading “Serendipity”
Tag Archives: nature therapy
Earth Our Home
What is your first thought when you hear the word “earth”? Is Planet Earth somewhere you take for granted, a backdrop to your life that you assume will go on as it is? Can you still enjoy nature unclouded by earth’s issues? Or has dread of what’s ahead come to overshadow that experience? Maybe howContinue reading “Earth Our Home”
Out In The Open
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”
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”
Nature On My Mind
When you think about nature helping mental health, what picture comes to your mind? Would it be time spent in a garden, or time photographing or drawing something in nature? A walk on a sunny day, looking out for wild flowers and trees? Or perhaps enjoying sport outdoors, like cricket or windsurfing? Back in 2016Continue reading “Nature On My Mind”
Slowing Down
Mindfulness, relaxation, calm: the need to step back has become more and more common, as people react to the pace of life. Everything now moves at speed. With communication easier than ever, it feels like responses should be immediate, and the 24/7 news stream never shuts down. This has to contribute to nature’s importance inContinue reading “Slowing Down”
Shining Out
At such a dark time of year in the northern hemisphere, when darkness falls ever earlier each day and we creep closer to the winter solstice, light becomes very precious and very special. So it’s no wonder that so many of us enjoy lighting the darkness, whether that’s with a handful of sparkly Christmas lightsContinue reading “Shining Out”
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”
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