Challenging Habitat Blog

I treasure the stillness and stark silhouettes of (slightly) drizzly autumn walks that offer the odd glint of sunrays and opening of blue sky.

Nature is full of beauty and wonder, and autumn is change – dormancy as well as emerging signs of life beneath the surface.

Read More

On the river before the rest of the household stirs.

Reflections on a summer of sun and rain, new and old, labour and fruit, adventure and stability, whirlwind activity and calm.

So many good things and experiences to be grateful for and nourish the mind.

It’s lovely blackberry time in the Cornish hedges and it occurred to me:

To get the sweetest fruit, you have to be patient, allow space and time to grow and ripen.

Now and then you check and taste to choose the right moment.

Then you step off the path into the thicket and accept the stings of nettles and scratches of thorns as you stretch and reach for the best…

…and you know you’ll come back for more.

It’s just as for many good things in life :)

Working from home during lockdown saves me and my carbon footprint a daily 1.5 h commute and I have more flexibility with when and how I start my day.

Some mornings just beckon a walk along the river! And today, I was rewarded with the magic sparkle of a light frost on bluebells and mist over the water.

One year of lockdown in England.

I feel grateful for my health and that of my family, however far away.

I feel grateful for the beauty of nature around me.

I feel grateful for all the amazing things people do to support each other.

I’m lucky. still. today.

The light is beautiful.

I seize the moment and extend my morning outing with my dog to a walk along the river.

I am rewarded by the touch of morning sun on my face and two owls calling in the ancient woodland on the Devon bank.

A snipe flits off, startled.

Happiness comes from feeling gratitude for the moments of connecting with nature.

I smile.

Almost like a watercolour painting.

Only better: it’s real.

A little farther than strictly local, I stretched my range a little beyond 7 miles to enjoy a good walk along the Cornish coast.

Blackthorn like a bridal wreath

Beautiful, uplifting, entertaining and even more so because I enjoyed this scene with a friend and our dogs.

The violets are out today,

perhaps to greet all who nurture (it is mother’s day in the UK),

perhaps to delight those who stop and notice,

and certainly to just be.

Full circle.

Buds are breaking and soon, apples and cherries will be in blossom again.

We will have been in various forms of lockdown for a year.

Hope for experiencing living in a community again, seeing friends and family again, go places and travel again, is growing in me, as I booked my Covid-19 vaccinations today.

May we share it globally with all who want it!

It’s good for my spirit to be near (or on) the sea.

The horizon, the sound, the smell and the breeze!

…and things to discover…

Blue sky, sunshine and a fresh wind in my face: happy moments and feeling alive.

%d bloggers like this: