Mindful, Seasonal Living in Middle England – with a family of seven
If summer brings to mind old English roses, then springtime must be the month of apple blossom. By the first week of April we glimpse the bright red buds starting to unfurl. I have never been so glad of our small patch of green space, for in this national lock-down it allows us to spend […]
A late afternoon in April. It is the hour of long shadows and changing light; the best time to see the hidden glade. A gentle breeze drifts across the farm fields as we make our way towards the woodland. In comparison to the areas of ancient forest nearby, our local wood is small, only 30 […]
This morning I am up early, pulling on my walking boots and heading out into the fields before the day has fully started. The natural world seems so alive to me in springtime. The hedgerows stretch upwards towards the blue skies, straining to grow. I instinctively want to steer clear of the nettles that are […]
I miss spending time in the forest during this coronavirus lockdown. Finding ways of replicating the sense of peace and wellbeing that the woodlands give me, really helps ease the longing to be back there. Just after a light April shower is the perfect time for mindfulness in the garden. There is such calmness in […]
We continue adapting to this new, quiet time in our lives. I am noticing little changes. Food, for example, is suddenly becoming very important due to the shortages. We seem to talk about it a lot more than normal. Our autistic sons have very restrictive diets, therefore we are saving all of the plain items […]
In the national lock down, we are all permitted to leave the house for exercise and fresh air once a day, as long as we keep our distance from those that are not from our household. Today is the perfect spring day; warm like summer, with a gentle breeze. I’m walking with my ten year […]
We have spent the last week preparing for the shut down that we knew would be coming. It started fully today. Our business is now on hold and the charity library where I am a trustee has shut its doors on government orders. Even though we already worked from home whilst educating our five children, […]
I found an old camping table in the garage that looked like the perfect size for our youngest gardener. She was delighted and immediately set up a shop and started attempting to sell my pots onto her older siblings. Our second son has been watching his seedlings grow on the windowsill. Every morning he eagerly […]
Any faint glimpse of sunshine (which I am currently defining as “not torrential rain”) and I am out in the garden now. This morning, before anyone else was up, I was outside, checking for signs of spring. In my second son’s little patch of garden by the patio, several crocuses have come into bloom quite […]
For the last part of our Spring Tour of Scotland, we have booked to stay in an apartment that overlooks West Bow. As we arrive, everywhere is bustling. It is a complete culture shock after staying in an isolated cottage in the mountains. The second thing that strikes me after the noise of the crowds […]
