Enjoy

The countryside was bathed in sunshine this morning when I set off for my walk, very chilly but sunny. Daffodils nodded their pretty little heads in the cutting breeze and in the hedgerow new green leaves sparkled in the light.    I love this crisp mornings full of promise of better weather to come, as I walked up the lane I felt very thankful that I have beautiful places to walk and enjoy nature. As I mused on how lucky I am, I started to think of someone I know who is having a bad time at the moment and momentarily felt guilty for being so happy. I say momentarily because, I reminded myself that we each have our own experiences and it is not for us to hijack the experiences of others  as our own. We can offer help to others, if asked we can give help and support but the events we experience are ours, the events other people experience are theirs.  If we wallow in the sadness, worries or concerns of others we are showing ingratitude for the gifts of joy given to us.

Jewels on a Frosty Morning

Having missed my morning walk the past couple of days due to work and private commitments I was pleased to see this morning was dry and sunny albeit frosty. I actually like frosty mornings, the air always seems so clear and clean.  It was one of those wonderful mornings when the ice crystals were caught in sunlight as it streamed through the trees giving a totally magical effect. I trundled off down the lane, despite the miserable weather we have had the buds are showing themselves resilient as they start to clothe the hedgerows, primroses and daffodils are giving splashes of yellow here and there and the blackthorn has blossom (very important for those of us who make sloe gin). I decided to take a little wander into the grounds of the golf course. To my utter delight I found a huge patch of blue violets, there little blue jewel flowers brightening up a dark corner, there leaves edged frost diamonds. I adore these little gems. I remember  when I was a child there was a huge patch growing wild at the edge of a spinney on a neighbours  land just the other side of the brook that acted as a boundary between our properties, of course no brook (or hedge) acts as a boundary to children.   One day I came home and found the trees in little spinney had been grubbed up alongside all the other vegetation. The farmer had decided to incorporate the land into the adjoining field. I was devastated and cried over the loss of those violets. Of course as children we don’t understand that changes must occur, things and people come in and out of our life. That is the rhythm of this world. Anyway, today I had the delight of these tiny weeny little flowers that I find such joy givers.

This is perfectly worded by Tom, thank you Simple Tom!

Simple Tom

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Second look

Two days of lovely sunshine yeah!! And today it was warm enough to go out without hat, scarf or gloves. Yesterday I took the field walk again and was really taken by the beautiful yellow moss on blackthorn in one hedgerow, I really cannot believe I did not notice it last week, bright yellow! I suppose even when we think we are observant, we can often miss what is right in front of us, so a second look at things is always worth while.

I also saw the first tree blossom of they year, such a welcome sight!

Walking With Others

As anyone who has read my blog knows, I love to walk. Walking brings freedom, space to think, an opportunity to ‘just be’, peace and solitude. As a therapist I find I need some peace and solitude, walking allows me to leave other people’s woes where they belong. I do like to go for the odd long walk with friends. The onset of the month of March has brought some nice sunny days even with a chilly lazy wind (goes right through you, too lazy to go around) it has been good dry walking weather. My legally wedded has decided to walk with me the past three days which is nice insomuch it is nice that he wants to share my time but part of me wants to walk alone, it is what I do. Also I like to choose where I walk. However, on reflection I am jolly lucky to have somebody who wants to be with me. Today he wanted to walk to look at something he is considering purchasing and, suggested we walked to the showroom together, I was not keen but as I was able to ensure that the route we took was up my favourite lane I agreed. Life is like that, negotiation, give and take. Anyway I know that as soon as the weather turns again I will walking on my own. 🙂

Who Are You?

“Hello, tell me, who are you?”

“Oh my name is Jane”

“That’s a nice name, who are you?”

“Well, let me see, I’m a wife and a mother I have two sons”

“That’s nice for you, who are you?”

“I’m a business owner; I run my own very successful IT business”

“That’s nice for you, who are you?”

“I’m a daughter, house owner, dog lover. My hobbies are walking, gardening and I go to the gym three times a week, what else do you want me to tell you?”

“Who are you?”

Come on a journey and start to find out who you are.

Places on this programme will be limited to six

This will be a participative programme covering a wide range of activities including discussion, inner journeying, and analysis of self and environment. We will explore our spiritual aspect, however, this is not a spiritual development circle aimed at developing mediumship or clairvoyance. Neither is there any religious aspect to the programme. Part 1 will be held over 5 evenings held in  weekly commencing on the 12^th March 2013. 19.00 -20.30 hours

Venue; Kidderminster details available on request

Fee £35 which covers all five evenings to be paid in advance or on the first evening

For further information text the words ‘knowing me’ to 07506599894  or

email e-f-t@hotmail.co.uk

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

—	Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Worries Come and Go

http://visitwoods.org.uk/en/visit-woods/Pages/wood-details.aspx?wood=24929&site=Hurcott-Wood#.US9sHaJv4oY

Today my walk took me around Hurcott Woods, it is a beautiful walk, the thing I like about it is I can walk the perimeter in approximately 45 minutes and get a decent workout with fantastic views. I start by walking along the pools at the bottom of the hill with the huge ancient oaks and chestnut trees banking on my left, firstly the big pool where the ducks, geese and coots live then the smaller waterways where trees grow out of the water like swamp land (no alligators in Worcestershire though ), then the climb that is bordered by a narrow country lane with high banked hedgerows. The wood at this end always reminds me of the forests I walked in, in Germany, the trees are all evergreen firs. At the top of the hill and all along the top of the wood are fields which today are a beautiful spring green as the early barley makes it’s presence known. WE then drop back down to the car park through bare prickly larch and silver trees standing tall and elegant.  Throughout the walk I noticed little pointy, green shoots, the promise of a carpet of bluebells later in the spring. I love bluebells! As I walked and observed these pointy little shoots it occurred to me that bluebells will have bloomed here for hundreds of years before I was born, and they will bloom again after I have gone. It matters not if I come and see them, they will push up through the earth in glory of colour. Long after my worries and anxieties have passed there will be bluebells. That is what I love about this country, no matter what else changes some things are constant … matters of nature just go on with or without us, sort of puts stuff into context doesn’t it?

The sun shone this afternoon hurrah! It wasn’t wet underfoot hurrah! The temperature rose to above freezing hurrah! In fact is was almost tropical at 5 degrees centigrade. So boots on and off I went for a nice walk. I recently noticed a signpost for a footpath I have not seen before, so I decided that today, would be an excellent day to investigate. I was so glad that I did because it took me up the side of a farm yard and out onto a field path. I was treated to loads of fresh air, nobody else in sight, beautifully ploughed fields, peace and quite. I even managed to see a heron as it took flight from a fishing pond I passed. I love to see herons and storks, I always think there is something prehistoric about them. Even though I am fond of  taking regular walks up a local lane and looking at the changes in the hedgerows, this afternoon was a real treat. It does us good to go to get out of our ruts now and again. The breeze blew away my cobwebs and I thought of some new ideas for a course I am putting together. Fresh air, exercise and new ideas, what could be better?

 

 

10 Good Reasons to Walk

1. No matter if you take the same walk every day, there is always something different to see including people, birds, animals and plants. Buds appear, bloom, die and berries take their place.  Even the sky and clouds provide a picture of constant change.
2. Walks give us an opportunity to put some distance between us and worries or concerns. If we immerse ourselves in nature we can often forget our problems and woes. Also, a little distance and time to think often helps us to find a new prospective and solutions to problems.
3. Health benefits, some research suggests that walkers have less incidence of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other killer diseases.
4. If you are unable to walk in the countryside find a safe walk where you live or work, you may get to know the locality better and meet interesting neighbours you did not know you had.
5. Walking to help us to loose and maintain our weight. Walking helps us to build healthy lean muscle, lose inches of fat, and pump up our metabolism; of course if we are walking for the purpose of losing weight we have to still use common sense with our diet.
6. Walking in common with other forms of exercise can improve our mood and help with stress relief. Walk and other exercise leads to the release of the body’s natural happy drugs – endorphins.
7. Walking is free!!
8. You don’t have to have specialist equipment. Okay so shoes are important you don’t get far in high heels
9. Unlike other forms of exercise such as tennis or badminton you don’t have to rely on other participating with you. If you want to walk alone you can. Of course some people prefer to walk with friends or walking clubs.
10. You can wear a silly hat and crazy boots and nobody seems to notice.