Category Archives: Nature’s Nurture

Nature’s soundtrack

One of the things I love best about being out in wild places is the peaceful, natural soundtrack. No cars. No trains. Few planes.

Instead, peaceful layers of sound that add flavour to the visual feast: Some sounds evoke memories and feelings, like the skylark, whose soaring song instantly connects me to many stunning hot walks where the whole world seemed to just slow down for a while…

(Thank you Chris Chalk for the youtube Skylark http://www.chrischalkart.com/)
 

The sound of the leaves rustling along an Autumn path; ewes and lambs bleating in the spring; the multiple different gurgles, giggles and chuckles of shallow streams tumbling over rocks; the various birds chirping and calling – some evoking open spaces like the buzzard and skylark, some closer to home like the blackbird’s evening song, or a thrush happily singing (or of course smashing a snail on the rocks, less tuneful but definitely rhythmical!)…

Mountain stream , Black Mountains

Gurgling stream in the Black Mountains

Whatever sounds of nature you love, there are rich layers to be enjoyed. If you pause and listen for what else you can hear that you haven’t already tuned in to, the layers go on… and on … and on.

A true feast!

Nature’s nurture: The beauty of rain

After a brief pause to take stock of the whole blogging malarkey, Daily Nurture is back with more ponderings and explorings.

To help provide a bit of focus for September’s blogs, this month I’m going to be exploring some of the many ways in which nature provides us with nurture… Something that many of you related to last month, from flowers to rivers to mountains, oceans and the myriad of critters that make us smile.

Fresh back from a weekend on holiday with a couple of great walking friends (NURTURE!!), I am currently well topped up with nature’s nuture! Pootling along a couple of sections of the Offa’s Dyke path, along the Welsh border north of Hay-on-Wye, we were outside all day for 2 days. That is my idea of heaven 😀

Offa's Dyke near Kington

Spacious landscape along Offa’s Dyke near Kington

We could see for miles. The views were crazy clear, like the air was freshly washed. The colours were technicolour vibrant, Mountain Ash berries hanging in heavy red clusters on the trees, yellow gorse shining, lush grass full of green-ness. Colours fed by rain, sustained by rain!

Yellow gorse flowers

Vibrant yellow gorse

Rain was falling in patches, and as it turned out, the wet forecast translated to a sunny dry walk for us, whilst we mostly watched rain falling elsewhere around us. Billowing rolls of water-carrying clouds added drama to the skies, their particular warm grey softness such a contrast to the vibrant greens, reds, golds and yellows on the ground.

Grey clouds behind River Wye

Sunshine by the River Wye, rainclouds over the northern hills

Rainy field, Offa's Dyke Knighton

Vibrant green fields getting a light watering drizzle, above Knighton

Bright walking

Freshly washed sky & lush bracken

Bracken and Gorse near Kington

A bit of weather coming in over bright moorland near Kington

Fact: Rain is wet. Yep, it’s true. If you want to stay dry it’s an excellent idea to have an umbrella, good waterproofs, or some kind of shelter.

Also Fact: Rain makes for a landscape full of thoroughly stunning colours, full of delight, full of nurture!

Rainbow over Hay-on-Wye

Rainbow over Hay-on-Wye