3 WAYS I’M FALLING MORE IN LOVE WITH NATURE

It’s no secret that I am a total countryside fan girl and would take laid back country living over a bustling city any day, but particularly during lockdown I’ve definitely become more in tune with nature (and I don’t mean that in a Cinderella showering with birds flying around her head kinda way, cos quite frankly that’s terrifying and we all know what happened to Tippi Hedren). No, this new found stillness that we are all experiencing, no ‘plans’ as such, and not many places to go other than the great outdoors, has given me time to breathe and take in my surroundings.

I thought I’d share with you just 3 of the ways I’m enjoying nature right now…

Wildlife on our doorstep

Whether it’s listening to the birds as I enjoy my morning coffee, or watching the bumblebees dance around our newly-planted flowers (ok, this is all sounding very Disney lol), it’s definitely made me feel more appreciate the natural world. We’ve had white moths, orange-tip butterflies and blackbirds in our garden, and a cute little wagtail too.

And the wildlife obviously doesn’t stop at our back door! On our walks, we’ve spotted hares and rabbits, and plenty of sheep and cows. I know the last two don’t strictly count as wildlife, but it’s nice to see them out in the fields with their lambs and calves.

Matt loves spotting the fish in the pond on the green as well…typical fisherman! I prefer to be on toad watch.

     

Stargazing!

The possibility of seeing a meteor shower last month was enough to lure me outside at 10.30pm at a night! Winter coat on and herbal tea in hand, I got comfortable in my deck chair and reclined back to look at that magical thing we call the night sky. Living out here in the countryside, it’s generally really dark at night and I feel like the sky is super clear at the moment too – not sure if that’s due to less air pollution or not, but it just seems so unfiltered.

Though we didn’t end up seeing the meteor shower, we did see 6 shooting stars which was amazing! The sky at night fascinates me and I find it totally mesmerising to look at. Spotting all the star consolations was great fun too! Whenever we get home late, I always make an effort to ‘look up’ at the stars, but after this little evening I’ll definitely make an effort to appreciate all that’s above us that little bit more!

     

Fabulous florals 

You’ve probably heard about my new Instagram hashtag (if you haven’t – find out how to get involved here), so it’s no surprise that I’ve been on floral watch! From the pretty blossom clinging to the trees to the wisteria adorning cute cottages, and buttercups and daisies that are springing up under foot, I’m loving all the natural flowers everywhere. There are so many varieties and colours, and I’m making an effort to start learning more of their names (luckily my mum is the foundation of all floral-related knowledge!).

I’ve also been enjoying getting the garden round too – we’ve planted geraniums, busy lizzies, felicia blue daisies and dianthus, to name a few…or rather to name all the ones I know the names of!!

     

Have you learned to appreciate our natural world more in this period? Feel free to share how in the comments below, as I’d love to chat more about it!