Coronavirus Musings...

Stricknage Wood in the New Forest - this is a lovely section of heath, ancient woods, grass meadows and clearings and of course the Rufus Stone.

We can look forward to bluebells in our woods in a few month's time - these are actually from a wood in Hampshire, but the woods on the North Downs are just as full in the month of June.  Oils on canvas.

As somebody who suffers from generalised anxiety disorder, depression and OCD, I can really understand people's worries and fears at this difficult time.  The worst thing is the unknown - the what ifs that multiply in the mind.  Known as catastrophising, this is typical anxiety territory - things escalating out of control in the mind.  It is so important to be mindful, and enjoy something simple like making a cup of tea, having a bath, going for a walk or listening to the birds in the garden.  What is lovely is the natural world and animals' general oblivion to the disease - cattle are still grazing, lambs are still springing and birds are still singing.  Having said this, animals can pick up on panic and worry.  All of my friends and family who have pets are finding them a great comfort at the moment, and dogs especially can see when you are feeling low and give you an instant boost. Below are some highland cattle in Cobham Woods, painted in oils on canv...

Little things can bring pleasure - sometimes more than big things.  Yesterday a peacock butterfly landed at my feet during our daily 'exercise'.  It then fluttered up into the bushes and flew away.  A friendly robin bobbed along beside us in the allotments, landing on makeshift fences and garden equipment.  Take comfort in small things.  I have included a painting I did of a ringlet butterfly a few years ago - I saw the butterfly at the site of deserted medieval village Wharram Percy in Yorkshire.  The ringlet is one of my favourites because its markings seem so primitive - more so than for example the peacock.  They remind me of round barrows in a ploughed brown field.

It took me a long time to realise that greater spotted woodpeckers don’t have a song like the warble of a wren or bubble of a skylark – instead they drum on dead wood to establish their territories.   In Cobham the other day we heard what sounded like several different woodpeckers coming from every angle, but was probably only two.   The sound is very ancient – I can imagine our ancestors hearing the song like a sort of primitive drum, pushing through the silence of trees after a storm.   Years ago when I was recovering from a back operation I used to see a greater spotted woodpecker come to our birdfeeder about 5am or 6am every morning to feed on nuts and seeds before the madness of sparrows and blue tits later on.   Its call is short, sharp and surprised-sounding.  This is a painting I did back in 2014.

We have made the decision to walk even more locally than we normally do.   Time to explore the wildlife on our doorstep!   Yesterday on our walk through Watts Meadow, I heard chiff chaffs, song thrushes, blackbirds, wrens and great tits.   Chiff chaffs have a wonderfully bouncy song, wrens more of a beautiful warble, and great tits have been likened to the ‘sound of a bicycle pump’ according to one source – I find it one of the most peaceful and relaxing spring sounds.   I also spotted some long tail tits in the trees – a pair busily chirping away.   Nothing yet heard of the yellowhammer – such a quintessential summer sound.   I look forward to hearing it soon!   Blackthorn blossom is out in force.   Celandines and primroses line the paths.   The park (Priestfields) was deserted but for a sprinkling of pigeons and a couple of people braving the great outdoors – obviously at great distance from one another.

I think the most therapeutic and worthwhile way to spend the nice weather whilst we have this crisis, is to go on a long walk in the countryside.  But obviously not to meet up with a rambling group!  Fresh air has long been seen as a way of treating illness both mental and physical, and it can help prevent it too.  Staying fit and healthy is so important.  As is noticing the changing world around us.  Celandines and wood anemones in the hedgerows, bubbling skylarks in the fields, blackthorn in all its beautiful springtime blossom, and the welcome appearance of bumblebees and hoverflies, getting drunk on nectar in the field margins.  Just being mindful and noticing the nature around us is so helpful, especially if we are suffering from mental health problems.  My boyfriend and I spotted a buzzard on our last walk, listened to greater spotted woodpeckers drumming in the trees, noticed a small brown centipede on the path, a 'bee-fly' pollinating flowers, ...

People coming to blows over toilet paper?   What is the world coming to?   In our local supermarket, people were in a more benevolent if somewhat subdued mood.  Pensioners and NHS staff staring at empty shelves are just some of the heartbreaking images we have seen in the past few weeks, and I must say it was very odd to walk around a supermarket usually crammed with items, now greatly depleted.  But it wasn't just the empty shelves; the mood had changed.  People exchanged glances and smiles, collective sighs and moans about the lack of everything.  We chatted to a few different people as we walked round - how often does that happen on a normal shop?  Everyone usually ignores one another.  But this was comradeship - something the British are very good at.  And the only thing that we are even better at is collective moaning - this time against the virus rather than the weather (which is the usual subject, along with road systems and traffic)...

Coconut Flour, Digestives and Nettles We went to Morrison’s for milk, eggs and vegetables – we came out with coconut flour, gluten-free digestive biscuits and tinned salmon.    We also got a cauliflower that had been sitting lonely on an empty shelf, and a packet of rice, also the last on the shelf.    Later on as I nibbled the gluten-free digestives (that just weren’t the same) I tried to concoct a recipe that would include coconut flour, some olives we found, half an onion, some cream cheese that still looked ok, the cauliflower and maybe the tinned salmon as well.    Luckily Google has a plethora of recipes involving just about every ingredient combination possible.    Pearl barley and rhubarb salad anyone?    Scallops with apple and bacon?    Sea urchin tacos?    My boyfriend has taken to foraging on our daily walks, gathering nettles, hawthorn leaves and dock leaves, and nibbling them as we walk along. ...