Fresh Air

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, 'lords and ladies' or wild arum beginning to come up under the shady trees, and a jay on a branch; a flash of colour before it disappeared.  Enjoying the countryside, at a safe distance from one another of course, is one of the great joys we have left.

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