Birdwatching as mindfulness practice

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Over the last few years, I have developed an interest in birds and have taught myself to identify some of them and their songs. Moving here has been such a treat because of the many bird species that frequently visit the feeders. We also have a neighbour, Paul, who is very knowledgeable about birds and I have enjoyed many conversations with him about our feathery friends. Paul has put up many bird boxes in the area, a few on our land, and he takes records of what species make their nests where. Last week, I went with him to take …

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Blackthorn Winter

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As I write this, I am sipping a warming hot chocolate and I have both woodburners lit. Outside, there is a heavy shower of hail and sleet covering the ground with little balls of freezing white stuff. Last night, I brought in the sweet peas that are hardening off before being planted out as I thought the cold may be too much for them. I covered the young parsnips planted out in their bed at the weekend but they are now looking a little sulky following the overnight frost. The Brussels Sprouts spent the night outside unprotected with no adverse …

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Seedlings

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With the sunlight levels now increasing (hurray!!), I have made a start on seedlings this week and it feels so good. They hold such promise, don't they?

Guided by the gardening team at Glansevern Hall Gardens where I volunteer, a copious amount of reading on gardening and plenty of informative conversations with people here and on social media, I have begun the process of growing parsnips, brussel sprouts, chives, basil, tomatoes, peppers and sweet peas. A gentle start to see how it goes, keeping plenty of seeds back just in case and also to stagger the growing season. I also …

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The force of nature

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Abigail, Barney, Clodagh and Desmond all visited us in Mid-Wales in the past month and these storms, one after the other with little respite in between, all brought with them much rain and high winds. Desmond, last weekend, was a beast: we have never experienced winds as high as these and for such a long time!

There was flooding in the Severn Valley below us and some main roads were impassable for a while as the rainwater travelled quickly down the hills to the valley where the river burst its banks. The drainage channels around our property quickly became fast-flowing …

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One month on

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This last Bank Holiday weekend marked our first month here and we celebrated the occasion by sharing a bottle of Prosecco with Peter's parents who were our first guests. We also went to the local agricultural and horticultural show where locals show their best livestock and produce.

After only a month, we both feel at home here. We are enjoying the beautiful and quiet countryside, the amazing sunsets we like to capture on camera and making the house and gardens our own. A friend of mine, looking through the gallery of photos, said that I appeared to be "nesting very …

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The fullness of silence

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We are now into our third week here and are really enjoying our little bit of countryside. Being surrounded by nature as we are up here, is wonderful. There is something about being around green fields and trees that promotes well-being. It is now well researched and documented that being connected with nature has huge benefits to our physical and mental health and that modern, high-tech, nature-deficient can be harmful. My own experience is that being in nature is calming, healing, grounding and uplifting.

I have found a little spot in the garden where I like to sit and listen …

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