Читать книгу Down to the River and Up to the Trees: Discover the hidden nature on your doorstep - Sue Belfrage - Страница 10

Being Here

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Choose a place that you can visit easily. It could be your garden or balcony, an allotment or stretch of hedgerow, perhaps a park bench or even the corner of a car park. Somewhere you can go and sit or stand without being disturbed for a few minutes; turning off your phone will help. Don’t worry about being stared at; most people are too busy with their own stuff to notice if you sit quietly. (Of course, if you do want others to give you a wide berth, you could try singing the national anthem at the top of your voice; that should work.)

Mark out an area that’s about 1 metre, or an arm span, square. Think of it as a pillar that stretches from the ground up into the sky. Now focus.

What can you see?

What do you hear, smell or sense?

Is there anything in particular that delights you?

Or is there anything that disgusts you?

How does the air feel on your skin, on your face, ears and hands?

Can you hear bird calls or the sounds of animals?

What insects are crawling or flying around you?

What other creatures might have passed this way?

What difference do you make, being here now?

And what difference might you make, without disturbing the habitat of any creatures that live here? Could you tend to the plot in some way, perhaps by clearing away litter?

Repeat to yourself: ‘I belong here.’

You are part of it all.

If you like, why not return here once a day or once a week for a month? Make a note of your changing observations as time passes.


‘Come forth into the light of things,

Let Nature be your teacher.’

William Wordsworth (1770–1850), ‘The Tables Turned’

Down to the River and Up to the Trees: Discover the hidden nature on your doorstep

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