/Nn/ is for Nature
I consider myself to be so fortunate in that I live in a coastal suburb with the sea at one end of my street and 96 hectares of bushland and wetlands at the other. Through all kinds of weather you’ll find me walking along the coast – five kilometres every day. Nothing much stops me because without my daily walk I can feel pretty ‘lopsided’.
I never get tired of looking at the sea and I marvel at the way in which it can change the landscape. The little beach where we swim each summer is transformed into an inaccessible rocky bay throughout late autumn and winter, then as if by magic, around late October the beach is back!
My daily walks provide an opportunity for reflection. The breeze on my face, the smell and sounds of the sea, seem to bring clarity of thought and many a problem has been solved. The sense of calmness it brings allows creative thoughts to come to the surface.
Having access to the bushland is wonderful in the cooler weather and means that you don’t have to travel out of the city to feel like you’re rural. The reserve provides opportunities for birdwatching and to see native wildflowers. It’s also the home of the Quenda (southern brown bandicoot), but you’d have to be pretty lucky to spot one I think.
We also have a number of lovely national parks with great walking trails only a short drive from the city. Every winter my husband and I tell each other that we’ll take a picnic and go hiking over the weekend, but our track record isn’t great. We must get better at planning and prioritising these things because it’s an activity that is so good for the mind as well as the body. There’s something special about walking along bush trails lined with beautiful trees. I personally find it very de-stressing.
One of my most memorable and favourite holidays was a week spent in the Blue Mountains. Each morning after breakfast we’d catch the hop on, hop off bus and spend the day hiking. It was brilliant.
Urban planning is such these days that you really don’t have to go far to enjoy the benefits of the great outdoors. It’s a matter of quarantining the time though, and that’s not always easy. I know when I was working full time and the boys were growing up, our weekends were chock-a-block with sporting activities and household chores, but sometimes even going down to the local park and kicking a ball around was enough to recharge the batteries.
So, do you find that being in nature is something that is important to you? If you’d like to leave a comment I’d love to hear from you.
Next time: These last six posts have started with one of the first six sounds that are generally taught to children when employing a synthetic phonic approach to the teaching of reading. My next post will be a recap and what next?
