A holiday postcard from me this week. It’s been hot. At times it’s been difficult to summon up the energy to do much. (That’s ok, I am on holiday after all.) It’s still been pretty easy to connect to nature, even while lying prone in a garden chair. Have you ever noticed how busy ants are? Late on Tuesday afternoon, the dark skies app. promised a very narrow band of rain heading my way, and it felt like time to make a move. We headed into the woods; my partner was keen, although I wasn’t thrilled at having to walk up a hill, but I was told that one thing he’s learnt from me is that going outside is never a bad decision. Turns out I was right. The scent of pine trees in the heat was immense, as was the smell of ferns, which had grown so tall they towered over me. We discovered a buddleja bush with butterflies and bees for miles. After noting a dearth of butterflies so far this summer I was thrilled. Other notable spots: King Alfred's Cakes a type of fungus that grows on rotting wood, and frankly looks more like dung than any cake I’d want to eat; a southern hawker dragonfly sunning herself and the tiniest oak tree. Later, further south I spotted my first ripe blackberries. As the supposed rain approached we headed to the highest point and waited. Finally, a spot on my T-shirt, the least momentous rain shower ever, but it did rain, we could perhaps have counted the individual drops, but it was glorious. By the time I am writing this, it has cooled down substantially but do not forget, this is not normal. The climate is changing. We need to act. The more people who are connected to nature, the more people will want to protect it. Let’s do our bit.
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