Nature is both beautiful and healing...🌲🌸🦋

[Ggrand]

Hello Everyone....

I love nature and I find it very helpful in helping me in healing way..when I’m not in a good head space...I was wondering if others feel the same and am hoping that you might share your piece of nature, whether it’s a small patch of grass in your back yard..somewhere that you drive to, to just relax, somewhere close to you that you walk amongst...and if you have really taken the time to listen, watch, feel, smell, the wonders all around us..

I love nature..the trees, flowers, creatures both big and small, it’s my solitude place, a place I go to when things are getting to hard for me..

I am lucky, I have this huge gumtree which I found out about recently...
It was planted around 70 years ago by a local here when she was a little girl, and living in the house I’m now living in...About 5 years after she planted it, a strong wind with rain blew it down....A few of the locals saw her trying to stand it up to replant it...and they came to help her...and successfully managed to replant it....Today it’s easily over 60feet tall and just as wide, the trunk of the tree would need 4 people to hug it by joining hands..
The tree stands in front of my place and in front of the paddocks across from me..which the owner has some Angus cows, which love to lay under the tree....Birds are everywhere here, and a few use the tree as their home..

I sit outside for hours sometimes, watching the birds come and go for food and water I have supplied for them in bird feeders and bird baths....It’s a beautiful and peaceful way to relax watching and feeling what Mother Nature has provided for us...
For me it’s both calming and healing...

Do you have a piece of nature around you...and how does it make you feel when you take the time to just look and take in the wonder of it all....

We would love to hear about how nature helps you...and do you find that it can be healing for your soul...

Kind and caring thoughts everyone..

Grandy..

[Elizabeth CP]

Man made structures toys etc tend to promote one particular way of playing or using the space or toy etc. Natural environments are open ended allowing you to use your imagination and encourage problem solving skills social interaction.

Recently my son visited from the UK with his family. One of the nicest times was standing under a bridge in a shallow river watching my grandkids play in the water while I took photos. Some cousins floated down the river on boogie boards with lots of laughter. Other started picking up rocks to throw seeing who could make the biggest splash. A couple decided to build a dam which involved working hard to find ways to move the large heavy rocks into position. My son taught his nephew to skim rocks. The smile on the boys face when he succeeded was priceless.

To the kids they were just having fun but what I saw was kids working together and watching out for each other so everyone was safe but able to enjoy themselves. I enjoyed the feeling of the cool water on my legs surrounded by trees and scrub on the river banks.

I went for a walk the other day. I have been really struggling but forced myself to stop and try to notice as much details as I could. I felt different leaves noticed textures in the environment and tried to notice as many sounds as possible. It didn't fix my problems but gave a short needed break from stress and negative thoughts

[Ggrand]

Hello Dear Quirky, Elizabeth, sbella ,and all...🤗..
I hope I mentioned everyone..the page has turned over and I can’t see the other page..

Quirky...I went through some of my mums old photos and saw one of me...I look about 6 or 7...I am standing in our backyard and I’m holding 2 giant blue tongued lizards...my brothers had them as pets...The lizards are nearly as big as me 😂...I do remember that day a bit....hmm now if I see a blue tongue lizard, I turn around and run away from it..😂😂..

Elizabeth..Out My way (central nsw)..the schools all have community vegetable gardens, where the children grow them and take home the veggies when ripe...The school in my village has only 7 students attending from years kindergarten to year 6....I think they would be well supplied with what they grow...

I loved listening to sharing your days at the beach with your family, how very precious that would have been....I don’t walk much at all, but when I can sit outside in comfort I love watching and listening to the birds, late evening and early morning if I’m lucky I get to see some kangaroos and rabbits munching on the grass...

I think walking very mindfully in nature gives our soul a little refresh and boost...well done doing that even though you didn’t feel like it...You fought through those depressive/anxious thoughts and you won....Well done..

Tomorrow starts the most beautiful and colourful season....Autumn... I like the way the leaves on the trees turns so many beautiful shades...of reds, oranges, Browns, yellow...and many more shades..

My kindest thoughts with my care and hugs..🦋🌹🌾🤗

Grandy..🕊🌱🌈🍀🍁🍂..

[Ggrand]

Hello Everyone....🤗..

The colder months are here again...but that doesn’t mean that we cannot enjoy some of the beautiful things that the universe has for us.

Putting on warm clothes, gloves, scarves, beanies and jackets to go outside is something that I do a lot....no I don’t walk around the streets of my village because my anxiety takes control and tells me it’s not safe...What I do is sit on my veranda (Sometimes under a blanket) or walk around my yard...That’s all that’s needed to enjoy some of our winter awesomeness that our universe has on show...

I like the ice cold air on my face..it feels so fresh, like a cold water face wash does in the hot summer months...The birds are still flying around happily singing as the forage for food...they still use my bird bath which in the morning on somedays has a thin layer of ice on top...the kangaroos that come down from the hills are hard to see, through the thick heavy frost....and the cows, I can hear them...but barely see them munching on the frozen grass...

Have you ever woken up early enough to see the sunrise on a frosty morning...it is really beautiful, the frost distorts the suns rays and gives everything a golden glow...after the frosts lifts from the lower areas...I am lucky enough to see the frost lingering around the mountains...The frost sitting lower then the top of the mountains, reminds me of the photos I’ve seen of Mt Everest...

The winter sun, not being so strong is a comforting way to heal our cold bones...it seems to absorb into us in a more gentler way...sitting in a sunny spot, out of the wind or breeze looking around at the creatures and trees around us...reading a book, sewing, etc is something that I do like doing...

The stars seem closer or more brighter in winter then summer...I watch them at night snuggled up in my blanket while I’m sitting outside on my veranda...

I would love to hear about things you do outside in winter...and what you like about the winter months..

Warm hugs..

Grandy..

[sbella02]

Ggrand,

I must say, I've never actually seen or been to the snow. Where I live, we don't really get snow ever, there's only really once specific place where it has snowed on very rare occasion. I would love to see the snow though, it sounds amazing.

My favourite thing to do in winter is to curl up by a fireplace and immerse myself in something like painting, writing, reading, or even drinking something warm. So relaxing.

SB

[Elizabeth CP]

There is some gardens near us which are run by Parks Vic. I love to visit at different times of the year but haven't done much for ages. Combination of tiredness depression and too many things to deal with. I missed thembin lockdowns as they were outside our 5km limit. Reading your post Grandy reminded me to prioritise time to go there. I like to notice the different plants flowering or the different leaves. Even at home just noticing plants and flowers as they change. I love camelias which bloom in winter. I miss the snow. Cold now affects my hsb badly but I have a large photo in my bedroom of him walking up a mountain in the snow. I sometimes take time to stop and look at it remembering the beautiful day we had although a little scary at times because of the conditions. We half slid down the hill back to the village as it was impossible to avoid it with the soft snow giving way. Maybe the message is to take photos or display other reminders of fun things to help transport you back to good places as a break from negative times.

[Ggrand]

Hello everyone…🤗.

Today I feel so much peace in my soul…Sitting outside started that peaceful feeling to begin,

I woke this morning not feeling the best physically which in turn made me feel so down and sad, thinking about another day with painful hip/leg/back and shoulder, I wanted to go back to bed, I fought that urge to do so, made a cuppa tea and headed out to my front veranda to have it….

I was greeted by a beautiful day with such peaceful scenery, it changed my whole outlook on what I had envisioned for today….first after I sat down, I felt the cool breeze gently blowing my hair, heard the tingling of my wind chimes, the twitter of lots of little sparrows and wag-tails, which caught my attention…The wag-tails were hopping up n down trying to catch the little bugs that are invisible to my eyes, the sparrows were “playing” with each other darting in between, on and around my front fence poles, I saw a couple have a dirt bath in a small patch of dirt in my front garden….

The sky is blue today, with some white fluffy clouds in the distance over the mountain ranges, they are white with some light grey in them…I watched one cloud change so many times, first I saw what looked like a dragon, while I kept watching the dragon head separated and it looked like a little rabbit looking up towards the heavens….then the cloud floated into nothingness…

The air is full of the delicate sounds of cicadas, birds, leaves blowing and wind chimes all joining in together to make it also a musical day…while hundreds yes hundreds of tiny white butterflies from across the road in the long tall weeds and grass are dancing along with the sounds of nature…Oh and that black n yellow butterfly is still flittering around my veranda…Nature today has put peace in my soul…

A little challenge if your up to it….sit out for a while and describe what you saw and if it made you feel even just a little bit peaceful, by listening, seeing and feeling a little bit of what our beautiful universe has to offer us…if we just stopped and took the time to listen and watch it…

My love, care and hugs everyone..

Grandy..

[Doolhof]

Hi Grandy and all reading

This morning I enticed myself to go for a walk soon after dawn. I am currently recovering from Covid and still have breathlessness so have to be aware of my limitations.

It was wonderful to be back outside at that time of day, the sun was just starting to rise over the incline of the paddock. I could hear the sheep as they rustled through the dry stalks of the harvested crop.

The sky was turning into deeper shades of blue as the sun slowly rose, not a cloud in the sky. The breeze which had been cool at first, soon became warm with the heat of the sun taking away the chill. 

Being outside amongst nature, taking in the sights and sounds resorted and calmed my soul.

[Doolhof]

Hi All,

Yesterday it was raining here and very windy. It was comforting to be inside, warm and cosy.

It was also strangely calming and invigorating at the same time to sit out on the front porch, to hear the wind rip through the trees, to see the clouds scuttle across the sky quite quickly and to see the lashing rain.

I knew the storm was not going to last for ever, that beyond the clouds the sun was still shining. It helped me to reflect on life and the times I feel I am in a shadow.

[Eagle Ray]

I can relate to this Dools. I felt like I was in a shadow today. Nature so often reflects the way our own emotions can vary doesn’t it. It’s really good to remember that the storms pass, but when we are in a middle of a storm it can be hard to see sometimes. But even storms can have their own kind of beauty and can certainly be spectacular. I really liked the way you explained it feeling both calming and invigorating being on the porch. I can relate to that. In some ways storms can be like a cleansing energy for our difficult emotions. When it was super windy here one day I was telling the person serving me in the supermarket I’d had an invigorating walk, and she said she loves walking in those conditions because “it blows out the cobwebs”. This made sense to me. I hope you had a good day today.

[Doolhof]

Hi Eagle Ray and all reading,

I drove 1 1/2 hours to see a different psychologist yesterday. I enjoyed the scenic drive and would have like to have stopped in many places to soak in the view and take photos. The road is not safe to stop on though!

After the appointment I went to a small park for a picnic lunch so I could just chill and allow my mind to take in all that had been discussed, to relax and wind down again. There was a lawn area and a variety of trees and bushes. 

As I sat quietly I noticed some little birds fluttering about, a couple of green parrots and one parrot with a bright red chest. There was a rabbit foraging for food and it seemed to like the grass that was growing near some bushes. A couple of magpies were very relaxed and came over to see what I was eating. One even followed me as I took my cup of coffee and wandered around to see the park from different angles. 

It was calming and restorative. I took a walk along the street there as well as it overlooked farm land with some huge gum trees and a pine forest in the background. There did not seem to be any walking trails there. 

Eagle Ray, I agree with you, storms, the rain, wind and the power of nature can be cleansing.

Where I grew up we had rocky cliffs and also beaches. I used to enjoy sitting on the rocks during a storm watching and listening to the waves thundering in, seeing all that spray and being immersed in all that energy was amazing.