Body, soul and gardening - All in the detail

Having to stay home is forcing us to stop and appreciate nature instead of hurrying by.  And while we can’t all get out into expansive landscapes, we can get close to nature by noticing the small detail. A recent study by the University of Derby found that when people were prompted to notice nature each day, they had higher levels of wellbeing and reported feeling better able to slow the pace of life:   A few beautiful things to notice now include:

• The sky: whether you have a garden, a balcony or just a window, the sky is wide and open.  Enjoy the sunrise and sunset and observe cloud shapes: cotton wool cumulus or wispy cirrus, a sign of good weather to come.
• Leaves: spot shiny new leaves unfurling.  Get up close and look at the veins, patterns and shapes; from pinnate to palmate, there’s a world of leaves to be discovered.
• Wildlife: watch the birds busily feeding their fledglings, and the swooping swifts that are now back.  Look out for bumblebees emerging to find nectar from spring flowers, and the butterflies galore that are around now – Peacocks, Common Blues, Orange Tips, how many can you identify?
• Flower colours: enjoy pretty combinations such as the delicate yellow of primroses mingled with the blues and pinks of pulmonaria.  Enjoy apple blossom as it turns from pink buds to white flowers.
• Listen to the sounds of nature, the birds, and the leaves rustling in the trees like running streams.