Fed up with looking at my face so have changed to a "Winter Walk in the Woods"
It is something I hope to do as much as I can.It's truly uplifting and it's amazing how much colour there is out there even in the dead of Winter if we only really look for it.X
Ahh marfit, that is a very mindful post. Recently I went out to one of our local designated parks with others to practice Mindful Walking. It is a wonderful experience. We focused on "this moment" rather than allowing our minds to travel to the past or future, this increased our awareness of all that surrounded us. Each individual was amazed at how much they noticed about the trees that had been missed before, the slight breeze that rustled the leaves and the feel of it on the face, colours, nuts, berries, the soft ground beneath our feet, no distractions entering our monkey minds, enjoying the moment, the beautiful wonderful moment.....
Thank you for sharing x
Wow Joyia..I never expected such a quick response and your poetic writing made me feel that I was sharing that walk with you all and could identify with what you were feeling.
I was originally inspired by David Hockney's Art Exhibition"A Bigger Picture" You may have seen a programme about it on TV.....He painted from ordinary scenes within his native Yorkshire landscapes,but was able to illustrate to us all that there is so much in our surroundings that we don't really observe.As you may guess I like painting and have been recording that same little scene through the seasons,yet it is only a few feet away from a car park!
I hope that you enjoy many more walks with your group and will share your enjoyment with us all from time to time.I shall hopefully get out there and get some inspiration tooX
Totally understand where you are both coming from - thank you for your posts.....walking is a moving meditation...when we can deal with the busy mind and file away the issues that arise....
We have just returned from an outing to two monasteries near Chania airport - now there is a contradiction ! - but we only heard one plane in the overwhelming peace of the Ag Triada Monastery. The weather was perfect for a stroll and the sea was always in view in varying shades of blue and turquoise.
We lunched at Marathi - on the beachfront - observing the Greeks at play on a Sunday - and commenting on our good fortune...we must come here more often - was our comment to each other. We felt a million miles away from our home and the challenges we have to meet next week.....ummm !
Totally relate to this as I now have time to walk and look at my surroundings and really notice now the changes with seasons. I often went to the beach at lunchtime when I worked and loved watching the seagulls, their pecking order and resilience in stormy weather. Very relaxing. I get a real wow from seeing wildlife and rediscover my inner 5 year old, which can startle drivers. In spite of living in a fairly rural area, many sightings have been in unlikely places. The only fox I've ever seen was in London and 3 friends who live on housing estate have had monk jack deer in their gardens. Likewise a friend who lives opposite a railway station has a family of hedgehogs..
Hi Marfit, Your post brought back beautiful memories of a day spent doing a Wood Badge Award while I was a Cub Scout Leader back in the 60's. We did this Course in the woods around Keston Common in Kent and it was lovely to just sit and listen to the birds and a small stream (out of sight), together with sunlight dappling through the trees. At the end of the day I felt properly tired, unlike the awful feeling of being always tired now, and awoke refreshed the next day. All this was about 5 years before the onset of my thyroid troubles. I really cherish such memories now. Thank you for your picture. Janet.
What a lovely day it has been sharing these things together.....and all because I changed my photo. Have a good week Janet X
Lovely to share those experiences with you Marz and Lilliput.
I have some wonderful memories of holidays in Greek Islands ..we always said that if you couldn't relax in a Greek Island you wouldn't relax anywhere.....we visited a small monastery on Samos...my Husband had shorts on ( forgot to take long trousers there) so we wrapped a beach towel round him to cover his legs.We rang the bell on the door and a nun opened it and smiled sweetly at hubby and let him in.We stood in silence in that tiny peaceful place on that wooded hillside and it brought tears to my eyes .A shaft of light shone down on us through a tiny window in the roof .It was one of those moments you never forget.
Wildlife just puts things into perspective too.We feed the birds and they cost us a fortune but when I see them every morning come for breakfast it's worth every penny and they certainly let you forget about TSH and T4 for a while.
It's so good to be able to enjoy these things and share them with others. X
What a lovely post, have enjoyed all the sharings thank you so much. If anybody has not heard of Mindful Walking, please google. Mindfulness is such a wonderful healing practice.
Thank you for that Joyia.....I will certainly be googling Mindful Walking.Something that really appeals to me ...I need to have feelings for what I paint which is usually from the countryside and the sea
If I don't feel anything then it's not worth painting.Unfortunately,thyroid problems have taken their toll and affected my natural enthusiasm these past few years but with the help that I've had from this group,I am beginning to feel the need to get going again.
Mindful Walking sounds great. X
The best part of my day is taking the dog for a walk when the weather is accommodating and as I live in the countryside it is a lovely calming and peaceful experience. I can't walk but ride my bike and he is trained to run alongside. We spend many happy hours with him finding exciting things to sniff and me breathing in the different scents of the seasons. I just wish I could capture some of them, Bluebells, Wild Garlic, Hay, Rape, the clay smell after ploughing, sometimes I am transported back in time and can imagine all sorts of things, it's great.
Thank you for sharing your enjoyment with us Phoebs.It has been fun reading about other members' love of the countryside.We are so lucky to have all these green spaces and long may they remain.Bluebell time is a special time for me too.
Perhaps we should do this again occasionally ,to help us all through the Winter months.
Have a good week X
Feeling great all summer and as quick as the weather has changed so have I :( 
I feel awful: my whole life has changed
Seasonal adjustment?
How docs are missing the bigger picture
