Lessons of Lockdown- from an Outdoors perspective

During the first lockdown where the country effectively came to a standstill, we were very blessed with one of the sunniest summers we had for years. It brought most of the nation outside and other than painting the shed or trying to order a hot tub and with very little else to do, the nation started to notice the amazing in nature. The stunning skylines, the freshness of each flower blooming, the still of the morning, the calm way that mother nature brought order to what had become a crazy frightening unknown world we had all just entered.

Even though I knew first hand the mental wellbeing that being outdoors brought, I had never spent a lot of time in my own garden, I always was working during the week and at weekends I was out and about catching up on errands or socialising with friends and if i was on holiday, I tended to be away admiring the beauty of another part of the UK or the world.

Suddenly I was spending vast amounts of time wandering around my garden, sitting in my garden, exercising in my garden and , as restrictions eased slightly, socialising in my garden. My garden is beautiful and I had barely even noticed before. I’m surrounded by cherry blossom trees and mature shrubs and almost every colour of the rainbow painted on the most delicate petals. I have fish in my pond, heron , ducks, frogs, foxes, chaffinches and a myriad of fascinating wildlife visiting me everyday…. And I had never noticed.

And as restrictions eased further I explored stunning Dumfries and Galloway with it’s diverse and unique landscapes. The coastlines to the castles, the woods to the waterfalls, I have lived here all my life and realised I barely knew this beautiful area.

Being outdoors, whether it be in my garden or roaming the region makes me feel fantastic, alive and positive. It slows my breath when I am anxious, speeds it up when I feel lazy and has opened my eyes to the gift of a life I am living.