walking the land :: one

I walk every day - come rain or shine, blue skies or grey, hot or cold or somewhere in between. You have to do that when you have a dog, but for me it's (mostly) not a hardship. Walking the land gives me an intimate picture of nature and the changing seasons. I love that connection. I thrive on it. Walking is a daily ritual that connects me deeply with my surroundings. Admittedly I'm sometimes distracted by ball-throwing duties, but even Walter takes notice of the sea, and won't venture in very far when the waves are crashing.


Walking gives me a chance to pause and gather my thoughts, to have a conversation with myself. To think about what I'm doing and to mull over creative ideas. And to be outside is to be inspired - by beach and cliffs, by water, by the woods, the moor, and sometimes by a walk around town and along the prom. Often I find my doodles and scribbles are heavily influenced by nature.


A few days ago I walked up on the moor to a familiar spot, only this time using a route I'd not walked before. It's amazing the difference a change of perspective makes - seeing with a fresh pair of eyes. The moor was a blaze of purple heathers and coconut-scented yellow gorse. Of grasses blowing in the wind, with the sea glimpsed in the background.


On the horizon is the neolithic chambered tomb, Chun Quoit, one of the many ancient sites scattered around this landscape.



I felt like the land was mine. Birdsong, wind, rustling grasses, the sound of the sea in the background. No man made noise.

Just me, Walter and nature, doing her thing.