Reading 'Homecoming'
Immersed inNature
I love this
space hosted by to stop and let the creative juices flow; no ‘what time will you be back?’ or ‘Is it ok if I have the car…! I’m also revelling in some lovely birthday gifts from last week - one a book token from a wise friend for Waterstones. In a moment of synchronicity I just happened to be reading by the lovely who is going to buy all her friends for Christmas a copy of ‘Homecoming: a guided journal to lead you back to nature’ by Melissa Harrison. There’s nothing like a trip to a bookshop plus coffee and a shared mince pie, is there?While days and space to write are marked within, years are not, so I started right away on November 7th, following the invitation from
to ‘write down in this journal the very best thing you experience in nature each day…’ I first came across Melissa Harrison’s work during lockdown with her life-saving podcast, ‘The Stubborn Light of Things’. A reading trail led through to the rest of her work, which is often what happens for me - you read one book that leads to another and another.Melissa Harrison dismisses sternly any qualms you have about writing in books. So to November 7th.
“Squabbling Magpies chasing each other through the trees around the ourdoor pool while I swim. Grey dawn.”
The bird calls that I do know come from following her advice to try to spot the bird and match it to the sound. I wish I knew more. Sometimes in these early morning swims I hear an owl call on its way home to roost, often a blackbird with its territorial song and it would be rare for seagulls not to call out overhead.
November 8th. Crossing back through the park I picked up a beautiful leaf.
“Warm oranges fading to yellow, tiny serrated edges, strong veins, Cherry blossom tree.”
I had to look up the name though I knew in Spring a mass of pink blossoms would fill my view from the window, then later sprinkle the grass with confetti and become the play blossoms of the small persons in the park. The leaf is like a large version of the beach leaf. I took a fine liner and drew aound the leaf, marvelling at the beauty of not just its colour but its structure.
November 9th. Swimming up and down is like mindfulness. Sometimes I think of nothing in particular. Like walking or running, the physical activity transcends brain activity until a thought pops into your mind.
“I noticed on the sky line beyond the pool that trees have very different shapes. I wonder how that is?”
Of course I knew they were not all the same, but why are they not? Why is one conical while another spreads its boughs uniformly in all directions. A little research. Aware that sometimes space and light were part of the answer, I was amazed to see how many different shapes there were. Like people, some grow tall, some wide!
Days are passing with me looking forward to ‘paying close attention’ to the world around me and recording it. Beautiful sunrises have replaced the cyclonic grey. Yesterday some unexpected warmth led to a half-hour outside watching the birds on the bird feeder. My mind flicked back to a walk last year along the sea front where masses of starlings had arrived for winter. I remember that a bird I always thought of as aged-grey was actually a myriad of colours, almost iridescent. I resolved to make sure I returned this November to see if they have come again.
At
this November we are looking at ‘Who or what is draining your energy?’ It’s a vital question to ask but as I ponder that I am also responding to the question of what fills my life tanks and builds my energy up. ‘Noticing’ nature is definitely one of them. The rhythm of the seasons and our interconnectedness to nature is another, enhanced by reading and many others. Small person and I often regard the moon, something special to our relationship. Walking back in the dark from his cousin’s birthday tea, there it was, bright and shining. That process of observation probably flowed from . See what a rich vein we have here on substack.And I can’t stop thinking about the trees and their different shapes. Not sure where that will lead. Maybe to the forest.
This is so lovely, Jean, it's wonderful to know you're using the journal!
As for tree shapes – particularly in winter – I can thoroughly recommend Out Of The Woods by Will Cohu. There are second-hand copies to be found online, or you local library might have one!