Tag: outdoors

Tiny spots of color

I planted a mix of annual flowers in my garden this spring, in hopes of adding a dash of extra color and fun. They were seeds and I wasn’t sure what to expect or how many would make it. So when these spots of color started popping out this week I got pretty excited! Of course, plenty of weeds are also popping up, so I’ll be busy for a while getting things under control.

A day at the garden

This is the most beautiful February I’ve had in a climate that actually has seasons. I have been taking walks, working in the garden, and generally escaping outside as often as I can. This afternoon we took a trip to Bodnant Garden and had a beautiful visit. Most of my photos are still on my camera, but I grabbed this picture of some of the many snowdrops sprinkled throughout the grounds — the only kind of snow we’re likely to for the rest of this “winter”!

Stopping to watch the birds

During a walk last weekend, I stopped after noticing a flock of little birds looking for food near the edge of the water. It was calming to take a few minutes to just stand and watch them.

Today, I spotted another flock in a different place on the water’s edge. The tide was going out — much more quickly than I’d expected — and I captured it in this time lapse video. Apologies for the shakiness; it was hard to stay steady with the gusts of wind.

Moving a little each day

I am not a gym-lover. I am not a runner. I am also not consistent about practicing yoga, even though I love it.

But I know this about myself: If I find a way to be even slightly active during the day, I will be happier for it.

And so I have been working on that. I have done 20-minute yoga classes, because sometimes I have to ignore my judgy, perfectionist brain telling me I really should practice for an hour and be realistic about what’s going to happen. I tried a Zumba class because 45 minutes of feeling silly was absolutely worth the happy-exhausted feeling I ended with. I even joined a gym because knowing that my husband also plans to go will at least get me out of the house and moving a couple times a week.

And today? Today I did none of those things. Today I opted to walk the 20 minutes between my dentist’s office and a coffee shop, and that was most of my activity for the day. And it counted — my brain and my body tell me it was worth it.