Remembering Summer Days

As the wind gusts in Edinburgh today, mild tho' it is, I happen across some photos taken in the summer. They are of flowers and the garden at Inveresk Lodge, a NTS property in Musselburgh. A lovely peaceful spot where you can escape the crowds and pretend that you have just stepped out of the house to stroll around your garden. Many different plants to see, paths to wander,seats to rest in and contemplate.

Often when I ask people what they do to relax or switch off to the pressures of work/life, they tell me that they go out into the countryside. The natural world is a great gift to us and in many cases we have become remote from it.Our ancestors lived much closer to nature and I heard someone give a talk recently that suggested that mankind is designed for a hunter gatherer existence and has 'progressed/advanced' to where we are now. Read an interesting take on this in the book 'Mutant Message Down Under' by Marlo Morgan. A short and easy read wich is both relaxing and thought provoking.

I recall the TV series about 'Meet the natives' where a few members of a remote tribe visit England with great expectations and with viewers perhaps thinking "this will be a laugh-they are so primitive -how will they cope?" Of course the reality is that the so called 'natives' cope very well and the people who look uncomfortable are some of the ordinary folk around Britain whom they stay with or met on their travels. The natives are at ease with themselves and their surroundings and are of course very glad to get back home. Its interesting to note that when we are not at ease, dis ease can surface in many different ways physically and mentally. Ease, unease and disease are interesting words to ponder.

Remembering our roots and getting back in touch with nature and our environment can help in so many ways. Try it next time you feel anxious or stressed. If you cannot get out in nature, look at these pictures or indeed any images from nature and I am sure you will feel the better for it. It works for me and I hope it works for you. view images