Time is something I have a lot of at the moment. This has been a good thing and a bad thing.  Each day I plan to get outside for as long as possible. This is often just out into my garden. Being in my garden has been doing me the world of good. When I am there, time doesn’t seem to exist. I always leave my phone inside, and for the hour or two I am out there I feel alive and refreshed. Though I’m physically inhibited at the moment, its important I don’t stay cooped up indoors all day. In fact I need to get out there everyday.  I need it as much as I need to eat nutritious food, to sleep and to re-hydrate. It is vital just now to my health and happiness. In fact I believe it is vital to everyone’s health and happiness. At the moment I am reading a book that was recommended to me by a friend. It is called ‘The Last Child in the Woods‘ by Richard Louv. The book focuses on  the dangerous trends of this generation’s children and their complete disconnection to nature. It highlights the negative impact that too much ‘screen time’ and not enough ‘nature time’ is having on children and their physical health and mental well being.

When I am in the garden I feel relieved to be disconnected from plug sockets and bright screens. I feel comforted just being outside. Even when the rain and wind stings my cheeks and the damp cold soil numbs my finger tips I love it.

At the moment I have many visitors to my garden (in the form of my feathered friends). I have been amazed that even though I live in the city centre there is a diverse range of garden birds that come to visit to peck for worms or have a bath. I started feeding them a few months ago and I am now at the stage where I am having to buy bird seed every time we do the ‘big shop.’ The birds are so tame and I now nearly feed one of the female blackbirds by hand. She comes so close to me which is a real privilege.

Two weeks ago I made my garden birds some seed cakes to hang on my bird table and around the garden on branches etc. (If you are looking to attract birds to your garden I would suggest trying this, they love it! If you do make them however, beware….you will be inundated with feathery visitors!!!)

Through feeding the birds I feed my own happiness and well being. The birds don’t necessarily need the food I give them but I need the birds. I need my garden and I need to be connected to nature.