The magic of a slow morning in the garden.

Nature’s tonic for a busy mind.

I wake on Thursday morning feeling frazzled. This week has been kicking my butt. For no real reason other than the transition back into routines after the slower pace of the Easter holidays and having that uncomfortable feeling of just never quite being able to catch up. I do like and crave routine, but I think my ideal world is somewhat slower paced than my actual world and so getting back into the swing of things can be an adjustment.

My husband usually does the school runs on his days off and today I’m so thankful to be able to ease into my day a little more gently. The sun is shining and the sky a bright, azure blue. Dare I believe Spring is actually here this time? There’s a certain joy to be found in wandering the garden pyjamas and slippers. Cradling my steaming hot cup of tea to warm my hands against the remnants of the morning chill, I take a slow meander around the garden.

My first stop is the zippy greenhouse. Opening the door and greeting the seedlings nestled inside. This year I’m growing salvia, agastache, nemesia, sunflowers, zinnia, scabious, cornflowers, nigella, cosmos to name but a few! They’re not all for me. I’ve volunteered to grow some for my son’s school too. Some are in the process of being hardened off so I move them outside where they’ll soon be able to bathe in the morning sunlight.

I wander further, the garden isn’t big but there’s a lot packed into it. I see the borders are slowly beginning to wake. Most things appear green now. Herbaceous perennials giving a final yawn and stretch before they really put on a show as we move towards the warm days of summer. Early leaves appearing on the trees and shrubs.

I’m impressed with the amount of new leaves on the delphinium grown from seed last year. Only one actually germinated after multiple attempts and so I was very worried my efforts would be lost to the cold days of winter. Thankfully this wasn’t the case and I look forward to watching it thrive. The aquilegias have suddenly shot up too, new buds maybe only a day or so from flowering. They’ll bring a nice splash of colour.

My favourite spot to sit in the mornings is my “shoffice.” It’s a shed/seat/office all rolled into one and its positioned perfectly to catch the morning sun. Settling myself into it’s sunny embrace I take some deep, calming breaths, feeling the built up tension of the week starting to ease. I’ve caught myself holding my breath a few times this week. Rushing to an appointment or busy running errands, then realising Oh wait, why aren’t I breathing? Why am I rushing? The world surely won’t end if it takes me an extra ten minutes to put these groceries away. Of course, much of the stress of my week is caused by yours truly. Adding unnecessary deadlines or entirely unachievable goals to my day.

I sit quietly and drink my tea. Phone on silent, I want to be fully here in this moment. The view from my cosy little spot is just beautiful. Sunlight reflects on the surface of the pond. The cherry blossom is out and if I look very closely I can see the tips of green shoots popping up in the wildflower mini-meadow.

Birdsong in the tree above me. I recognise the call of a Great Tit, hopping from branch to branch, perhaps keeping watch as the female ferries beakfulls of twigs and moss to the nest she’s been building in the birdbox. They’ve been coming and going for around three weeks now so it would seem they are happy with our wildlife amenities. A pair of Blue Tits arrive and after some time spent feeding, they begin to check out the box on the opposite fence. There’s a bit of a squabble with the Great Tits. They’re territorial it would seem. I hope they can find a way to become neighbours, although I’ll surely get nothing done if we have a garden full of fledglings in a few weeks time.

I sit for a long time, allowing Mother Nature to wrap her arms around me. Senses engaged, heart full. For the first time this week I feel myself truly relax.

Wishing you a joyful week.

Claire x

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If you’re local to Northumberland and would like to join me for a slow and mindful walk in nature you can read more about Walking Well here.