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| New buds coming through on a goat-eaten stalk |
It’s Tuesday, mid-morning and its cold. I’m wearing my sheepskin slippers and guacho bombachas, as well as an old sweater that Dad gave me for work. The dogs on the other hand, do not seem phased at all. The grass is still damp, and the little water droplets are like diamonds on leaves of green silk.
I sat with my back against the bark, feeling the rough lumps digging into me. The cat is annoying me, meouwling for attention and butting at me with her soft, velvety head.
I closed my eyes, breathing deeply for a few moments of total “relax”. When I opened my eyes, I felt at home. I know this little patch quite well, and I feel like I’ve been breaking down the metaphorical walls of the farm. I feel as though I know so much more about it. We have developed a much better understanding of one another. It sounds corny, but the reality of it is - no one spends enough time to savour the moment when we are out and about outside. It doesn't take very long at all to start recognizing natural patterns and functions. Today, I am no longer surprised by the amazing subtlety of the huge variety of greens and greys. I know the different bird cries around me ... I don't know which birds they are yet, but their calls are familiar to me.
I feel as though I am beginning to get a grip on what is going on around me. On the surface, it seems as though nature is slow. That things take time. They do - but on look a little deeper and you see ants scurrying to and fro; bees buzzing around getting business done; flies and wasps; big birds cawing, small birds tweeting. There’s a lot of traffic in the airspace over the farm. Little photosynthetic cells are operating in full force, eking out what they can from the cold Autumn's sunshine. Minute bugs are root-ling through horse poo. There is so much going on that one doesn’t even take note of. It only takes 5 months for a perfectly formed little goat to pop out of its Mommy’s tummy, and her body is already producing the substance that it ideally suited (chemically and nutritionally) to his needs. Horses take about a year. Anyone who has ever seen a foal being born, or even just a very young one will know just how damn perfect they are.
I feel a bit impatient, I feel as though I’ve seen this all now. I know that the grasslands are chockablock with lots of plants, big and small, short groundcoverers and tall grasses. Spiky thorns and waxy leaves. I now understand why that particular plant has the leaves where they are, and why they are so prickly and sore if you step on them. I want to see something new, and in a new way again. I know that it won’t take much, but I still marvel at how simple it is, with a little encouragement to open my eyes and “see”, to identify just a little bit more with what it going on, the undercurrent of life. My eyes roam, and I notice how the grasses form a lattice like structure with their “stems” as they carpet the ground. A eucalyptus leaf has blown close, and I reach over, grab and crush. The smell is fading, not as strong as if I had crushed a new leaf - but it is distinctly “eucalyptussy”. There is so much that seems familiar now - but still so much to take pleasure in, and so much to learn.
I sat with my back against the bark, feeling the rough lumps digging into me. The cat is annoying me, meouwling for attention and butting at me with her soft, velvety head.
I closed my eyes, breathing deeply for a few moments of total “relax”. When I opened my eyes, I felt at home. I know this little patch quite well, and I feel like I’ve been breaking down the metaphorical walls of the farm. I feel as though I know so much more about it. We have developed a much better understanding of one another. It sounds corny, but the reality of it is - no one spends enough time to savour the moment when we are out and about outside. It doesn't take very long at all to start recognizing natural patterns and functions. Today, I am no longer surprised by the amazing subtlety of the huge variety of greens and greys. I know the different bird cries around me ... I don't know which birds they are yet, but their calls are familiar to me.
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| The little yellow dot is an oxpecker that flew away as I took the picture! |
I feel a bit impatient, I feel as though I’ve seen this all now. I know that the grasslands are chockablock with lots of plants, big and small, short groundcoverers and tall grasses. Spiky thorns and waxy leaves. I now understand why that particular plant has the leaves where they are, and why they are so prickly and sore if you step on them. I want to see something new, and in a new way again. I know that it won’t take much, but I still marvel at how simple it is, with a little encouragement to open my eyes and “see”, to identify just a little bit more with what it going on, the undercurrent of life. My eyes roam, and I notice how the grasses form a lattice like structure with their “stems” as they carpet the ground. A eucalyptus leaf has blown close, and I reach over, grab and crush. The smell is fading, not as strong as if I had crushed a new leaf - but it is distinctly “eucalyptussy”. There is so much that seems familiar now - but still so much to take pleasure in, and so much to learn.
Every time that I con back to sit in the same spot, I am delighted to see how the grass has “stood up” again after being sat on for quite some time. The trees are barer that they were a few weeks ago, and I’m surprised how quickly the cold has set in. There’s quite a wind blowing and the leaves are crackling as they get blown along.
I feel as though I am much more in-tune with everything going on around me. I am part of it, and it is part of me. I am able to perceive and appreciate the details of nature so much more - and I feel as though I am sensing much more than in our first nature observations. So much has changed, and I have a whole new ability to focus in on things, as well as zoom out. I can see more of the micro and more of the macro than ever before.
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| View from the Well. |
The lessons of interpretation are just beginning.
P.S. Nevermind Bunny slippers.... What about Puppy Slippers¿?
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