The camera reel on my phone is a litany of pretty poor nature photos today, however I think there is still some benefit in sharing them - it was the inspiration behind them not the final result that was important.
I know that for many people the delight of a clear sky lies with warm and sunny days, and I am certainly not here to complain about that. It's definitely easier to persuade people to connect with nature when raincoats are not required. The last few nights I have enjoyed watching the moon gradually increase in size, but cynically expected full moon day to be cloudy, but no! I saw the full moon! For the pedants out there, I will admit that I was not up at 3.34am which was the exact moment she was full, however it was only a few hours later that I stepped outside, looked up, and hanging huge and low over the trees, there she was at the end of the street. It was one of those connecting with nature as well as connecting with another human moments too, as a passing man saw me taking a photo and commented on the beauty. It set me up for a great day. I was lucky enough to have another of those moments down at the wellbeing event at Langloch Farm with Clydesdale Community Initiatives when a member of the Clydesdale Women's Shed took me over to see a spider and his web that she had noticed glinting in the sun. I had no luck at all photographing the web, but the shadow of the spider on the wall was amazing and something I wouldn't have noticed on my own.
As I arrived at CCI there was a noise overhead and when I looked up, I was surprised to see that the geese had taken it upon themselves to announce the imminent arrival of winter on the sunniest day for ages. One of the prompts in our nature prescription for October is to listen for the honking and squeaking of skeins of geese flying south for winter, so perhaps they are a little early. You didn't have to listen very hard that's for sure, spotting them in the sky was more of a challenge as it came with a retina burning risk, such was the brightness of the sun (again not complaining). Trying to find out more about migrating geese, I did a quick internet search and whilst I am no closer to identifying who they were (can you see if they have a white chest up there? No, me neither!) I can reliably inform you, thanks to Countryfile, that a group of geese are only a gaggle on the ground; in flight they become a skein. For a closer look of wintering wildfowl I can recommend a visit to RSPB Baron's Haugh over the next few months.
Sometimes, for example when we're taking people on a ParkBathe session we encourage a no phone policy. Usually when I get my phone out on a walk I want to use it to identify a plant but it's easy to get distracted. On the other hand there can be real benefits to grabbing that camera and taking a picture - and of course, most of our pocket sized cameras these days are also phones. (Cue a paean to the days of the single purpose camera!) As with all tools, the trick is how we use them. This video from the RSPB on how to engage with nature more meaningfully, suggests that these days our lives are so entwined with technology that we may as well use it to promote and share nature connection. Perhaps while you are out in nature today, take a moment to do the task they share in the video, look for something really tiny that you find interesting or beautiful in some way, something you might not have noticed unless you had been set this task, and take a picture of it. Then go one step further and share it with a friend or on social media, to encourage them to do the same.
A quick reminder of WHY all of this is so important! Spending time in nature is good for both our physical and mental health and wellbeing. These benefits are well researched and include boosting our immune system, improving memory, reducing stress, improving sleep quality, promoting relaxation, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression - the list goes on! A recent article in The Guardian gives a great summary of the results of possibly the biggest ever green social prescribing pilot, essentially - it works! And it's cheap! However, that does not mean it's free. As with any other form of social prescribing, the groups that provide the opportunities need to be appropriately resourced.
It would be great to think that nature is freely available to all of us but sadly it isn't. One of the benefits of green social prescribing identified by a GP who referred people into the scheme, was that it made nature accessible to people who faced a range of personal, social, and cultural barriers to doing so. That’s why it is so important and why the quality and quantity of green spaces needs to be improved, particularly in more deprived areas. A quick look of the findings of the research in that link also mentions the benefits of parks and green spaces for social connection - and in turn the benefits of social connection for our health! As I have written about before - parks are a space where it can be acceptable to share your nature connection with a stranger. I think we need to invent a word for a person who is so excited by something they found in nature that they have to share it with a stranger!!!
Additionally we can use our time spent in nature to cultivate a lasting connection that inspires a desire to take action to protect it. Our poor human relationship with nature is contributing to the climate and ecological crisis. If we want to solve these issues we need to repair this relationship. Throughout the last two weeks, the inaugural Lanarkshire Climate Action Festival, has been supporting groups to demonstrate and celebrate what they are doing in their local communities to help improve things. Depending on when you read this there are still a few events to get involved in, so do check out the programme. This afternoon I'm off to the launch of the North Lanarkshire Climate Action Network , which will be an ongoing source of support for groups undertaking climate action activities. The festival has demonstrated the wide range of ways people are taking action - from drumming outdoors to upcycled crafting as well as more traditional litter picks and active travel promotion. If you're in Lanarkshire, there is almost certainly a group near you taking action in some way where you can get involved! Last month, on a rainy weather warning type of day, we were thrilled at the turn out for the first consultation event for our Carluke Make Your Way project with Carluke Development Trust and Community Action Lanarkshire funded through the Paths for All Smarter Choices Smarter Places programme. There are some hardy people down in Carluke equipped with appropriate clothing who joined us to talk about maps and accompany us on a walk around the town. Even on that short walk (and it was blowing a hoolie and lashing with rain) we learnt some new things about the town and heard about some walks that we are eager to investigate. Watch this space for more information. Also as part of our SCSP project we finally have a dedicated Go Jauntly page on our website! Check it out for some of our most popular walks and to find out how you can get YOUR favourite Lanarkshire walk on the map.
Finally, the wheel of the year continues to turn, and this Sunday we find ourselves at the Autumn Equinox - that balanced point of the year before it tips back towards the dark. It is also the start of astronomical autumn. Celebrate your own mini harvest festival with whatever takes your fancy - I've got a dish inside the front door as a place to gather my growing conker and hazelnut collection, but there are still brambles and sloes ripening and so many red and yellow leaves. Time to be thankful for the fruits of summer and to prepare for the winter ahead.
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