As the New Year greets us, it is often time for resolutions and perhaps a re-set of our way forward. Giving up smoking, reduce alcohol intake, go to the gym more often, take on a more positive attitude to work and life in general etc. All easy to say and usually declared with the best of intentions. However, it is often hard to remain committed to such bold statements. There are many ways to receive help but if your resolutions are secret self-committed private thoughts, how do you get through the first month, week or day even.
Finding somewhere quiet and restful can often help, perhaps somewhere in the countryside with a good view over a green valley or among some of the New Forest’s old trees which are ‘resting’ through the winter months. Here you can rest, walk, contemplate and even relax away from the hectic lives we now lead.
Soon something else fills your mind; a beautiful ancient tree, the first sign of new leaves pushing up through the soil or a bird briefly landing on a tree. What is this tree, how old is it, what flowers will rise from the new leaves or what was the bird now hiding in the brambles and giving a rattling alarm call? You can often learn the answers to questions like these on the internet or, if you become a little ‘hooked’ on nature, another way to learn perhaps would be to join a local nature group like Ringwood Natural History Society. Here you would find lots of people with maybe more knowledge than you that they are willing to share. The members are a friendly, chatty group and with 15 indoor lectures each winter season (September to April) and over 40 led walks per year, this Society is excellent value. See www.ringwoodnaturalhistorysociety.co.uk for more details
