My nature story

So I am taking a bit of a plunge this week and starting a new hashtag on Instagram, which I would love other people to join in with, if they feel so inclined! 






Since joining Instagram a little while ago, I have loved contributing to other people's hashtags and find them a constant source of inspiration and joy, so I thought the time had come for me to start one of my own!



The hashtag is #mynaturestory and the idea behind it is very simple - a celebration of the natural world with all its quirks and mysteries, and our relationship with it. 

It can incorporate anything to do with your experiences of nature, from a walk in the park, or the joy of seeing something grow in the garden, to a freshly cut rose or a glass of homemade elderflower cordial. It could be a foraged wreath above the fireplace or a spectacular view of the sea. A cup of tea at the top of a mountain or a soggy camping trip. Even the faithful pot plant that sits next to the computer as we tap away is a little natural story that deserves to be shared. 

I have spoken before (many times!!) about how, as I get older, I find myself craving the outdoors so much more, how I look for green space in order to soothe and calm myself, and how I have learnt to understand and appreciate the changing of the seasons and the intricacies of the natural world so much more in the last few years. 

This hashtag is intended to be an expression of just that - a recognition that we are part of something bigger, something precious and something that we should cherish and protect. An appreciation of the extra joy that the natural world can bring to our every day lives, and how our lives are enriched by getting outside and exploring, but also by bringing the natural world in, incorporating it into our homes and routines.

I, like many others live in a big, lively, noisy city. I commute into work every day on the train, I walk past building sites and across busy roads, I take the tube and the bus, I sit inside at a desk, I look at a computer screen for most of the day. And that's not to say that those things are unworthy, or bad or anything like that - my life is here and this is what suits me for now. But I also need to see plants and trees, and sky and stars, and to feel cold clean air and sea spray, and to hear owls at night and waves crashing and smell meadows and forest floors and fruit trees in orchards.  

So those are the little stories that this hashtag is intended to capture - little moments of appreciation of the natural world and the way it affects and shapes us, its ability to help us deal with the little challenges and obstacles that life throws our way and the joy that we get from it. 

Anyway, enough waffle - you get the picture! I have already started tagging some of my photos with #mynaturestory and it would make me so happy if you did too!

p.s. R took these lovely cowparsley photos and given that I never credit him, I thought I really should this time. He really does take the loveliest photos (when he's not moaning about being an Instahusband, that is).