Nature’s Diary - View From Life on a Narrowboat

I’m fortunate enough to spend my time at weekends and holidays on my small Narrowboat based at Northwich in Cheshire. There’s no where better to spend my time relaxing, re-charging my energies after a busy working week and grounding my energies. It’s a lovely place to simply sit and watch the ducks, listen to the beautiful birdsong even if it means being kept awake by the stunning dawn chorus or going for a relaxing wellness walk with my rescue dog Trixie.  

It  is a time when you will see plenty of butterflies dancing in the air after having transformed from the little caterpillars they once were.  Throughout history they have been seen as messengers and heralds of good fortune and joy. The Greek word for butterfly, psyche, is the same word used for soul, and this association is found across many cultures. 

August is also a time of abundance when there is fruit aplenty to be picked from the hedgerows especially when enjoying a mindfulness walk in nature.  It’s a great time for gathering milky white Elderflowers and sloe berries from the Blackthorn bush.

 It is the Lammas season also known as Lughnasadh, in ancient times (as it still is today) it was a time dedicated to the gathering of corn, the harvesting of straw for thatching, the clearing of orchards, the storing of wood, nuts and berries, and mead-making in preparation for the colder months ahead.