Nature's bounty.

Time passes, but sometimes it's mighty slow, especially when there's nothing much doing. Inactivity, especially when it's forced upon us as it is with CFS, can be very mentally straining. I'm a great fan of the natural world. Being able to observe wildlife and the weather is one of the things that has helped me keep my equilibrium throughout my illness. 

I love the ever-changing weather.  There's nothing so dramatic as a gale and rough seas, I like the smell after it's rained, I enjoy a good thunderstorm, the sunny mornings before everyone else is up are beautiful, the crisp cold and frosty mornings where my breath forms clouds excites me.

Nature calms and fascinates me too. I live on the edge of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, from my garden I see fields and the English Channel. (The nearest land from my back garden is South America!)

Thanks to the reserve I get all sorts of wildlife; foxes, badgers and deer can easily be spotted. I'm on a major migration route so we get lots of visiting birds, at the moment the Swallows are particularly busy, collecting insects for all they're worth. 

One thing I notice there are much less of lately are the butterflies. We get blow-ins, but the numbers of native butterflies are significantly down from my observations of previous years. Our Budleia was barely visited this year, just the odd Cabbage White.  This weekend is the Great Butterfly Count, I fear that I won't have much to report.

I've just started growing my own vegetables.  Watching the seeds sprout, then the plants grow, flower and fruit has been a lovely way to mark time's passing, as well as giving me great satisfaction when I can pick and eat it. As well as enjoying the fruits of my labours, I've got a new appreciation for the mini-beasts in my garden, though I wasn't impressed when the slugs got my caulliflower seedlings!  

All of the things I've mentioned here are part of what helps to keep me sane (though some would argue with me on the sanity issue!) I may not be able to do as many active things as I once did, but to have these wonders on my back step makes the enforced inactivity weigh less heavily.  

What helps you get through your day?