Shinrin-yoku

The quiet sounds in the woods, the scent of trees and earth, the sunlight playing through the leaves, the fresh air; all these things are comforting and soothing. Being among trees can restore our mood, re-energise us and refresh us, easing our stresses. The Japanese have a name for it: shinrin-yoku, the practice of forest-bathing. I've been doing it a lot since we went into lockdown! I seem to have posted little else on my blog for weeks apart from walks through the woods and along the canal and river. Happily, I have quite a lot of choice about where to walk among trees. The photo above shows an ancient bridleway that snakes down the hillside from Gilstead to the bottom of Shipley Glen, skirting the old Milner Field estate. 

The tree in the picture below is near the top of Shipley Glen. Its lovely arching boughs make you feel really cocooned underneath it. The green leaves spread like a canopy almost down to the ground. 

I noticed this little stand of birches in Trench Meadows SSSI, the silvery trunks being picked up and echoed by the delicate white flowers scattered in the grass. I was too far away to see what the flowers actually were.