
Nature is a great healer and it’s been a constant source of happiness and calm for me throughout my whole life. Like so many people I use nature to try and keep the equilibrium that we need in this modern life.
Nothing can cleanse my soul like the natural world does.
Throughout my life I have had a keen interest in the natural world and my hobbies and interests usual involve the outdoors in one capacity or another. Often those forays are directly related to nature.
I have many interests which I have followed with varying degrees of obsessiveness over the years including fishing, hiking, photography, metal detecting, fishkeeping, gardening, DIY, model making etc. The list goes on . Many of these activities allow me to connect with nature which has helped me many times over the years.
Health
Like so many people these days, I have battled with my mental health for many years and sometimes the battle has felt futile almost causing me to give up entirely. But the love of my family and the calming influence of those natural spaces around me are what keeps me going.
My health in general has been problematic over the last few years and this culminated in a cancer diagnosis in January 2023. I thought I would just fall apart during that time but my resilience surprised everyone though it surprised no-one more than myself. Spending time feeding and watching the birds in my garden helped me through that time and as an added bonus we started feeding a family of hedgehogs too.
Sharing is caring
Over the years I have learnt quite a bit about nature, mostly that which surrounds us in the British Isles, half the time I can’t remember the stuff I’ve learnt but when I do, I love to share it with those around me, particularly my wife and children. Sometimes they aren’t impressed but mostly they pacify me with feigned enthusiasm and sometimes that enthusiasm is genuine.
As a family we often like to take trips out in the day van to picnic and on the way home in the evening we like to see how many hares we can spot (57 in one evening) and any other species for that matter. We also like to set the moth trap in the back garden, review the bird and hedgehog cameras and we just love it when the frogs and newts return to the pond.
Why the blog?
Despite my love of sharing these experiences, being an introvert means that I don’t like to share outside this small circle. It is something that I would love to do but I don’t have the courage to do it face to face. Being outside comfort zone, I worry that it might take away some of the joy that nature brings me.
Blogging seems like the ideal solution. It allows me to share but on my terms and at a distance. It also allows me to link up with my Youtube and Instagram presence and connect it all together.
The Future
One thing I learnt last year after cancer is that you never know what’s coming and that has made me realise that I need to stop procrastinating and make the most of each and every moment. That is difficult when you are battling with health problems but there are always ways we can connect with nature no matter what our circumstances are.
My intentions are to make sure that I spend as much time connected to the natural world as possible, whether that is through walking, watching wildlife, fishing or any other means possible. I want to share these experiences and knowledge with as many of you as possible too and hopefully I can learn new things along the way.
I’d love it if you could join me in this journey so please subscribe to my Youtube and Instagram channels and don’t forget to check in regularly for updates.
Kieran