This afternoon I headed out with the intention of finding a flat-ish portion of the forest and lying down with a book to read.
I found the perfect spot: flat, soft grass and undergrowth and medium-height trees all around. It was just off the path yet also a bit secluded and just beckoned for me to put my blanket down. This I did, and as I lay down on the blanket I realised that I should have done this a long time ago: at eye level I quickly spotted a firefly, a tiny green caterpillar and lots of little orange spider-babies or mites. What a joy!
I feel inspired to re-appreciate nature by the book I am currently reading, it's the German biography of a significant French entomologist, Jean-Henri Faber: "Ich aber erforsche das Leben" (But I will study life). I am so enjoying reading it and the accompanying realisation of how much I, too, love nature and observing it!
I lay on the blanket for about an hour, reading, and looking up at the blue sky, the trees and shrubs all around and just enjoying the stillness of the forest, interrupted only by the odd bird call. If there is a place called heaven, and it is as idyllic as it is made out to be, my section of heaven would be just that: lying on a blanket, reading a book with blue sky above and living nature all around.
