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Have long been aware that with a house in London, a back garden and a view of Epping Forest from the window that we are very much how the other half live. And appreciate more than ever that we have an upstairs, and we have an outside from both the front and back doors.
One thing that in lockdown is discovering more how we interact with these spaces in different ways. The back garden is where Catherine goes to grow things, ferrying things from her nursery in the porch to outside to turn into food, ideally for us but also the robbing squirrel.
For me it's somewhere to sit and listen (maybe heard a nightingale the other evening). It's where I go to do my favourite cooking, picking herbs for the barbecue and maybe nicking a raspberry or two in passing.
We've also spent more time in Hollow Ponds together than usual. For me it's somewhere I cycle past most mornings and evenings on my commute. I'm always fascinated by the light and the shapes. Autumn is my favourite time, when I'm tend more to stop for a few minutes and just look.
Wandering through with Catherine in late spring and early summer I get to see a different side. We pick a route that goes past her favourite apple trees, the patches that are best for blackberrying, the pockets elderflower and so on.
None of these areas are new, and we've wandered them many times before. Just not so frequently, or at least not as often together at this time of year. It's these little things and tiny connections that are making this all more bearable. I really am very lucky.
Anyway, this pointless little ramble through my mind was inspired by this week's of the Stubborn Light of Things by @M_Z_Harrison. Care of these little patches of Earth means more than ever, and this is a perfect little wander through some hows and whys. https://open.spotify.com/episode/4RcFyeMxUNQi4YgOIcuW0T?si=BR0pPMxzTm-O8IWJK9BJRA
