A spread of brilliant red poppies. A row of beautiful tall lime trees, and a clattering of jackdaws. The lockdown has restricted our time beyond our homes, but I am extremely lucky to have a small garden, and a common in walking distance. Each morning of lockdown, my daughter and I have taken a trip to the common to lap up the sunshine and see the ducks and geese that congregate and wait for the daily trickle of families that will visit to feed them over the course of the day. My daughter herself will excitedly throw a handful of bird seed as we stop by the pond.
We’ve been treated to some beautiful sunshine for the majority of the lockdown, and it’s been a joy to watch my daughter pick up new words about the wildlife around her. Normally at this time in the year our weekends would be spent travelling off to a local park or gardens to enjoy the change of scenery and the outdoors. Having to just enjoy the more immediate space around us though has come with benefits – it has made me focus on the smaller changes, which in turn I bring to my daughter’s attention. Time spent running our hands over a new type of long grass on one section of the common, or stopping to look up close at smaller flowers we might otherwise miss, has brought variety, interest and appreciation to our local walk.
Equally time in the garden has run at a slower, calmer pace, with a new appreciation and gratitude for having our own space to escape to. Sitting with my daughter watching a kite soar above the cluster of our little garden and others, and listening to the starlings flittering from one roof to another, was utterly peaceful. The lockdown may have brought less time for myself, with work and study and childcare, but, some of the ways in which it’s meant I share time with my daughter, has brought a helpful reminder of the immediate environment around us, and what we can absorb, enjoy and fine peace from.
About the author
Rose Leek is a paid blogger for CLL.
I work in a University Employability & Careers Centre, as part of a Placements team, and am studying the Postgraduate Diploma in Careers Education, Information and Guidance in Higher Education (CEIGHE). I live with my daughter, husband, and two moggies. When not juggling work, home or study, I enjoy walks, cycling, and time outdoors, and starting (and someday finishing) various craft projects.
Lifelong Learning at Warwick 