Write Away and #Springnaturediary: What a difference a year makes

Next door's Magnolia tree

Last year I took part in the first #springnaturediary, an Arts and Humanities Research Council project which is also taking contributions this year. I'm chuffed last year's diary made the final cut and can be read as part of an illustrated booklet.

Now the world has changed for us all and it's useful to mark these strange times with another entry for this year's diary. Read on and you'll see everything has changed for me in another significant way. NAH had a heart attack on our wedding anniversary in early March and against the background of the looming Coronavirus pandemic - declared as such the day after on my birthday - I wanted to record a moment in our increasingly shrinking world.

Thankfully NAH's home now and started on the slow road to recovery. It was obvious the hospital was beginning to make preparations for the pandemic whilst he was there. All that can't be squeezed into a 150 word entry which focuses on the vernal equinox, but there is a snippet which forms a clear memory of that time and day. Sadly I don't have a photo of the huge picture window which was by NAH's bedside. It filled the entire view and was an amazing window on the outside world, and we learned later it was also one where everyone could see in! Instead I've chosen some views from our garden taken on the same day before I brought NAH home.



Daffodil 'St Patrick's Day'

#springnaturediary 2020...

What a difference a year makes.

Today I'm viewing spring through a huge goldfish bowl of a window, waiting for my husband's discharge from Bristol's Heart Institute. He's been here ten days and even nature-adverse he appreciates the sight of a thin ribbon of greenery along the public footpath, instead of the dull concrete view throughout most of the hospital.

Today the daffodils are dancing in the hazy sunshine slanting through the trees. They're a welcome sight after what seems like six months of unrelenting rain. Glancing up the cobbled hill we notice there's a faint fuzz of green. It's stronger where it lines the road, with a fainter central path tracing between the shiny tramlines worn by passing cars.

Today it serves as a reminder in these uncertain times that nature is stronger than we are. It lies curled in readiness to pounce and recapture what we've conquered and paved, given half a chance.

Magnolia with plane contrail

Have you noticed how much clearer the air is since nearly all the planes stopped and most of of the country came home to work?

The birdsong seems louder and sweeter too.

Comments

  1. Layanee30 March 2020 at 13:16

    Oh Michelle I am so sorry to hear of your husband's health issues. I am happy to hear he is home as the hospital is no place to be these days. Sending you hugs and good wishes and hope that the spring sunshine heals all things!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP6 April 2020 at 10:04

      Thanks Layanee - I guess your trip to the UK is on hold now. Hope all is well with you and yours xxx

      Delete
  2. Sue Garrett30 March 2020 at 13:59

    I hope your husband makes a full recovery. Nature is resilient but maybe iy’s also fighting us too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP6 April 2020 at 10:07

      I've been pondering that quite a bit lately Sue. Nature is certainly benefitting from the reduced air pollution currently and I'm loving the reduced traffic noise and clearer birdsong. I've gone back to James Lovelock's Gaia theory which thinks about the earth as a whole system and how it maintains itself in order to survive. Perhaps this is one of those moments?

      Delete
  3. Flighty30 March 2020 at 17:09

    My sympathies re NAH, and hope he gets well soon. Lovely pictures.
    Take care. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP6 April 2020 at 10:09

      Thanks Flighty, it's been quite a shock as you can imagine. In some ways we haven't quite processed it properly because of the current situation. It means NAH won't quite have the same cardiac rehab as normal and I hope that doesn't store up problems for the future. I'm sure many others e.g. cancer sufferers have similar concerns, but we're still here and that's the main thing :)

      Delete
  4. JAG30 March 2020 at 19:29

    Ooof, that's a lot of things throwing life for a loop at the same time. My husband had a heart attack a few years ago, but is doing well now. I well remember the anxiety and worry around it and recovery. I hope you can manage the recovery process easily with the various pandemic issues. But I'm sure they also handle recovery differently in the US compared to the UK. My thoughts are with you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP6 April 2020 at 10:11

      Hi JAG, thanks for the good wishes. NAH's recovering well and fingers crossed the pandemic doesn't interfere too much with that. It's good to hear your husband has come out on the other side and is doing well - I need to hold onto that.

      Delete
  5. Diana Studer30 March 2020 at 23:24

    My husband also had a 'silent' heart attack. Now running laps around the garden as we are in lockdown.
    Wishing yours a quick recovery, with the support you need.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP6 April 2020 at 10:12

      Fingers crossed we can continue to go out for walks - laps round our garden would be extremely short! Glad to hear of another heart attack survivor :)

      Delete
  6. Anna31 March 2020 at 21:03

    I hope that NAH heals well and is soon on the road to recovery. I smiled at your description of him as "nature-adverse". I'm sure that he is not really 😄 A nasty shock for you too so take care and make sure that you stroke those cats at regular intervals ((((())))

    P.S. We have certainly noticed how much quieter the busy main road outside our house is. It also most eerie not to see or hear the planes flying above us either arriving at or leaving Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP6 April 2020 at 10:13

      Perhaps walk-averse would be a better description Anna! The cats have been a real boon for these strange times. We still get an occasional plane overhead and it's something to remark on these days when it happens.

      Delete

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