I wake to feel a coiled knot residing in my mind
This twisted mental muscle first refuses to unwind
But gentle massage by the breeze, by birdsong, fruits and flowers
Renews me and restores me in the magic morning hours.
You are walking through a sleepy seaside town, slowly ascending a hill lined with parked cars on your way to a nature reserve. Halting briefly at the entrance, you look up to take in the majesty of two tall oak pillars marking its entrance. Treading desiccated bark chip paths, you ascend further through the woods past thick white patches of Cow Parsley and Ramsons. Inhaling through your nose, you notice the scent of the latter no longer hangs so thickly in the air, they must be going over.
Next, you arm yourself with a pair of binoculars at the Learning Centre before continuing your journey. To your left you hear House Sparrows calling from beneath the lip of the roof, while further in the distance a Chiffchaff is singing. Peeking over the fence into the Wildlife Area you smile as you admire the gently swaying forest of Ox Eye Daisies that have sprung up.
On impulse you make an about turn and walk down the tarmac lined path to the Lighthouse. A stirring in the Wild Clematis to your right draws your eye and you watch a Yellowhammer emerge and alight on a Hawthorn. Pausing to rest and admire, you listen to it sing a few bars of its famous song. Looking more closely at its markings, you see that it is a male.
Descending further you smile again at the rich display of flowers the landscape has brought forth. Sinister yellow-purple shades of Woody Nightshade mingle with the comforting, homely hues of Honeysuckle. Yellow Rattle and Crosswort rise from the soil beside vast swathes of Kidney Vetch. To your left, the cherry sized baby fruits of a Wild Apple swell steadily under the nurturing sun. It feels good to be in this place, with the calmness seeping into your mind and body every second you remain here.
Reaching the coast you meet a light breeze that tussles your hair and brings the sounds of Rock Pipits to your ears. The sun is growing in power, its slightly more than gentle rays balanced by the cool flow of air around you. At the bottom of the Gulley you notice a patch of Charlock that until now has evaded your attention. As you ascend the opposite slope you ponder whether it is new growth or has merely gone unnoticed till this moment.