A knee injury won't stop me
Normally I'm running about the reserve, fixing fences, cross-cutting wood, building nest boxes the list goes on. I almost never sit still. However, for the last couple of weeks this has not been the case. A knee injury has left me predominantly stuck indoors and forced to rest.
This has been and will continue to be a challenge, but it's also given me the opportunity to slow down and take in the tiny details that I often fail to observe.
When I walk (or more accurately for the time being hobble) along the paths, I’m noticing the moss which covers tree branches giving them an almost feathered appearance, how water droplets cling to the tips of thorns and leaves hang limp in the rain. These miniature worlds capture my attention and I question how I was ever able to overlook them.
By living on the reserve, even my time stuck indoors back at the cottage has been spent observing tree sparrows from my window. They flutter between bird feeders and neighbouring bushes and is something I haven’t had the patience or time to do before. The slightest unanticipated noise causes them to dash for cover. Watching a determined house sparrow try to enter a box despite not being the right size and the excitement in seeing a tree sparrow pair checking out a box were highlights of my time off.
I’m glad to be back working on the reserve but still can’t dash around as normal, perhaps a blessing in disguise as I’m slowly becoming more observant! More than anything this time has allowed me to appreciate nature even more than before. The now limited time I'm spending outdoors reinforces how nature provides mental clarity and happiness which I don't particularly find anywhere else.
Words and pictures by Ed (Emily) Dixon
