Experiencing the Summer

(spoken by Nimue, scribed by James)

One of the stranger losses this year has been the colour green. I can see green things close to me, but not when they’re further away. as a consequence landscapes now look like blurry black and white photos. This is quite weird, and emotionally impactful. On the druid front I’ve experienced the loss of green impacting on my sense of connection with the land and my relationship with trees. I’m hopeful that this will change, but it is making the summer really odd.

I can’t see the swifts. Fortunately, I can hear the enthusiastic shrieks of these wonderful summer migrants. I can’t see the house martins either, but I can hear them around their nests. Dragonflies are sadly invisible, but I can see butterflies, most especially cabbage whites. In the past I would have considered cabbage whites to be the least interesting butterfly, as they are common and not that exciting. However, as they are white, they are now the easiest butterfly for me to see, and have become a joy as a consequence. It’s funny how experience has changed my perspective about these and other creatures.

I can see something of the plant growth, at least the height of it. Some flowers are visible, but smaller ones are not. It’s a strange mix of presence and absence. I’m focussing on what I can connect with and that will have to do. I’m advantaged by the depth and breadth of experience I have to draw on, and once again, find myself glad of the work of previous years. My limited perceptions can be made best use of thanks to the knowledge I already have. You never know what might turn out to be an advantage!