I breathe a sigh of relief, it’s finally March! One of my favourite months in the year for the change of scenery – more daylight hours, blooming flowers and more audible birds. A different landscape outside really affects our mood and morale, both of which come in handy.
We’ve made it through the long, hard winter months and now it’s easier to get out and about and enjoy the fresh air. I hope you’ve been keeping well and doing all you can to take your mind off your worries and stresses. I’ve been enjoying more cycling in Northumberland and I’ve been seeing and feeling the benefits – regular sleep patterns, better concentration, lighter moods, the list is endless! If this isn’t to your taste then I’ve also realised how walking is by far the most underused and overlooked form of exercise out there, plus you can easily bump into friendly faces if you’re out near where you live.
In this issue I wanted to spread some positive messages and reminders about staying connected and making the most of what we have around us. So cast your mind back to the autumn months and realise how far we’ve come and been able to cope with the trauma, anxiety and stress of our current climate. Everyone has been affected relative to their own lives, in some it may have been seemingly small lifestyle changes and in others it may have been much more impactful. Either or, I hope you can relate to this somehow and know that those experiences are relative to you and therefore it’s important to reach out to others, no matter how ‘badly’ you think they’ve been affected. The truth being that we’ve all been affected, and that we can draw on each other for support.
With all the restricted travel that’s also been going on and naturally us all making an effort to get outdoors locally more, I’ve noticed how lucky we are to live with such beautiful scenery. The Northumberland countryside is very accessible and also the coastline, both at the same time. Which has left me wondering how many other places in England are in the countryside whilst being so close to the beach? For that we can be thankful for and I’m sure it’s not until we’re without it that we realise how privileged we are to have it.
I do hope that because of this, travel and holidays within England and the UK will be used not just this summer (when we are still unsure if international travel will be permitted) but also in many summers to come. Many will be desperate for some Mediterranean sunshine, (and in fairness, so am I!) but staycations, as I think they’re now called, are a really great alternative. I imagine I’m doing a good job in selling Northumberland to anyone who’s thinking about booking!
My family used to have a caravan in North Berwick, just over the border, for some years. And being indoors so much recently has made me realise how many weekends we spent there when I was younger. We were surrounded by the beach and the peaceful town where we’d walk to the high street and spend the morning noseying around the shops, then the afternoon on the beach or at a cafe. My Dad would say to me, ‘there’s no need for us to get a dog, we’ve got you!’, so you can imagine how much I loved running recklessly along the beach and flying down the streets on my scooter. That was until we actually got a dog – and then there was two of us running like a headless chicken along the beach.
I hope you can all in some way use nostalgia to help take yourself to a happier place and remind yourself of good times – I’m sure good times are not far down the line.
Let’s hope this summer can be a happy and comforting time and can also be the start of something new and exciting to look forward to.