I have just finished reading a book by Sarah Challis whose stories I enjoy in which she mentions Yeovil and you might think it a really horrible town - indeed I don't know anyone who ever says Yeovil? How lovely! And yet we are lucky enough to have so many wide verges and so many thousands of daffodils alongside the roads that I think it is actually quite a lovely place to live. Who wouldn't if their walk to town was like mine?
As I walked I pondered on the miracle of the sense of hearing and indeed of sight...
I hardly noticed the sound of traffic thundering along the busy road as my mind was concentrating on the birdsong I could hear.
I didn't notice the ugly road and the traffic because I was thinking about the beauty all around me.
Aren't these tiny blue speedwell (if that is what they are) pretty but only if you take the time to actually see what is around.
Look at this lovely willow tree just beginning to dress itself in pale green leaves.
Even this little corner alongside the roundabout is lovely and my eyes were firmly fixed on the pretty flowers rather than on the ugly buildings and the noisy vehicles.
How pretty and clean these flowers look on a wall I passed.
This lovely old pump is outside the museum and tourist office (although I see that the tourist office is to be moved at the end of the month - what a shame)
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I know my husband who wears hearing aids cannot cut out background noise and even if he could hear the birdsong he would also get all the traffic noise and I was so grateful that my hearing is in fine form and I am able to pick out what I am listening to and block out the rest. The same with eyesight so that I noticed the beauty and the flowers along the route and didn't even see the rest. Aren't the human senses wonderful?!
Our senses are really wonderful, Jane. Looks like you have the same beautiful weather as us today - we even managed to sneak out for coffee on the excuse of going to the local tip! Sunshine is certainly good for the soul - everything looks and smells so fresh (- and our hills look spectacular)
ReplyDeleteYou've done it again Jane! Just hit the spot. I managed to get out for a short walk today and stood in the middle of a meadow listening to a sky lark - I also logged the traffic noise and planes on their way to the airport, but selective hearing menat they receded into the background and I was carried away by bird song.
ReplyDeleteWe take them all so much for granted don't we? Yet, I couldn't imagine what it would be like to ever lose one of them.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you've experienced a beautiful Spring day - hope you had fun at your knitting group too.
You've summed it up perfectly Jane! It is amazing what we have on our doorstep and especially on the side of roads! There was a cookery programme on quite a while ago about what herbs etc you could get on grass verges, it was incredible.
ReplyDeleteIt is always a pleasure to take in the sights and sounds of spring. You have a perfect way of saying what I think! Do come and say hello if you do come to Ilminster on Saturday. It is a delightful town & there is lots to see! xx
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to get a snap shot of behind the scenes at Yeovil. The old trees are gorgeous. There are always little corners of interest and beauty wherever you live.
ReplyDeleteWasn't today gorgeous??? What a lovely walk you must have had seeing all that. I DO love to see a willow tree when it is just becoming green. What a lovely poem in your previous post Jane. Here's hoping we have plenty more sunshine.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these lovely images and your inspiring words. You have very pretty things to look at even among the roads and buildings. Your country is beautiful. Have a lovely day.
ReplyDeleteAnne xx
There's beauty to found everywhere. To find it, sometimes you just have to do what you did today and block out all the not-so-nice stuff!
ReplyDeleteVivienne x
Jane,
ReplyDeleteWith my tinnitus I never experience silence and sometimes I long for it. I could go for a walk and appreciate the bird song etc. Then I can push the whistling to the back of my mind but it always reminds me of how precious our senses are. I wouldn't want to contemplate losing any of them completely. As you know,my Dad came from Yeovil so I'm fond of it and I think you live in a lovely part of the country! Lesley x
You have daffodils out already!! It makes me realise how much further behind we are up here - our snowdrops are still in fine form and our daffs are still in tight bud. We even had a snow shower this morning. You forget sometimes that you live 'up in the hills' even though you can see them outside through your windows!!
ReplyDeleteMy son wore aids for a few years and was permanantly exhausted from all the noise. Your posts always make me think Jane x
ReplyDeleteWe just have to open our eyes to the unremarked things we pass by every day - and blogging helps to do that, I've learned.
ReplyDeletefunny how we take these things, like the senses, for granted when they're not.
ReplyDeletei think it's all a matter of choice: you've chosen to hear the birdsong instead of the traffic and see the beauty instead of the ugliness. i call it 'noticing', picking up the details that make life beautiful!
ps. i wish i were a part of a knit (does crochet count?) and natter group!
I am so grateful to have the 5 senses. I also try to focus on the nice things and blank out the horrible things around me. It is so useful and a blessing to be able to switch on and off to what we want to see and hear. A lovely thought provoking post.
ReplyDeleteIt is fantastic how our senses work, though my sense of smell is now a lot better than before I was pregnant, which is not always a good thing! Lovely flowers, are daffs are a bit behind yours, but hoping they'll be out in full bloom soon! :) x
ReplyDeleteAnother lovely contemplative post Jane. We do take our senses for granted don't we - being able to block out the negatives and concentrate on the beauty we see and hear is something we all do on a subconscious level.
ReplyDeleteYour walk into town is lovely. I always think public places like verges and roadsides look their best in spring with all the daffodils on show.
Love your pretty new header.
Jeanne
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What a good idea, to take your camera with you even when you walk into town! All the Spring flowers look lovely and hopefully Spring is here to stay. We are going to the allotment tomorrow, if the weather improves. There is still so much bramble etc to dig out before planting and we want to get a lot of the really hard work out of the way.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great weekend!
Lucy xxxxxxxxx
We do take our senses for granted - and it's good to stop sometimes and really value them, as you did. You live in a lovely place, I enjoyed your lovely spring photos. Hope you're having a sunny weekend.
ReplyDeleteHelen x
I am so amazed at all the greenery at this time of year in your part of the world. I can sympathize with your husband and his hearing--or lack there of. I have a 30% hearing loss in one ear, and then, up til last summer, had a clogged ear (found out it was wax, but feared it was 'broke' just like the other ear). So difficult to hear someone speaking to you in a crowded room, and so hard to ignore other sounds while straining to hear the one next to you speaking. I can see how easy it is for someone to just give up trying to hear what others are saying and just become a hermit. I am so thankful for my 'renewed' hearing and so very, very, very, thankful for my sight. God has designed a very interesting creation! I thought your walk was lovely, and good for you to appreciate the pretty things and not dwell on the less appealing. Good life philosophy!
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