The joys of writing outdoors by Joan of Green Pastures Christian Writers

‘Grandma, it's a tree tunnel’ said one of my five-year-old twin granddaughters, with great excitement, during a road trip to the coast. She is a teenager now and probably doesn't even remember saying it (and which of the two little girls said it first is still a mystery…), but I remember it well and with great affection.

I find that being out in nature is where my mind can wander away from the day-to-day grind of my quite difficult life circumstances. A few years ago, I felt that in order to settle in our new home, I needed to plant a garden. Little did I know that our circumstances would change so much that I would spend a lot of time in my garden as my activities are now very restricted. Each morning offers a brief peaceful time enjoying the cool air, the perfume of lavender and mint, and appreciating the bountiful colour of my pots of roses, geraniums, petunias and marigolds. 

Here, in God’s beautiful creation, I can feel the inspiration to write – even if only a few words.

Here is where my mind finds peace. 

Getting back to my tree tunnel, now, every time I drive through an archway of trees, I hear that passionate little voice and enjoy nature at its most magnificent. When the sun is at its highest and brightest, as it has been so much recently, the shade proffered is welcome and protective. Glimmers of light trickle through, making some leaves glow; light-dappled branches providing natural walls each side of the road. Different hues of green from assorted textures extend upwards like cathedral walls meeting at the pinnacle of the arch. The cool, darkened road in front of me is hatched with shafts of light like a zebra crossing. Once I’ve entered one of these stunning, natural tunnels, I don't want it to end but to continue on and on and on... I appreciate the shade and respite it offers from the intense heat. Like my garden, it inspires me to write about what I see.

I hope my young ladies will, one day, remember their revelation and equally enjoy the beauty that they so cleverly observed and pointed out to me. When they reach the equivalent of my elderly years who knows how much more they will appreciate and need that shade of a tunnel or the beauty of their own gardens as our planet continues to warm?