We saw the first frost last week and as the outside temperature dropped and the inside temperature warmed, I felt an overwhelming urge to be outdoors. It was more than my usual desire for a morning run; I felt the need to be expansive, to look up at a big sky, to drink in the cold air, to walk, to stride out, to be in the world. I needed to move, to get a sense of space, to feel the possibilities.
And that's unusual for me, I always prefer to be inside. I like to look at the sky, to see the view, but I can look through the windows anytime, so I've been trying to make sense of this sudden need to be outside.
I think it's to do with movement. I don't like to be contained, to be still, to be restricted, so perhaps the first frost signalled the onset of winter, of ice and snow, slippery underfoot, difficult driving conditions, cancelled trains, severe weather warnings, don't go out unless it's absolutely necessary. It's not that I don't like cold weather, I do, and I love snow, I think it's the prospect of a world of limitations, the sense of dread, the lack of movement. I think I need a landscape full of possibilities, physically and emotionally. One of my favourite sayings is "I'm better when I move", maybe I've just fully understood what I mean!
The photo shows a birch tree on Hythe foreshore and perfectly demonstrates a world of possibilities; the beautiful tree, the blue sky, the water, the red funnel of the cruise ship Queen Mary 2 in the distance and, beyond that, the city of Southampton. A still picture of a moving landscape.
Click on the link to see a big close up of the birch tree.
