Lie back, relax and let the world go by!

And into the forest I must go to lose my mind and find my soul……….

This is my church, this is where I get spiritual relief and reenergise my soul. There’s no alter, no iconography, no priest and no dogma.

There’s just you, the sky, the river, the trees and the gentle sounds of nature. There really doesn’t need to be anything else does there?

After yesterday’s sojourn to Glastonbury (such an awesome place, if you haven’t visited the town you really should) Mary and I decided that we would go over to our favourite little spot on the forest near home, have a cup of tea and chill out in the hammocks.

Well the chilling out in the hammocks happened but the cup of tea didn’t. I set the stove up and just as the water came to the boil the stove toppled over! Schoolboy error on my part as I didn’t ensure that the ground was level before I started – oops!

I also wanted to test out my new underquilt, and I have to report that it works brilliantly. I was lying in my hammock and was as comfortable as could be. Really warm and no cold underside.

Just circling back to Glastonbury yesterday, we saw the most optimistic people ever. There in the town square of one of the most alternate belief towns imaginable was a pair of Jehovah’s Witnesses!  To be honest I quite admired them, I don’t think they were going to get any converts but there they proudly stood next to their billboard. Fair play!

Anyway, back to today. After the slight mishap with the stove Mary and I just lay back in our hammocks and let the world pass us by. It wasn’t long until sleep washed over both of us and the tranquillity of our glade was rent with snores! From both of us. We both took turns waking ourselves up with snorts of surprise.

One thing we did discover this morning is how loud the drone of a hoverfly is. When you just wake up in a hammock and do nothing but lie there and there isn’t any sound but the hum of their wings it’s incredible. To begin with you wonder what the sound is, but then you start to tune in and focus your eyes beyond the mosquito net and realise there is an aerial ballet taking place over your head.

The other great thing about lying quietly in a hammock is that you’re unobtrusive to the wildlife around you. Because of this I had the privilege of watching a goldcrest flitting from branch to branch in search of food; such a treat.

Soon enough it was time for us to pack the kit away and stroll back home to carry on with our relaxing day.

If you are in any doubt about what to do to clear your head and relax grab a hammock, head to the woods, string it up, lay back and watch the world go by!