LISTEN TO A BABBLING BROOK AND HEAR A SONG

One of the best things about living in Wolverhampton is that it straddles the city and the beautiful countryside. If I walk fifteen minutes in one direction, I'm in urban heaven. Ten minutes in the other direction, I'm in the heart of rural Shropshire.

The heatwave madness of Wednesday calmed to an ideal 26 degrees, so I decided to spend the day reading in the cemetery. I find them so peaceful - a perfect place to enjoy a good book. I decided to do some exploring instead, and walked along the abandoned railway.

The railway was once used for goods trains, but closed down in the mid-sixties. The railway path itself is lovely, but if you're ever in Wolverhampton, I recommend you use it as a guideline only. If you wander off-path, you'll find yourself taking in brooks, canals, wildflowers, fields, nature reserves, and woodland.

Backpack essentials:

- Snacks (almonds, walnuts, strawberries, banana oat cakes)

- Water

- Book 

- Journal

- Pen

- Camera
- Sunglasses

It was nice to take out my earphones and enjoy the sounds of mother nature. Reeds of grass rustling in the wind. Insects calling to each other. The babbling of the brook.

I love the muted lavender/pink colour of this dress, and it's so light and airy. It's a recent charity shop find. I can't recommend charity shopping enough. Here's why:

1. It's light on your pocket.

2. You're helping out a charity.

3. It's much better for the environment, for two reasons

    a) It reduces waste going to landfill.

    b) It reduces the demand for fast fashion.

4. You're not buying into capitalism.

5. By buying leather secondhand, you're not funding this cruel industry.

6. You can (and will) discover quirky things you'd never find in a mainstream shop.

Couldn't you just imagine fairies sleeping in these?

Living on a narrowboat has always been a dream of mine. There are quite a few on the canal. Wouldn't it be lovely to float all the time? I'd also love to live in a motorhome. I did quite a bit of travelling around in my step-grandad's last summer, which was lovely.

Once I'd gotten home and eaten a delicious vegan dinner, I sat outside for a while and finally started reading that book! But the second my bare feet touched the grass, I found myself running and twirling like a crazy person.

There's just something nice about feeling the grass beneath your feet, isn't there? And I much prefer this style of photograph to a stationary posed one - if only because I'm so bad at it! I like just being in my element and seeing what happens.

 

details:
dress - charity shop
kimono - gift (old)
sandals - monsoon (old)

title lyric: In a World of my Own - Kathryn Beaumont