This beautiful spot by the Maas/Meuse feels like a living work of art. Meet mom’s (and Mr. W’s!) garden: Gardens are a curious thing. They take work, and patience, plus good soil and seeds to start from. But the real magic does not happen overnight. It takes time. You have to keep tending to it, regularly,… Read More Mom’s Garden in June

In staying with the theme, below are a few captures of the incredible sunset we got to experience at the start of last May’s DancEscapade weekend in Crete. This one had a heart. Literally. And it brought all of us joy. We were dancing and cheering. Do you recognize that, feeling elated, and even a… Read More Sunset by the Sea

So many things to say about the humble pea. Did you know: Botanically, a pea is a fruit? Etymologically, originally a pea in English was a pease, and peas were peasen? The often-seen-in-gardens sweet pea variation (pictured) is, despite it‘s name, not edible at all? (They are toxic, causing osteolathyrism) Earliest archaeological finds of wild peas… Read More Pease on Earth

One of my favourite things to experience in May in Plakiás, south of Crete, is to walk along the beach in the mornings, and just listen to the water, the wind and the ‘sea-trees’. In spring all of Crete is in bloom. Wild nature and gardens alike. PS: If you want to check out the sea-trees… Read More Sea-trees of Crete

You can’t really see it, but it’s there. In the garden of a dear friend in Crete, an ancient olive tree. I got goosebumps when I walked around it, even before she told me it was very old. I could feel it. In a different part of Crete, an even older olive tree lives –… Read More Ancient Olive Tree

Best things to do when the mind is overfull: Get outside. Kick some leaves. Hug some trees. Run around. Do this. Breathe. Know. Be. Enjoy the moment. Repeat.

One of my favourite tree variations, the copper beech, is right now at it’s most vibrant in colour in Germany. Interestingly, how (or rather why) exactly the change to turning purple is triggered is still a bit of a mystery. This beauty we found in Frömern. What are your favourite trees?

Nothing like a long walk, or jog, or rum – or even a short one! – in a forest to clear my head. As the next best thing, check out this amazing how-to on forest meditation from Chopra.com: https://chopra.com/articles/how-to-practice-qi-gong’s-forest-meditation Enjoy!  

Psithurism. The rustling of leaves in the wind. Derived from the ancient Greek word for a whisper. I didn’t know there was a word for it. But I do know how it feels to hear the sound. Do you?

The ‘oertijdpad’ – a beautiful 9 km forest walk in Lage Vuursche, The Netherlands.