Today’s Pictures: 3 Nov 20

On By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Nature, Photography

7 kilometres walked this morning (about 4 and a half miles) and we met just one other couple and saw 3 others at a distance. From Thursday of this week, the forest will be open only to local people, as England goes into a month-long lockdown. So our walks will remain local and we’ll meet even fewer people.

Today, we revisited the first path we ever walked here. That was on a day during the break we took to find a house to move to. At the time, we never realised, as we trod that path, that we would eventually move into a house only a mile and a half from that very track. It was lovely to revisit it and revive old memories. I hope the pictures bring you some joy.

If you’re visiting this blog, please be generous to those who can’t escape their own four walls at present, and share this post widely with them on social media, so they can enjoy it. It will also reach more people and hopefully remind them what a wonderful place this world is. Perhaps that might help restore some love and respect for nature and slow down our destructive urge to ruin the environment. Thank you.

23 thoughts on “Today’s Pictures: 3 Nov 20”

  2. Pingback: Today’s Pictures: 3 Nov 20 | In the Net! – Stories of Life and Narcissistic Survival

  3. Great pictures Stuart and such a sweet story. I am so sorry about your lockdown my friend. Things are bad here too. Was in Raleigh downtown today and they were boarding everything up. Please take good care of Yourself and Valeria. I hope and pray that we will have a new President and Biden will be a man of his word. Be safe my friends. Love to you both. 🤗❤️💕

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    1. Thanks, Joni. You and Scott stay safe. I fear things may get pretty difficult in US for the next few days as the moronic Trump risks the lives of others in ordeer to stay ina position he should never have attained. Let’s hope, against the odds, that common sense prevails.

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      1. We will thank you. I did have an appointment yesterday in Raleigh and they were already boarded things up. We are concerned as we live in NC and although we love the beautiful land here we will likely be moving to someplace more liberal. After living in WA state we were shocked at so many things that have not changed since I was a little girl living here. Love to you both. 🤗💕❤️

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        1. I fear for democracy in the US at present, Joni. And I notice the Trump gang have used the election furore to bury news of the fact that today they have formally left the Paris Climate Agreement. I wonder how all those voters will feel when they suffer more extremes of weather as a result of the growing climate emergency.
          Keep safe and well.

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          1. I will my friends. We are being careful. We have been donating and getting our house slowly ready to sale. We don’t need much stuff. We will only move things that have sentimental value. We don’t need as much space either. We just need each other. We hope to find a mountain cabin in a more liberal environment. You and Valerie take care. By the way our contribution to the Paris Climate Agreement was substantial. It is embarrassing. I am grateful for the two of you living in a lovely paradise. Hugs 🤗 Joni

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            1. You sound as though you’re in the same camp as us, Joni. We’re definitely not consumers. Things have little hold on us, and we hate shopping. In fact, if we didn’t have to eat and put clothes over our skin, we would probably not set foot in a shop!
              Hope your proposes move goes well and you find somewhere both welcoming and beautiful.

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    1. Thanks, Lynette. The lockdown will make little real difference to us here. It makes shopping for essentials a little more tedious, and means the couple of places we were able to visit for occasional meals out will have to close. But in most ways we’re better off than most under the current circumstances. Retired, we don’t have to worry about negative effects on our income, or whether our jobs will survive, and with our only daughter out of the country and grown up, we don’t have the issues surrounding the schools being open here. And we’ve no elderly relatives in residential homes at risk of lonely death due to visiting restrictions. So, all in all, we’re doing quite well. And we can keep our sanity by having our daily walks; a real benefit.
      And I’l keep sharing the pictures. It’s the least I can do!

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      1. In my little part of the world (well, NWT is geographically very large, much bigger than most nations) there’s no in and out as we’re in a “bubble.” There has been very little covid (a total of 8 cases since March and no community spread), so we can move rather freely except that we can’t go to other parts of the country without quarantining. We don’t have school-age children or older relatives either, so no worries there. Covid has generated a lot of extra work for me and I’ve actually increased my staff. There are major hotspots throughout the country though (especially in the cities) and that’s very concerning.
        People seem to be very covid fatigued, and I have to say that I am too. I’ll be happy to have this over with, but I realise that it may be a long haul and we’re going to have to be patient. Your photos are such a good mental ointment.

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        1. Covid fatigue; may well become a recognised ‘syndrome’ soon!
          Our forest walks are spiritually and mentally uplifting, as well as being good for us physically, so we’ll continue those, and the pictures will keep coming until most people are able to move freely again, Lynette.
          Your location may isolate you, but it certainly has advantages in terms of risk of catching this damned thing.
          As you know, we’re very rural, and the southwest of England has the lowest incidence of infection, but it’s rising, and we had another death here in the Forest of Dean yesterday, so we’ll continue to maintain our social distancing.

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          1. I’ve already heard of people getting covid-related stress counselling. Certainly some of those in the medical fields or who have ill family or friends (or have lost them) are going to need counselling.
            Yes, there are definitely safety advantages to being here, but many are experiencing a sense of being trapped; even those who don’t leave all that often. It’s funny how we can react to things.

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            1. Aye, Lynette, the medical staff are true heroes, working long hours in difficult physical situations, and under continuous mental stress. I’m hoping this will increase the respect people have for the various professions, as they deserve real recognition for their sacrifices. And, of course, with ‘long covid’ now recognised, there’ll be many patients needing long-term help, too.
              Those who have lost loved ones to the virus, especially those unable to attend funerals, will also need help.
              I wish those who deny the evidence or engage with conspiracy theories would face the fears that drive such lunacy and stop making the situation worse.

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                1. A typical narcissist, Trump is interested only in Trump. Ironically, the best way to deal with such people is to ignore them; it’s the one thing they can’t deal with. We can but hope, for the good of the world, he is dumped by the electorate, Lynette.

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                  1. Agreed. I was very briefly married (18 months) to a malignant narcissist. I know about the “grey wall;” it is indeed the only way to handle them. Took me a long time to recover financially.

                    I recognised Trump for what he is right away – he frequently reminds me of my ex-narcissist. A completely crazy-making, lying, cheating grifter.

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