Every once in a while I sit down and observe. I look at what really is around me, doing my best to describe what I see, how I experience my surroundings. It’s relaxing and inspiring.
On a bench on the edge of the Biesbosch. In the distance I hear the noise of all kinds of traffic. Close by a bee is approaching, it shows interest in my water bottle. The bench is under a large, grieving poplar. The trunk of the tree is rough, many cracks run from top to bottom along the tree. Some so deep that I can see the red color of the inside of the bark. A number of mosses and lichens grow on the outer layer.
The tree stands on the edge of an open space that is surrounded by willows and poplars. A cycle path runs right through the space, with cyclists crossing it now and then. I am alone for the rest of the time. That is, if you are talking about other people. Because animal life abounds here. Everywhere around me I hear birds singing. It is a shame that I am bad at recognizing the different species because otherwise I could have told you which birds I hear. I can certainly hear four different kinds of singing. I also see butterflies and other insects flying. It’s a pity that wildlife in the Netherlands is so shy. Because I think there is a lot of other life in the bushes.
Part of the open space has been neatly mowed. The edge is decorated with reeds and a number of pink flowering plants. After a lot of rain in recent days, the sky is clear blue today, only a few planes draw a temporary white line through the sky.
The weather is calm and quiet. When a breeze comes up, the leaves of the poplars rustle. If I think away the noise that we as human beings produce through all those machines and devices, I am in a very peaceful place here.
Moves by Nature 