Getting the shift.
The first time I saw a blooming field of rapeseed in contrast with a clear blue sky on a sweltering Summer's day, I gasped for breath. I wasn't running or power walking. The gasp of breath was me needing a moment to deal with the beauty of the vision laid out in front of me. I was walking the rolling hills and dales of the countryside in Vlaams Brabant, the area of Belgium I grew up in. The bright yellow of the rapeseed and the clear blue of the sky were perfectly interrupted in the middle by some leafy green trees on the horizon. It was as if Monet or Van Gogh had set the scene and I was witnessing their finished canvas. I just stood there and cried. The beauty was too much for me to deal with. That was the day I fell truly in love with nature. Shauna is a black and white Collie who loves to fetch a ball and then get chased. She is still under 3 and possesses boundless energy. 1.5 hours is the minimum walk required at lunchtime. We often go to a nearby park in South Dublin...