Journal — 100 Days Outside

The high moor of Dartmoor is open and empty and bleak. In winter, the wind roars its terrible roars. Along my route, the gullies are sometimes walkways and sometimes rivulets. Boggy areas expand and contract according to how much rain has fallen. The only thing that runs in a hard line are the roads and fences, but the gnashing of time has made even those hard lines less rigid than they once were. Your prompts for this week Monday If your walk is paved, are there places where the single surface breaks up? Perhaps between the paving slabs, or where...

In science, we like to make up rules and categories. We then turn these into classification systems. (I find it relaxing to sort things.) When you look at the natural world, do you find yourself noticing differences or similarities? Or perhaps you simply enjoy the view? When I started on my dailyish walking, I intentionally chose to follow the same route. The sameness of it allowed me to start seeing the patterns and similarities, which equally helped me to see what was different and out of place. Your prompts for this week Monday If there are still leaves on the...

I'm a ground watcher. The long view is enforced when I'm navigating by compass, but my natural state is to notice what's just a few feet away. You'd think with this short-sighted preference that I'd be a great gardener. Mostly, I seem to excel at growing slugs. Your prompts for this week Monday What's below your feet? How does it fare as the weather turns toward winter? Is it slippery, yet? What is it made of? What is its texture? Tuesday What sound does the ground make? What sound do your feet make? Wednesday What can you make from what's...

My favourite morning on Dartmoor is one where the cloud is hanging so low that I'm actually inside it. Like a hug from nature as I head out into the world. Being inside a cloud is somehow different from fog, but fog is a close approximation. In summer, the clouds are made and remade continually, but winter clouds are without shape. Grey as far as the eye can see. Your prompts for this week Monday What colour is the sky today? Specifically. Pretend you work for Farrow and Ball. What would you name the colour of today's sky? Tuesday If...