Maybe it’s having been born near a tidal estuary but I’ve always been drawn to the quiet beauty and constant movement to be found where a river meets the sea and the tide changes the landscape endlessly.

The water’s passage across the land etches rivulets and hazardous boggy patches to catch the unwary, but gives life to tiny plants which thrive despite the challenging conditions.

This is the Severn Estuary, which, as well as being close to my birthplace, featured for several years in my past as the one I travelled over when I lived for nearly a decade in Wales. Traveling back from Norfolk having visited my parents, we always seem to arrive at the Severn Bridge at low tide as the sun was going down and the mud was shining deceptively pink and gold, disguising it’s treacherous nature.

It’s all such a metaphor for life. The unforeseen pitfalls, the boggy patches, the unexpected glimpses of beauty and joy, the deceptive shine on the underlying sludge and slime.

Being away from home is giving me time to reflect. Life has been tricky health wise, both mentally and physically. Always in the back of my mind is the thought that I need to be here, writing. The frenetic pace of social media is too much. Compete or fail. I want to create and share on my own terms, without being bogged down with SEO and adverts.  That’s how I started  and the impetus it gave to my creativity and the happiness I found in connecting with others gave so much meaning to my life.

I don’t want to make money.  I just want creativity and connection with people who want to look past the turmoil of the world as it is now to find the joy in the little things which still surround us. 

Like happy dachshunds ?