Wintering - A Connect with Nature Winter Walk: Thursday 18th at 2pm

Join the Friends of St Ann's Green Spaces (stAGS) in the final nature walk of this season on the theme of preparing for winter. 

In the last walk, which was on Diwali, we revelled in the vibrant colours of the leaves on the trees and collected yellow ones to create mini mandalas on the Nature Table. We also looked hard for the tiny things that are often overlooked, like plant galls, tiny fungi in the grass and lichens. 

As we had just celebrated Halloween, we focused on the invertebrates that don't always get a lot of love despite their vital roles in the ecosystem: "Villains" like the wasp and the spider and the "ewww" creatures like snails, slugs and worms. I love them all (and if you don't find the shell of the Cepaea snails beautiful, well, there's no hope for you).

This week, our thoughts are turning to Winter.

We will examine what different creatures do to prepare for winter and look at how trees and plants ready themselves for the cold and darkness.

As always, we will also consider what we can learn from nature about making our own preparations for winter and discuss what we like best about the dark-half of the year.

As a special treat for this final session, we welcome Sara, a Qigong practitioner who, after the walk, will guide us through some simple exercises. All of the gentle movements she will introduce us to can be done sitting , standing -- and even can be done at home in bed.

Qigong combines breathing, visualisation, meditation or mindfulness and also teaches seasonal awareness. The exercises can help to improve circulation, with keeping warm and building our inner resources to survive and thrive in the winter months

We shall also have a go at hygge, the Danish art of creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people, with lights, candles and chocolate to end the session

Bring candles, lights and wear your cosiest jumpers!

We begin at 2pm, meeting at the Mulberry Tree (through the main gates to the Peace Garden Lawn) for the walk.

Bring binoculars to spot birds if you wish, but the main thing is to enjoy a walk outside, a little easy nature study and some refreshments in Mayfield House around the Nature Table.

We walk slowly and can accommodate wheelchairs, prams, and those with limited mobility. Under 5s are very welcome (and Good Dogs on leads) as we usually collect things as we walk, a practice we encourage in all ages

Those with some knowledge, no knowledge or lots of knowledge of the natural world are equally welcome as the walks are collaborative, pooling our skills to share with others.