Getting To Know Me
And whilst I'm still procrastinating about photographing the new stock that has been arriving over the last week or so, I found a groovy Getting To Know You Day challenge on Create A Connection that's right up my street...
1) What are some of your memories about the "great outdoors?" (games played outside, camping, hiking, bike riding, running in the rain)
I recently wrote one here about my childhood memories of school holidays spent at Belt Croft.
But right at this moment the outdoors memory that springs to mind is the climb towards the summit of Schiehallion a couple of years ago. It was a beautiful day with blue sky and sunshine, and I remember once we left the path for the final ascent (it's a Munro I can use dramatic mountaineering language if I want to!) that the ground was sparkling.
Schiehallion is the Fairy Hill of the Caledonians and I wondered if the fey folk were lighting the path for us as we huffed and puffed upwards. As if the setting wasn't perfect enough, a raven soared silently above my head and sealed the memory with magic. Gemma enjoyed herself too:
Gemma on Schiehallion
2) Do you spend a lot of time in the outdoors, or have you lost touch with nature?
Hmm. Well I don't spend as much time outdoors as I'd like but I definitely haven't lost touch with nature. I only need to step outside and I am communicating with what is going on around me - whether I'm in the city or out on a hill somewhere. Regular readers of my blog probably know this - they will also know that the natural world is sometimes IN MY HOOSE! 
I think I am lucky that the city I live in, Edinburgh, seems to be a haven for the wild things. I mean we have an extinct volcano right in the middle of the city (more than one actually) so what more do you need? I can look out my window and see nature in the gardens and if I walk ten minutes to Lochend Park I can do a bit of heron spotting. I like to think there are pike in that loch but I have no proof other than imagination!
3) What small thing can you do (or are you doing) to ensure that the earth and all it's bounty will be here for future generations?
I treasure it, I write about it, I enjoy it, I share it... I write to Councillors, MSPs and MPs about it. I vote for it. I support organisations who support it. I take care of it. I think about the environmental implications of my decisions. I stand up to greedy tycoons in the name of it. I do what I can.
4) Can you share one or two links that showcase the great outdoors or some way to help heal the earth?
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
CND
Greenpeace
Reduce Reuse Recycle
Eco-Essentials
5) Feel free to share a picture of you in your environment, enjoying the outdoors and just plain having fun.
Here's one of Crow eating Smarties:
Crow eating smarties
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Tags: gemma, getting to know, great outdoors, schiehallion
Posted on July 11, 2007 in Creativity, Memories, Thoughtful.
One Hundred
Crow eating smartes. I don’t know why I think that’s funny, but I do. Thanks for sharing.
Great answers. I love the crow. We used to be “plagued” by crows in the city where I live, but now, they have moved on or the guerrilla tactics of the city won. I miss them.
Ahhhh, Edinburgh! Such a beautiful city, I visited there in June 2003. Just gorgeous!
Love the crow picture
Great answers – great values. I feel inspired… -)