During my commute into London last week I overheard a conversation where one person complained about the winter and how they were tired of six months of grey skies, the cold and the rain. I looked out of the window and up to the grey sky and smiled knowing that above those grey skies the sun is shining and there is blue sky.

Anyone who has taken a flight somewhere is familiar with the feeling of take off and the plane ascending up through the clouds, that wonderful feeling when the plane breaks through the clouds and there, all around us, lies the expanse of blue sky. That moment gives me a wonderful sense of serenity.   So even when we are experiencing days or weeks of grey skies, it is quite easy to visualise the blue sky above the low clouds, this visualisation never fails to lift my spirits.

For some, January can be a time of feeling blue and down after the busyness of the festive season and struggle even more with the cold weather and the grey skies. I believe that getting out in nature or just taking a walk definitely lifts our mood. Some of my regular readers know that I have a dog, so I go out twice a day to walk him. Work colleagues sometimes ask me “What do you do if it’s raining?” I always laugh at that question. Anyone with animals will know that come wind, rain or shine we go out, animals, like children, need their routine and need to go out, they don’t care what the weather is doing.

I really enjoy my morning walks before work, yes, even in the depths of winter when it is still dark outside. Every morning is different and some mornings I might be out walking with the moon still in the sky and the sky lighter over towards the east where I know the sun will rise. The walk sets me up for the day as I look around me and think how wonderful nature and the planet is.

The days are now getting longer, admittedly only by one or two minutes at the end of each day but already I’m hearing the song of the blackbird, they are now up before I am, a few weeks ago I was up before they were.  It is proof that a gradual change is taking place.  There is nothing so beautiful as walking at dawn with birdsong as your music at this time of the year. I also know that soon the migratory birds will join the morning concert and will wake us up beautifully with their dawn chorus. I’ve also noticed small shoots of bluebells and daffodils starting to appear and if I look closely enough small shoots are also beginning to appear on the trees. It is a sign that spring is on its way with the promise of new life and change.

The world is truly amazing if we take the time to stop, slow down and look around us. It really isn’t the grey world I sometimes hear people describing.  If by any chance, you are suffering from the January blues I would highly recommend getting out in nature if you can or just going for a walk, look up, look around and listen. I guarantee your mood will be lifted and remember above those grey skies there is blue sky and the sun is shining. I would be really interested to hear from you if you suffer from the January blues and how you deal with them.

Wishing all my readers a happy and love filled week and thank you for reading.