Field Notes - March
Quiet Companions
Today felt like a gift.
A kingfisher-blue sky stretched wide above us, the air bright and breezy, carrying that unmistakable sense that something is shifting. Not quite spring in full voice, but certainly on its way. Bright miniature daffodils invited me to play while polished red-coated ladybirds sunbathed on rustic leaves.
A feel-good kind of day.
Then I found myself among animals.
A cheeky, curious alpaca came first — soft-nosed, mid-chew, just a little amused by the world. Around it, quieter companions stood back, watchful, gentle, content to simply be. There was something in their presence that lingered with me. A thought, half-formed but growing:
Perhaps this is how I will spend my birthday — walking beside one of them, slowly, without rush.
In the nursery barn, the lambs were newly arrived.
Tender. Wobbly. Sleepy in that deep, early way of new life. Some curled into straw, others finding their legs with determination that felt both fragile and strong all at once. And always nearby — the steady presence of their mothers. Solid. Watchful. Anchored in care.
Outside, in the paddock, the slightly older ones moved with more confidence — still small, still soft, but already a little more certain of their place in the world.
And then, further out in the field, the Highland cattle.
Glorious in their stillness. The calves resting close to their mothers, and their father stretched out on the ground, entirely at ease. No urgency. No performance. Just presence — a quiet kind of belonging that needed no announcement.
I noticed something as I moved between them all.
None of it was hurried.
None of it was trying to be seen.
And yet, everything felt deeply, unmistakably alive.
There is a gentle, beautiful energy experienced when you are close to nature in this way. Even better when it is an unexpected moment in your day.
Today reminded me to be curious — to feel the wonder of creation that is there for us, if we pause and notice.
Field Note:
Where did you notice a quiet moment today?
My quiet moment this morning was petting moss! I decided, since my garden is not conducive to growing it, that I would try it as a houseplant. So it is sitting on my desk and I can pet it readily. Something about its texture and in a moment, I’m transported to the green fields, hills, and forests of Ireland again…💛✨