On an episode of Springwatch Unsprung, I was really inspired by Elizabeth Guntrip, who was speaking about how, when she was diagnosed with an illness, she couldn’t access nature and so relished watching Springwatch, the live cameras and also experiencing  nature through others’ experiences. Today, I thought of Elizabeth and other people who are experiencing inaccessibility to nature. I decided that I wouldn’t go and jump in puddles (even 12 year olds do this – to look at trajectory of course ????), I wouldn’t go out for a rainy day walk and search for beetles,spiders or worms; instead I would watch wildlife through my window.

I listened to the pitter patter of rain and the sworling wind and waited. It didn’t take long before the birds flocked to my window and as they danced competitively around our feeders, I felt so lucky that we had the materials to encourage nature into our garden.  Their songs were so beautiful, so relaxing, so therapeutic.  I thought about the possibility that everyone might not have availablity to feeders or food (it runs out quickly if you have lots of birds). I want to do something to help, so I asked my mum and dad aboout what we could do. We talked about the possibility of contacting some local disability  charities and helping some people connnect or re-connect with the birds in their gardens. Maybe we could raise money for bird feeders and offer to fill them up with bird food, if they are not able to do so. I don’t know if anything like this exists or even if it’s a good idea, but my heart tells me that even if I help one person I’ll be happy. I’ll let you know how I get on!

I said in my Day Two blog about how I appreciated watching our garden birds, it gives me great joy and it really calms me down. I have Asperger’s and when I don’t get outside and release my energy, I feel like my skin is crawling and that my head is screaming from the inside and so I scream to the outside world. I know that this can be hard for my family to deal with. I couldn’t imagine not being outside experiencing nature and wildlife. When people know I have Autism, sometimes they give me sympathetic looks, I know they are trying to help but it really upsets me. I’d rather they did something to help, educate themselves, not invade my personal space or not insist I look them in the eye. Lizzie, if you can read this, maybe you could tell me what I can do? I saw so many birds in our garden: blackbirds, blue-tits, dunnocks, sparrows, coal tit, great tit, bullfinch and magpies, it would be so brilliant if those who can’t experience this but would like to, actually could! We know that where there is food, the birds will come.

Thank you for reading and if you have any ideas, that would be brilliant.

This is the link to Elizabeth’s episode of ‘Unsprung’, I think she is really inspirational.

http://bbc.in/21o8S07

Dara