Sometimes you need to trust the universe. If you listen it might well be sending you a message, an opportunity. Does that sound nutty? How often have you been thinking about something and then you haphazardly bump into someone who just says that something 'out of the blue' that resonates with you?

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That happened to me.

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Historically I have felt connected to the landscape. Our family had enjoyed regular trips 'out' - it was normal for us.

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Life then threw me into a family trauma which lasted many years. Hours spent next to a hospital bed left me unfit, with soft feet and 'cabin fever'.

Haphazardly I bumped into Margriet on an art course in Dartmouth, Devon. We were 'drawn' to each other - maybe you have experienced a similar thing when in a group of strangers?

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It turned out Margriet lived in striking distance of me, Colchester to Ipswich. She had the beginnings of an idea in her head, 'Walking the Land'.

It totally resonated with me - the right time - the right place. The Sandling's walk here we come!!!

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The positive repercussions of time spent in the landscape are well documented. As a 60 year old woman what did I hope to find whilst slowly plodding through fields and along foot paths armed with my sketch pad and my picnics?

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Filling your mind's eye with a clear view of the horizon is something I felt to be very powerful. Aiming for a destination - walking in a straight line - felt like a metaphor for the inner journey I was attempting - helping my soul repair after the pain of losing a child to cancer. Breathing deeply (sometimes panting too), expanding my lungs to their full capacity rather than the panic stricken gulps I had fallen into the habit trying to live with.

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Sometimes even the pain of the blisters felt good - they were real.