Introduction
Some months earlier, in the spring of 2020, I believed there would be a time when I my photography would be more than therapeutic – that I would be able to enjoy camera-outings for the sheer, simple pleasure of enjoying them; that I would produce images for their expressive creativity; that the old mental wounds (from past medical trauma) would heal naturally, spontaneously, magically.
This optimism continued through the warmth and sunshine of the summer months. But the deteriorating situation with the handling of Covid in the UK, the onset of autumn and the knowledge that winter was just round the corner, made all that a pipedream. So, by the time Ruth’s course started, I knew it was well-timed.
Having said that, I wasn’t sure what I was embarking on. The title of the course didn’t make much sense to me (particularly the phrase ‘Reframe Your Now’). I simply joined it in hope – knowing that I always feel better for our woodland walks, better still with a camera in my hand. So maybe the course could build on this and boost my wellbeing.
As the weeks progressed (during and since the course) I've been increasingly aware that this hope was not misplaced; that the decision to join Ruth was important and valuable, guiding me towards a fresh perspective, a positivity and calmness which counteract the worst stresses of Covid and ongoing medical interventions.
So that's the first reason I started this website-project – to record and celebrate this short, highly effective and significant, wellbeing-course. And the second is to help me turn an implicit belief that it’s improved my wellbeing into a more explicit understanding; this will, I believe, increase the likelihood that I can continue building on those few short weeks and benefit from them further.
'More than a Leafy Suburb'
Looking more deeply at the underlying heritage of our locality