Fife book launch event - 29th Sept

If you’re stuck and not sure what to do next and resonate with any of the sayings mentioned below you might want to pop along and join Alison Smith whose new book, Can’t see the wood for the trees, written in, and featuring much of the fife coast, uses nature as our coach. Which means, if you can’t see the wood for the trees, are stuck in a rut or are up the creek without a paddle, the trees, rut and creek may have the answer.

To launch her book Alison is revisiting many of the locations she wrote the book from and will share hints and tips on how to get out of your current predicament. 

Join her in person or via Facebook and YouTube at all four locations, at a place and time that’s convenient for you on the day, or what about joining her for the session tackling the saying that resonates most with you at this time.

Any queries on the day pop a message on the Landscaping Your Life Facebook page.

0930 Dalgety Bay 

Meet at the recently revamped New Heritage Viewpoint –  access from Lumsdaine Drive to Fife coastal path opposite the Wee Glasshouse.

• Making mountains out of molehills
• Stuck in a rut
• Can’t see the wood for the trees

1130 Aberdour Silver Sands

Meet at the Ha lighthouse. 

• Up a creek without a paddle
• Like a fish out of water

1330 Burntisland Beach *

Meet at the swimming pool car park - along side the beach.

• Head in the sand
• In at the deep end

* If you're going to the Big Community Get Together at Burntisland primary school 1300-1500 and can't join me at one of the other locations, and want to know more let me know and I'll arrange an alternate date to meet at the beach. Or I'm the one that can often be found in the sea at high tide when the sun's shining ;-)

1530 Kirkcaldy

Meet at Seafield Car park (behind Morrisons) Weather permitting and after talking to those who join her there Alison will be vlogging while swimming!

• Treading water or going round in circles
• Missed the tide
• Going with the flow

Raffle for a free signed book in aid of RNLI will be held - £1 per ticket, all money received on the day will be added to my JustGiving page for the RNLI that I set up for my Forth Swim.

Connect to Nature for Mental Health

Many of our holidays, weekends, lunch breaks and even the odd meeting are spent in nature. I'd suggest, because unconsciously we know it brings us back into balance, and provides peace of mind.

For Mental Health Awareness Week I'd therefore like to invite you to consider what landscape gives you peace of mind? 

For me it's this beach - a beach I moved home to be near, and a beach that has certainly kept me saner over the 14 years I've lived here. 

A beach with a view of Edinburgh across the Firth of Forth that I fell in love with.

A beach I can see from my bedroom and office windows:

A beach that is less than 5 minutes walk away from those very windows:

The beach - with its many seasons - busy in the summer and deserted except for the hardy dog walkers in the winter.

A beach I've regularly eaten breakfast, dinner and tea on:

A beach I've exercised on:

A beach I've declared my love for my profession on:

A beach that has inspired many a Landscaping Your Life video blog (you may want to turn your sound down first):

And many a blog too (this on standing in other people's shoes):

A beach I've gone to when I've had my head in the sand - mostly metaphorically it has to be said!

A beach to help me turn a corner:

A beach I've paddled all year round on:

And now a beach to swim from!

Last year, I realised the sea really wasn't all that cold (only 5 in winter and up to a toasty 15 in the summer), and have now added the benefit of cold water swimming to my mental health prescription.

This was taken for sunrise at 0730 in November when Frost was on the ground and water was still at a warmish 8/9 degrees. 

Another 0730 swim much more recently when the water was still 5/6 degrees and air temperature about the same.

A beach that keeps my mind, body and soul in health, and is somewhere I go to when struggling to mind the mental and physical balance I need to get up every day and do what I need to do.

Thank you mother nature for giving me this beach, and allowing me to connect daily to your nurturing presence through it's beauty - whatever the season and what ever the weather.

Where is your place in nature that brings you peace of mind? When will you commit to going there next? 

Alison Smith

Landscaping your Life

Using nature as a metaphor to find balance in your life