It's that time of year on the moors when Autumn turns into Winter, over night. At the moment the wind is such that during the night it blew over a bench on an exposed lawn, making it, according to one of the monks, a Bench Force Wind. Apparently there is a Bench Force 3 wind when all three benches blow over!
Wind, like rain, has many subtle variations with suitable descriptive terms used on our weather reporting system in and around England. One being the Shipping forecast, which many a night I would listen to in Cornwall as the walls of my caravan breathed in and out alarmingly. Thankfully the walls of the buildings around here are feet thick and made of stone. The roof tiles on some of the older buildings are the size of paving stones, almost.
Anyway the wind I like most, or rather it's description, is 'impedes progress'. And, until one has had ones progress impeded by wind it is difficult to appreciate what this means. Watch out for flying children and small animals I'd say!
CPRE, The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England announced in a recent news release that Northumberland, this county, followed by it's neighbour Cumbra have been found to be the most tranquil places in England. There were some obvious criteria for the tranquility assessment; bird song, the sound of running water, the absence of traffic noise, rural views, number of people around.
While all the conducive conditions exist here for meditation and reflection they are not essential. In fact any one can sit still, anywhere, any time. It's a choice, which becomes easier to make with frequent practice. Let the winds blow!
