Multi-tasking again!

I am sitting beside the Deben estuary. At last summer has arrived and the sun beats down. It is almost too hot, but it would be churlish to say so. The tide is low and the little ribbon of water meanders gently between the mudflats, sparkling in the warm sunshine. Everything in this peaceful, sunwashed landscape is blue-brown, except for the soft green meadows that flank the river on one side and the marshland beneath the dyke on the other. Vision predominates. It is a powerful image and a view I am fond of.

But I have five senses. What of the rest? I lean back against the wooden bench and shut my eyes. A soft, cool breeze is blowing, wafting past me the scents of clover and cow parsley, the salty tang of the sea and the pungent smells of seaweed and mud, exposed by the receding tide. There are the sounds of silence: that special kind of silence that is composed of the absence of unwelcome noise – traffic noise, loud, intrusive conversations, mobile phones, dogs yapping… An aura of calm rests upon the place and I am at peace. As I listen to the ‘silence’, I am arrested by a plethora of sounds: peaceful sounds. An oyster-catcher flies overhead. I hear his soft, but piercing, ‘peep-peep’ in the distance. A lark is soaring, high above me, singing for joy – or so it seems. It is a beautiful, beautiful morning, so I can understand why. There is aeroplane noise in the far distance and somewhere, far across the estuary, a dog barks. There are footsteps along the dyke behind me and snatches of quiet, leisurely conversation. But nothing to disturb the peace.

The breeze caresses my skin. It is pleasantly cooling, perfectly matched with the comforting warmth of the hot sun. Now I am the ideal temperature and when I return home at the end of the day I know that I shall be pleasantly aware of a healthy glow, a sense of well-being and a soft tan to my skin. The weather is kind to me and I appreciate its gentle touch. I lick my lips and enjoy the salty tang. But I am thirsty. I pick up my water bottle and let the cool, refreshing liquid trickle slowly down my parched throat. It feels good.

Sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. Even on my day off, I am doing it again – multi-tasking!