Country diary: life is at a standstill but the bees are still buzzing

Stamford, Lincolnshire: Audible from 20 metres away, the bees are intensely interested in the saturated cherry blossomLife is at a standstill. Homebound stasis forces me to look at the patch of the countryside I should know the best, but never looked at hard enough. Which, now, is a lifeboat of certainty on strange seas: the world beyond the walls.I find a small spot in my garden, and for half an hour, on three days, stand still. Nature ceases to be expansive, but immersive: a column, a few feet all around me, from the ground to the sky, in which to look, and listen. Continue reading...