And I could find other excuses to get out and sit on the crisp grass and look out over the airy roof of Yorkshire. It was like taking time out of life. Time to get things in perspective and assess my progress.*

Bright and early yesterday morning, Charlie and I set out (with our Joyspotting Guides), two weeks plus four days since our last outing on 16th September.  Honestly, I needed no guide —  joy bubbled up the moment I climbed into the car, positively brimming with excitement - two weeks at home felt like an eternity.

Happiness is

Yesterday was a big cloud blue sky day and, if you’ve been following along, you know that those are my favourites because they always seem to bring good things my way.  The sun shone, it was warm (22℃), the woods were glowing with every vibrant shade of green, plus the beginnings of some fall colour, and the wildlife showed off beautifully for us.  It was, indeed, like taking time out of life. Time to get things into perspective and assess my progress.

Joyspotting (n.) A simple practice of tuning your attention to the joy in your surroundings.**

1.  Look Up!

Big Cloud, Blue Sky Day
Look Up 1 [Wheatley Provincial Park]

Being more of a wildlife than bird enthusiast, I’m guilty of spending my time looking down.
"Look Up" is a nice prompt for me, without it, I’d have missed this chap yesterday:

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Look Up 2 [Caldwell First Nations’ Boardwalk]
Because we’re always looking for Herons high in the tree canopy, aren’t we?

~~~~~

2.    Look Down!
Bold Jumper (Phidippus audax)
Look Down 1 [Caldwell First Nations’ Boardwalk]
Cool, non?  Those eyes look like they’re lit!

Brown-lipped Snail (Cepaea nemoralis)
Look Down 2 [Caldwell First Nations’ Boardwalk]

~~~~~

3.    Keep an eye out for colour.

Butterfly Bush (Buddleja)
Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)
Keep an eye out for colour 1 [Caldwell First Nations’ Boardwalk]

Combine and three hoppers - it’s harvest time in Essex County.
Keep an eye out for colour 2 [Municipality of Leamington]

~~~~~

4.    Follow the curve.

Mersea Road 19
Follow the curve 1 [Municipality of Leamington]

Mersea Road 2
Follow the curve 2 [Municipality of Leamington]

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5.    Go where the wild things are.

Eastern Great Egret (Ardea alba modesta)
Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)
Go where the wild things are 1 [Caldwell First Nations’ Boardwalk]

Praying Mantis (Mantodea)
Go where the wild things are 2 [Caldwell First Nations’ Boardwalk]
This was the moment for me - that’s my first Mantis (and I saw a second one, for good measure!).

~~~~~

6.    Seek out symmetry.

Eastern Bottlebrush Grass (Elymus hystrix)
Seek out symmetry 2   Sometimes known as Bottlebrush Rye, this is an herbaceous bunchgrass that is native to Ontario.
Seek out symmetry 1 Charlie would tell you that I spent way too much time (and used up way too much SD card space) shooting Bottlebrush yesterday.  They’re fascinating, non?
[Wheatley Provincial Park]

~~~~~

7.    Search for signs of abundance.

Between the massive greenhouse operations and the rich, arable soil, Essex County is an agricultural hub.
It’s harvest time and the two main crops are canola and corn.

Canola Field
Search for signs of abundance 2

[Municipality of Leamington]

Harvesting Canola
Search for signs of abundance 1 [Municipality of Leamington]

Corn Field
Search for signs of abundance 3 [Municipality of Leamington]

~~~~~

8.    Watch for weirdness.

After all the time I’ve spent mucking about in marshes and mooching along creek banks,
honestly, nothing much weirds me out, indeed nothing did yesterday, but…

Fungus
Watch for weirdness 1 [Sanctuary Pond, Point Pelee National Park]

Gigantic Lily Pad
Watch for weirdness 2

With “normal” leaves for perspective - Gigantic Lily Pad
Watch for weirdness 3 [Sanctuary Pond, Point Pelee National Park]

~~~~~

9.    Zoom in.

Social Wasp (Vespula germanica) fancifully known as Yellowjacket.
Zoom in 1 [Caldwell First Nations’ Boardwalk]

Damselfly:  Common Bluet (Enallagma cyathigerum)
Zoom in 2 [Caldwell First Nations’ Boardwalk]

~~~~~

10.    Notice the invisible.

There is a local Cavendish Farms plant that prepares, amongst other things, sweet potato fries.  Every now and then (and yesterday was just such an occasion), the air smells tantalisingly wonderful.  So mouth-wateringly tempting that, if they'd had a take-out counter, we’d have happily enjoyed SP fries for our brekkie yesterday.  No shame at all!

Notice the invisible [Port of Wheatley, Wheatley, ON]

~~~~~

11.    Take the scenic route.

Driving through Hillman Marsh - Mersea Road 2.
Take the scenic route 1 [Municipality of Leamington]

Driving into south Hillman Marsh - Mersea Road 1.
Take the scenic route 2 [Municipality of Leamington]

~~~~~

12.    Use all your senses.

Hearing
Use all your senses 1  At the south end of Hillman Marsh, the trees were full of Red-Winged Blackbirds, singing up a storm.
Numbering in the tens of thousands, they were a truly magnificent choir. 
Use all your senses 2 [Hillman Marsh Conservation Area, Leamington, ON]

~~~~~

Our experiences and sightings need not be special in order for us to experience joy.  Yesterday’s very typical outing confirms my belief that time in nature gives us a sense of serenity, contentment and happiness.  My outing with Charlie was like taking time out of life. Time to get things into perspective and assess my progress.  I’m oh-so-grateful to my dear friend (and minder) Charlie - without his company my outing would never have happened. 

’Til next time, y’all…

*James Herriot, Page 41, Chapter 8, All Creatures Great and Small.
**Ingrid Fetell Lee.  Please check out her website — Aesthetics of Joy and if you, too, would like to explore with the guide, download (free!!!) yours here — Joyspotter’s Guide