Lisa G Saw • March 8, 2023

Snowing In The Alps

From the warmth of my apartment I’m watching the snow falling outside. I’m sitting on a chair looking out of the window, mesmerised by the simplicity and beauty of the moment. I’m in a calm relaxed meditative state, with my feet planted on the ground and my back supported by the chair. My breathing has slowed right down. There are a few areas of tension in my body, so I tense the muscles in those areas, then with a quick release I relax them whilst simultaneously exhaling softly. It helps to release the tension deep inside. I repeat this a few times.

My hands are relaxed on my legs and I simply observe the snow. I love the white stuff. It makes me smile. I feel almost tearful. I don’t even know why. Is it that release of tension? Is it just the happiness I feel in this moment?

The thick grey clouds prevent me from seeing far down the valley. The mountainside I can see from my window is visible, all the way to the top, though the jagged peak is far from clear. Just yesterday morning the ground was bare and brown, an expanse of exposed rocks and grass. But now, a thin veil of snow covers the slope. I’m sure it won’t be long before it’s a dense blanket. The green fir trees on the mountain now have a dusting of snow on their branches. The scene before me is slowly transforming into the winter wonderland I love so much.

The snow continues to fall. At first, it’s gently downwards. Then the wind changes direction and pushes the snow horizontally towards my balcony. Beautiful unique flakes of snow gently landing on the ledge. It feels like an invitation from nature to step into another world. I leave the warmth of the apartment briefly and brave the cold air that awaits me. It’s invigorating. It’s so fresh. I reach out my arm and let the snowflakes land in my palm. Softly, they fall. Ever so light. I can’t even feel them. Within seconds each snowflake melts away and disappears. A brief moment of delight, locked away in my memory.

I retreat back into the warmth once more. There’s another change in wind direction. Now the snow falls downwards again. Some flakes fall faster than others. There are ones that seem to be taking a more direct route to the ground, but other lighter ones gently descend, wafting a little from side to side. Beautiful. A gift from the skies. I feel a lightness inside me as I continue to watch the snowfall. I’m enjoying a moment of effortless being and noticing the benefit of this mindfulness moment.

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Books and Courses

By Lisa G Saw • March 11, 2026

THE FIRST SET OF BOOKS AND COURSES THAT HAVE HELPED ME ON MY JOURNEY I began this blog series, Living My The Best Life Possible , back in 2022 after a series of events, and a couple of chronic injuries, quite literally stopped me in my tracks. Having followed conventional approaches to try and turn things around, but to no avail, I felt compelled to seek out help from alternative approaches. I opened my mind to the possibility they could help me, taking a more holistic approach to my healing. Along my journey, I've done some serious soul searching, dug deep to uncover suppressed and hidden trauma, and held a mirror up to myself, realising there were things I needed to let go of and much I needed to change. It's been uncomfortable at times and emotional, but completely worthwhile, as I've worked through things and persevered. Awareness was key . From that I had the power to change my thought patterns and my view of the world. I know all my relationships are better for it, including the one I have with myself, and I wouldn't be where I am today without what I've learned. I've discovered there are many different ways to heal and I've been amazed by what I've learned. It's been surprising, uplifting and most of all, empowering. Along this journey I've been led from one book to another, then another, and on it goes. Sometimes the books have been recommended to me by family, friends or health practitioners, other times they've merely been mentioned in passing or in another book, and I've felt as though it was something that could help me further my knowledge and understanding. In many ways, they were like signs guiding me along at just the right moment when I needed them. My curiosity to learn more has led to a voracious appetite to read, which I've never experienced before. I love it! I feel like I'm on a fast train to somewhere, but the landscape out of the window isn't a blur as I whizz by, metaphorically speaking, but a glorious view of the world around me, simply seen from a new perspective. There is still much I wish to share in this blog series about my experience, in the hope it helps others and not just myself. But, it will take time to write it all whilst I'm still working. So, in the meantime, I decided to share some of the most significant books that have helped me along the way. It isn't the full list, by any means. For now, I'm only including a brief summary and snapshot of the significance to me, but hopefully this will be interesting and/or useful. Perhaps one of them will grab your attention and be something you might wish to read to help you on your own unique journey. I will continue to add to this list gradually, and new entries will appear at the bottom of the post, so scroll down if you're returning to this post and go directly to where you left off. You can also see a list of all the books that will eventually be mentioned in this post by clicking on the button below.

February 26

By Lisa G Saw • March 10, 2026

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS Bob and I have visited West Rise Marsh a few times this month to look for Jack Snipe, but sadly without much success. We did see one, we think, on one visit, but it flew off before we set eyes on it. It's much the same with the Common Snipe, which as their name suggests, we see more of, but they're super skittish and fly off well before we're even close to where they're hiding, around the boggy wet marshes. With so many wet, windy and dull days, plus the fact I still have to go to work, I was starting to wonder if my February Highlights would be virtually non existent, so I was content with photographing and observing a Heron, standing in the water. They can stand motionless for ages, and move very slowly, stealth-like through the water to new areas. Unfortunately, I was just moving into a new position, when it actually caught a fish. I missed capturing that moment when its head quickly and unexpectedly darted downwards and snatched its prey from the water. But, you can see the Heron in mid-gulp (first photo).

January 26

By Lisa G Saw • February 7, 2026

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS January can be a difficult month for many people. I don't usually suffer from the January Blues, but I did notice this year I felt a certain flatness. I think it was largely because there were days when Bob and I would go out for a walk and hardly see anything at all. Well, that is, anything out of the ordinary. There's no doubting it - I get a real lift when nature reveals its beauty to me in its many wonderful and surprising ways. But, it's been a good reminder that even the simple things can give great pleasure if we take the time to appreciate them. Sometimes, it's worth looking with more careful eyes and appreciating even the ordinary. The year actually was off to a great start, when the snow fell early on in the month. I love the snow! I'll leap at any opportunity I have to walk in it! Living close to the coast meant we didn't have any on our doorstep, but Ashdown Forest had a good covering and it wasn't too far away to visit. Even the car park looked lovely, with the sun shining through the wintry trees on this gorgeous sunny day. It might have been crisp and cold, but we were dressed for it and of course had some welcome hot drinks after our walk. The highlight of the day, aside from the snow, was having some brief glimpses of a couple of Crossbills at the top of the fir trees, though not as good as we'd had in December .