ANN FOTHERINGHAM

ILOVE the fact nature can still render us speechless. Even with all the brilliant technological advances happening in our lives – hardly a day goes by without something amazing being invented or developed or introduced – and even with the constant drone of social media distracting us with celebrity tosh, pictures of food and videos of cats, it’s still really, really exciting to see a giant iceberg floating by.

I haven’t actually seen a giant iceberg floating by (although I do live in East Kilbride, which means I’d never entirely rule it out) but I’ve been enthralled by the photos of one making its way through ‘iceberg alley’ off the coast of Newfoundland this week.

According to Canada’s CBC News, the roads around the town of Ferryland were blocked over the Easter weekend as iceberg tourists rushed to take photos.

This is a favourite route of the giant ice blocks as they drift down from the Arctic each spring and, for locals and visitors, it never gets boring.

Most carry on by but local mayor Adrian Kavanagh told The Canadian Press he reckons this one is grounded and might stick around – meaning a mini-tourism boom for the area.

And it’s not just giant icebergs, of course – a clear sky full of stars or coloured by the Northern Lights; the sound and fury of a lightning storm; even a rainbow (one of the really good ones, when you can see the whole arc and the colours are vivid) all have the power to stop us in our tracks.

I’m watching my own boys, too, benefitting from getting up close and personal with nature through our local Forest Schools initiative. It’s a genius idea, part of a national drive to get children outdoors, playing and risk-taking, building resilience, making friends.

THE boys’ forward-thinking head teacher understands the importance of the project and has incorporated it into the curriculum, and there are after school clubs and holiday sessions too.

I’ve seen it in action (there was also a taster session for parents, which was hugely entertaining as we got to do everything the kids do, from building fires and making mud sculptures to spotting frogs in the pond and butterflies on the branches or whittling willow to spear marshmallows for cooking) and it is amazing.

The children lose themselves entirely in the experience and for a couple of glorious hours, there are no thoughts of phones or tablets or texts or apps to take up head space. Instead, they concentrate on making tree cookies and clay gargoyles, building dens and swinging on hammocks, playing hide and seek and toasting bread over the camp fire.

Of course, it’s what previous generations did all the time, so no-one’s claiming it’s a revolution but it has been, for many of the kids taking part and their parents, a revelation.

It’s hard to describe, but they come home calmer, more joyful and upbeat, full of stories of what they have seen and done.

Whether it’s a giant iceberg or chasing a butterfly, whether you are old or young or in between, nature is good for the soul. As Albert Einstein put it: “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better….”