As we walked through the stunning Keukenhof tulip gardens in Holland yesterday, my wife turned to me and said, “Do you hear that? I recognise it!” I had no idea what she was talking about.
She got her phone out and checked with her bird listening app. Sure enough, her suspicions were correct. It was a Chiffchaff.
I had to admit, I hadn’t even noticed the sounds of the birds up until that point! But now I was listening. The woodpecker of course, was very distinctive. And there were a host of other birds that my wife, over the course of last year, had trained herself to recognise.
She’s not long finished a diploma in textile art and quilting. Part of this course focused on the wildlife in her home estate of Belladrum.
After identifying the Chiffchaff, my wife turned to me and asked, “So if you didn’t hear the birds, what was in that mind of yours?”
There’s a book in the Airbnb we’re staying at with the title ‘The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down’. This sabbatical has given me the opportunity to slow down, to not only look, but listen as well.
This morning, I asked Katie if she’d slept well. “Yes”, she said, “But did you hear that Mallard?!”
Thankfully, I had not!
Ps. Some nice photos of tulips…
Physics teacher’s sabbatical 
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