Today's mail follows the bank holiday weekend here in the U.K. In the last week, I have spent many happy hours on the magnificent bird cliffs at Bempton, North Yorkshire. Nature is in full swing there!

In particular, I have spent a lot of time sitting by the gannet nest site I monitored last year ( you may remember all the accounts of 'Chick'?). I have improved my comfort with the purchase of a lightweight, tall tripod stool I can take with - I joke about it as my 'office' furniture!

I was so delighted when the pair returned this year. Typically, one of the pair guards over the nest, while the other goes off fishing, often for a full day. Their reunions are both noisy and enthusiastic and tender and touching. Their courtship involves much beak contact as they sway their heads from side to side, bow up and down and wrap their necks around each other. It is so beautiful to watch - an absolute privilege. And I have witnessed the pair mating.

Sometimes the male's returns are to bring a succession of beak-fulls of nesting material, mainly grass. Each of the pair carefully incorporates all available materials into the nest. At the time of writing, the nest has no egg. But given last year's dates, I am eagerly expecting one in the next week. It's awesome to think of the life cycle of a new chick beginning all over again.

It is hard to put into words the experience of being on the cliff top for hours, simply immersed in the magnificence of the scene. Such a profound blessing. The imposing chalk cliffs; the myriad of sea birds in flight, on the cliffs, in the water; the cacophony of bird calls; the sounds of the sea; the view of the coastline stretching for miles north and south of me; the vast skies and clouds and distant uninterrupted horizons; the ever-shifting palette of greens and blues and greys in the sea; the sunlit diamonds on the water. And with this vibrant and buzzing scene all around, sitting quietly on the nest just below me all day, one of the gannet pair. Serenity amidst the busyness. A constant reminder of, and prompt into, the stillness that is available at the centre of all activity.

Bempton. May 2026. Barbara Payman.

Gannet pair, monitored nest. Bempton May 2026. Barbara Payman.

Gannets, Bempton. May 2026. Barbara Payman.

This week's self-kindness invitation is to be aware of anything in your own life that may need gentle nurturing at the moment, to help it develop and grow. It might be a quality such as kindness or acceptance... or possibly a project of some kind. And then do your best to 'incubate' it. Good luck.

Go well.

In warmth and kindness

Barbara