Latest / Abide Meditation App / Peaceful Story to Fall Asleep Fast _ A Quiet Morning Connecting with Nature

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Peaceful Story to Fall Asleep Fast _ A Quiet Morning Connecting with Nature · Abide Meditation App

0:01
Speaker 1: Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and
0:09
Speaker 1: we get sleepy. My name's Thomas and I'm your host.
0:15
Speaker 1: Thanks for tuning in. Tonight, we'll join Jade as she
0:21
Speaker 1: spends a day volunteering at her local nature reserve, connecting
0:26
Speaker 1: with the beautiful sights and sounds to be found there.
0:32
Speaker 1: and it will all be narrated by the soothing voice
0:35
Speaker 1: of Nikki. Okay, let's prepare for tonight's story with a
0:44
Speaker 1: few moments of calming mindfulness. Soon, we're going to join
0:51
Speaker 1: Jade as she connects with nature in tonight's story. But
0:58
Speaker 1: before that, let's take some time to connect with ourselves
1:04
Speaker 1: in the present moment. I hope your day has been
1:11
Speaker 1: a pleasant one. Whether busy, relaxed, or somewhere in the middle,
1:18
Speaker 1: hopefully you had at least a few moments that made
1:22
Speaker 1: you smile. It's quite easy to let the days pass
1:27
Speaker 1: us by without appreciating the positive things that they bring.
1:35
Speaker 1: Us humans seem to often default to focusing on looking
1:39
Speaker 1: ahead and thinking about what's to come or looking back
1:45
Speaker 1: and latching on to moments that we perhaps deemed regrettable
1:49
Speaker 1: that are better off letting go of. But how about
1:55
Speaker 1: tonight we think about something that we are grateful for
2:03
Speaker 1: It can be a positive moment from the day just
2:06
Speaker 1: gone or simply being appreciative for a happy constant in
2:13
Speaker 1: our lives. Maybe it's someone or something that we can
2:21
Speaker 1: always count on. It doesn't have to be anything big
2:28
Speaker 1: or sensational. We can all be grateful for the simple
2:34
Speaker 1: little things, just as much as anything more grand or unique.
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Speaker 1: So let a positive thought come to your mind, recognizing
2:50
Speaker 1: anything that you can be grateful for. You only need
3:01
Speaker 1: to make a mental note of it right now. But
3:05
Speaker 1: if you think it might be helpful then writing down
3:09
Speaker 1: a few positive thoughts and reflections before bed is a
3:14
Speaker 1: great way to keep us grounded and more present. So
3:24
Speaker 1: take a nice deep breath enjoying that sense of gratitude
3:31
Speaker 1: One last time. Now, my friends, it's time for me
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Speaker 1: to hand over to Nikki as she tells the story
3:43
Speaker 1: of Jade and her visit to the local nature reserve.
3:51
Speaker 1: She has an early start. Her day begins when her
3:55
Speaker 1: neighbors are still snoozing. Except for the buzz of her fan,
4:03
Speaker 1: all is quiet in her cozy bedroom.
4:31
Speaker 2: Jade lay in her bed, still half asleep, sunken into
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Speaker 2: her mattress with the crinkly duvet covering her. She always
4:43
Speaker 2: felt in the morning as if she were in a
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Speaker 2: big nest, warm, comfortable and safe. She left her blinds
4:55
Speaker 2: only half shut the night before as usual. so that
4:58
Speaker 2: she woke slowly with the natural light of the sun.
5:03
Speaker 2: It seeped in through her window, casting the room in
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Speaker 2: golden light. The sound of birds chirping came from outside,
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Speaker 2: as they sang their morning song from inside their own nests.
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Speaker 2: Jade was fortunate enough to live opposite a nature reserve,
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Speaker 2: which her bedroom looked out onto. She was volunteering in
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Speaker 2: the reserve today and had gone to bed early the
5:36
Speaker 2: night before in preparation. She turned her head and opened
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Speaker 2: her eyes. She could see, through the half-open blind, the
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Speaker 2: trees at the bottom of her garden. She could smell
5:55
Speaker 2: the fresh morning air and feel a gentle breeze move
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Speaker 2: across her face. She smiled. Today was her first day volunteering,
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Speaker 2: and she was looking forward to spending all day outside,
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Speaker 2: instead of at her desk like normal. Today was for her.
6:22
Speaker 2: There would be no emails, no meetings, no screen. She
6:29
Speaker 2: couldn't wait. Jade stretched under her covers and yawned. She
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Speaker 2: loved the silence this early in the morning. No one
6:45
Speaker 2: was awake but the birds and her. She sat up
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Speaker 2: and swung her legs out of bed. her feet landing
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Speaker 2: on the soft sheepskin rug on the floor. She wiggled
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Speaker 2: her toes, waking her feet, before padding over to the
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Speaker 2: window and pulling the blinds open all the way. The
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Speaker 2: sky was clear, and Jade closed her eyes for a moment,
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Speaker 2: feeling the sun warm her face. With the window in
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Speaker 2: front of her, Jade began her morning stretches. She bent
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Speaker 2: over towards the ground, relaxing her knees and letting gravity
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Speaker 2: gently stretch her back. Then she slowly straightened up and
7:51
Speaker 2: lifted both arms to the sky. She took her arms
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Speaker 2: wide and lent her head over to the right, then
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Speaker 2: over to the left. Finally, she brought both palms together
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Speaker 2: at her heart and bowed, grateful. Grateful for this morning,
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Speaker 2: for the sun, and for the peace she felt in
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Speaker 2: this moment. Feeling freer in her muscles and joints now,
8:33
Speaker 2: she walked into the hallway and grabbed a warm folded
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Speaker 2: towel from the airing cupboard. She headed into her bathroom,
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Speaker 2: the small window already open and filling the room with
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Speaker 2: fresh air, and turned on the shower. The hot water
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Speaker 2: rushed down onto her shoulders, massaging them. and over the
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Speaker 2: rest of her body. She had a new soap to
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Speaker 2: try out today, a handmade bar that smelled of rose.
9:12
Speaker 2: The scent was beautiful and not too strong. Jade lathered
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Speaker 2: up the bar and rubbed it over her arms. As
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Speaker 2: she let the water rinse the soap off, she noticed
9:30
Speaker 2: how soft it had made her skin feel. She reminded
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Speaker 2: herself to try and be as gentle and kind as
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Speaker 2: this to herself every day. Jade turned off the shower,
9:48
Speaker 2: stepped out, and dried herself with the warm towel. She
9:54
Speaker 2: lifted her dressing gown down from its hook on the
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Speaker 2: wall and wrapped it around her. When she was ready,
10:04
Speaker 2: she hung her towel on the radiator, and walked into
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Speaker 2: the kitchen, switching on the kettle. She got a tea
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Speaker 2: bag out of a jar, and plopped it inside a
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Speaker 2: metal flask. When the kettle was boiled, she poured the
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Speaker 2: hot water over the teabag and added milk. She screwed
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Speaker 2: on the cap of the flask and left it there,
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Speaker 2: ready to collect on her way out. Jade headed back
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Speaker 2: into her bedroom to the pile of neatly folded clothes
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Speaker 2: she had left on her dresser the night before. She
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Speaker 2: pulled on the comfortable but practical outfit Trousers with big pockets,
10:56
Speaker 2: a long-sleeved top, a fleece, and her new gardening boots.
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Speaker 2: On her way out, she collected her flask of tea
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Speaker 2: from the kitchen, then stepped out the front door onto
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Speaker 2: her quiet street. She turned right and began the walk
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Speaker 2: towards the nature reserve, passing quiet houses full of her
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Speaker 2: mostly sleeping neighbours It was a peaceful street, and one
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Speaker 2: that Jade enjoyed living on very much. The sense of
11:33
Speaker 2: familiarity always made her feel calm. Florence Road. This was home.
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Speaker 2: She noticed someone approaching and smiled. It was her favourite neighbour,
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Speaker 2: out for an early stroll with his dog. a brown
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Speaker 2: Labrador named Juno. Juno looked up and recognized Jade instantly.
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Speaker 2: Juno bounded up the street towards Jade, her mouth open
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Speaker 2: wide as if grinning upon recognizing her friend. Jade leant
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Speaker 2: down and stroked her as Juno nuzzled about her legs,
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Speaker 2: giving her the occasional boop with her head if she
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Speaker 2: wasn't stroking hard enough. Nick, Juno's dad, laughed as he
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Speaker 2: approached the pair of them. He wished Jade a good
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Speaker 2: morning and told her he was working on a new
12:36
Speaker 2: twist for his famous spring rolls today. He invited Jade
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Speaker 2: over that evening. She could be the first to try
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Speaker 2: his new version. Jade accepted gratefully. She would love to.
12:55
Speaker 2: Jade gave Juno one last head scratch before waving goodbye
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Speaker 2: to them both and carrying on her way. She smiled
13:05
Speaker 2: to herself at the thought of going over to Nick's
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Speaker 2: after a long day spent outside. Even more to look
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Speaker 2: forward to, she thought. Jade turned the corner at the
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Speaker 2: bottom of her street and headed towards the open gate
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Speaker 2: of the nature reserve up ahead As she stepped inside
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Speaker 2: through the arched gateway, concrete gave way to grass and
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Speaker 2: soft mud. Dappled sunlight spread up the path that would
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Speaker 2: lead Jade towards the reserve's lodge, where she was to
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Speaker 2: meet a small team of other volunteers. She followed it
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Speaker 2: through trees of all shapes and sizes, hedgerows and small meadows.
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Speaker 2: She came to another gate, this one made of wood,
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Speaker 2: and kept shut by a metal chain that linked over
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Speaker 2: a post. She lifted the chain and let herself through,
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Speaker 2: making sure to close it and replace the chain back
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Speaker 2: over the post behind her. The path led towards a
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Speaker 2: small pond. Jade paused to look at three ducks that
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Speaker 2: were floating on it. They each had their head tucked
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Speaker 2: into the feathers of their wings and were dozing peacefully.
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Speaker 2: The pond had lily pads, brushes and reeds. There was
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Speaker 2: a sign nearby with illustrations of the type of wildlife
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Speaker 2: that lived here. Dragonflies, water snails, even frogs. Jade would
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Speaker 2: be sure to stay and watch for longer next time.
15:02
Speaker 2: But she had somewhere to be today. Walking past more trees,
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Speaker 2: Jade noticed just how many squirrels were about, running and
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Speaker 2: jumping from tree to tree. They were very bold. This
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Speaker 2: part of the nature reserve didn't allow dogs, and so
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Speaker 2: the squirrels were not afraid to come closer to people.
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Speaker 2: sniffing the air to see if one might be holding
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Speaker 2: any snacks. Jade made a mental note to bring some
15:36
Speaker 2: nuts with her next time. The path soon opened out
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Speaker 2: and in the clearing sat the lodge. It was a
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Speaker 2: small building made almost entirely out of glass, with a
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Speaker 2: round patio and benches in front. Four or five other
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Speaker 2: volunteers were standing or sitting here. They turned as Jade approached,
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Speaker 2: a little nervously at first, being the new girl and all,
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Speaker 2: and greeted her warmly. She shook hands with everyone, and
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Speaker 2: soon a conservation officer named Laurie joined them. She smiled
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Speaker 2: and gave Jade a high five to welcome her. Although
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Speaker 2: technically the new girl, Jade already felt right at home
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Speaker 2: with this group of people. The chatter died down as
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Speaker 2: Laurie began to explain what they would be working on today.
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Speaker 2: They were to take tools and wheelbarrows up to the
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Speaker 2: top meadow, where the hedgerows and trees needed to be
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Speaker 2: cut back in order to make space and allow them
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Speaker 2: to grow new branches in the coming spring. It was
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Speaker 2: going to be a beautiful day, and there would also
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Speaker 2: be a tea box and biscuits. She asked if they'd
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Speaker 2: all met Jade, to which the others nodded and smiled
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Speaker 2: in reply. Laurie told Jade that some of the other
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Speaker 2: volunteers here had been coming for over ten years. They
17:14
Speaker 2: were like a family. Jade looked around the group, thinking
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Speaker 2: about how glad she was that she'd decided to join.
17:27
Speaker 2: Once the morning meet and greet was done, Laurie headed
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Speaker 2: towards a large shed and the volunteers and Jade followed.
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Speaker 2: She unlocked it and pulled out three wheelbarrows, one full
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Speaker 2: of large garden waste sacks, one full of tools and gloves,
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Speaker 2: and one with a large flask full of hot tea
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Speaker 2: and a box of biscuits. Two volunteers grabbed the first
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Speaker 2: two wheelbarrows and Jade lifted the third, She wanted to
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Speaker 2: get started as soon as possible. They walked around the
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Speaker 2: lodge and onto a path that ran behind it. There
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Speaker 2: was a gentle incline, and the path had shrubbery and
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Speaker 2: trees along both sides. They walked to the top of
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Speaker 2: the path, which came out onto an expansive meadow, separated
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Speaker 2: into large enclosures. Laurie had stopped in one of them,
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Speaker 2: and the rest of the volunteers and Jade settled into
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Speaker 2: a semicircle around her. She pointed out the sections of
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Speaker 2: the meadow that weren't open to the public right now.
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Speaker 2: There were ground-nesting bees and other insects that needed to
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Speaker 2: be left undisturbed at this time of year. The group
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Speaker 2: were to be in an enclosure that would also be
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Speaker 2: closed to the public while they worked, for safety. Whilst
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Speaker 2: the other volunteers grabbed secateurs and loppers, Laurie took Jade
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Speaker 2: over to a section of trees to explain the method.
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Speaker 2: She pointed out all the brambles and thorns that grew
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Speaker 2: up from the ground. She showed Jade how to use
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Speaker 2: the secateurs to cut back the brambles, explaining that it
19:22
Speaker 2: was good to cut everything as close to the ground
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Speaker 2: as possible, so as to ensure the roots wouldn't cause
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Speaker 2: tripping hazards. Laurie then pulled on a set of heavy-duty
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Speaker 2: gardening gloves and showed Jade how to use the loppers
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Speaker 2: on the branches of the trees. The branches were thin,
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Speaker 2: only a few centimetres in diameter, and easy to cut through.
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Speaker 2: Laurie explained that as Jade cut closer to the knuckle
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Speaker 2: of the tree, it was a good idea to cut
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Speaker 2: at an angle, away from the trunk. This would help
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Speaker 2: guide any rainwater away from the tree to the ground.
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Speaker 2: to avoid the tree becoming infected. It was also good
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Speaker 2: to try and get a clean cut and not pull
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Speaker 2: off any bark for the same reason. Jade had no
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Speaker 2: idea trees could become infected. Laurie laughed and nodded. They
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Speaker 2: are living things, just like you and me, she explained.
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Speaker 2: We have to take care and be gentle with them.
20:39
Speaker 2: Jade nodded. She was already learning so much. She looked
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Speaker 2: forward to becoming more knowledgeable and being able to transfer
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Speaker 2: the skills she learnt here into her own garden in
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Speaker 2: the future. Laurie made sure Jade had all the tools
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Speaker 2: she needed and gave her an extra pair of gloves.
21:04
Speaker 2: Not even the thorns on the brambles could get through these,
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Speaker 2: Laurie said. she would be working on a tree close by.
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Speaker 2: For safety, they left two meters in between each person.
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Speaker 2: That way, any long branches wouldn't get in the way
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Speaker 2: of anyone else. Laurie asked if there was anything Jade
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Speaker 2: needed or wanted to ask. Jade shook her head. Laurie
21:33
Speaker 2: thanked her again for coming along and said if she
21:36
Speaker 2: had any questions, not to hesitate to ask. the sun
21:43
Speaker 2: was starting to peek over the trees. Jade could feel
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Speaker 2: its warm rays on her legs and see it glinting
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Speaker 2: on the still dewy grass. The air felt so fresh
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Speaker 2: and the only sounds were the quiet mumbling of the
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Speaker 2: group's conversations and the birds cheeping from different places in
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Speaker 2: the reserve. Jade rested her bare hand on the trunk
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Speaker 2: of the tree she was next to. Whenever she did this,
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Speaker 2: she became aware of how connected she was to the
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Speaker 2: earth and the things growing from it. She knew the
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Speaker 2: roots of this tree went deep underground, down into the
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Speaker 2: soil and damp earth that provide us all with life.
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Speaker 2: Doing this made her feel grounded and reminded her of
22:47
Speaker 2: how all things were connected, all a part of the
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Speaker 2: beating heart of planet Earth. She could almost feel energy
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Speaker 2: flowing from the tree and into her through her hand.
23:06
Speaker 2: She pulled on the gloves Laurie had given her and
23:09
Speaker 2: got to work on the brambles, They wove in and
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Speaker 2: out of each other, along with vines and other weeds
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Speaker 2: all tangled up. Jade decided it would be a good
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Speaker 2: idea to just start chopping the bits she could see,
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Speaker 2: clearing the way so she could cut everything closer to
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Speaker 2: the ground eventually. It was peaceful work. The secateurs sliced
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Speaker 2: through the brambles easily, It was like using a large
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Speaker 2: pair of scissors. As she worked, the sun peeped over
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Speaker 2: the row of trees and warmed Jade from top to bottom.
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Speaker 2: She removed all the loose bits she'd cut and moved
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Speaker 2: them to one side. She kneeled on the soft ground
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Speaker 2: so she could get closer to the root. She snipped
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Speaker 2: away and had soon cleared the ground around her of brambles.
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Speaker 2: She scooped up armfuls and deposited the cuttings into one
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Speaker 2: of the large garden waste sacks nearby. Laurie was depositing
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Speaker 2: her own at the same time. Nice work, she told Jade,
24:36
Speaker 2: checking out her area. Jade grinned. Next thing to do
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Speaker 2: was to assess her tree and see where she wanted
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Speaker 2: to start cutting. She picked up the pair of loppers,
24:52
Speaker 2: which were surprisingly light, and opened the arms, settling the
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Speaker 2: sharp scissor end around the first small branch. She snapped
25:05
Speaker 2: the arms together, and like a knife through butter, the
25:10
Speaker 2: branch was cut cleanly off Jade moved thoughtfully onto each
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Speaker 2: branch that needed cutting. She stopped for a moment here
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Speaker 2: and there to sip the hot tea from her flask.
25:32
Speaker 2: The snap of the loppers through the crunchy wood was
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Speaker 2: so satisfying. She was focused purely on getting the cut right.
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Speaker 2: and which branch was next. This meant that her mind
25:50
Speaker 2: was clear of any other thoughts or worries. She breathed
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Speaker 2: in the fresh air and started to cut closer and
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Speaker 2: closer to the tree's knuckle. She made sure to slice
26:11
Speaker 2: at an angle. As she worked away, she lost track
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Speaker 2: of how much time went by. Laurie came over and
26:29
Speaker 2: looked appreciatively at Jade's tree. She told Jade how much
26:35
Speaker 2: of a natural she was. It was time for them
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Speaker 2: to take a lunch break now. Would Jade like to
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Speaker 2: join them at the local café? Laurie asked. Jade said
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Speaker 2: she would love to. Laurie led the way to the cafe,
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Speaker 2: just on the other side of the reserve, down a
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Speaker 2: wide but quiet street. They had a table especially for
27:09
Speaker 2: them outside, as they were here every Thursday for lunch,
27:17
Speaker 2: a waitress greeted them with a smile, welcoming them all,
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Speaker 2: and said she was ready to take their orders. Jade
27:28
Speaker 2: already knew what she wanted. She hadn't realized how hungry
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Speaker 2: the work had made her until she smelled the hot
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Speaker 2: food wafting out from inside. She ordered her favorite from
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Speaker 2: when she was a child, mushroom omelet, beans and chips.
27:53
Speaker 2: Once the waitress had taken everyone's orders, she left them
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Speaker 2: to sit and bask in the midday sun as they
28:00
Speaker 2: waited for their meals. A conversation started. One of the
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Speaker 2: eldest volunteers, who had been coming for over a decade,
28:14
Speaker 2: began telling them all the story about the day someone's
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Speaker 2: pet rabbit had gotten loose from a nearby garden and
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Speaker 2: gone on the run in the nature reserve. He was
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Speaker 2: a wonderful storyteller, funny, descriptive, and with a pace that
28:36
Speaker 2: was easy to keep up with. Jade looked around the
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Speaker 2: table at everyone. and felt a warm feeling growing in
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Speaker 2: her chest. How lucky she was to have found this
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Speaker 2: group of gentle and kind people. They really were a
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Speaker 2: joy to be in the company of. She felt safe, happy,
29:10
Speaker 2: and settled. As the story went on, Jade leaned back
29:20
Speaker 2: comfortably in her chair and lifted her face to the sun.
29:30
Speaker 2: She closed her eyes and enjoyed how relaxing this day
29:35
Speaker 2: had been so far, especially this moment. She looked forward
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Speaker 2: to eating her lunch and to the slow walk back
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Speaker 2: to the reserve they would do afterwards. She would pick
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Speaker 2: up where she had left off and complete the work
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Speaker 2: that needed to be done on her tree. With a
30:09
Speaker 2: small smile, she remembered the box of biscuits, waiting for
30:15
Speaker 2: them all once they got back to the meadow, and
30:18
Speaker 2: the flask of hot tea. She would be sure to
30:25
Speaker 2: refill her now empty smaller flask, so she could enjoy
30:30
Speaker 2: the biscuits properly. The story continued in the background, along
30:42
Speaker 2: with the chuckles coming from members of the group as
30:47
Speaker 2: Jade kept her eyes shut. She could easily fall asleep
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Speaker 2: right here, in this chair, surrounded by all her new friends.
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Speaker 1: Thank you for watching. Thanks for watching! Thank you for watching.
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Speaker 2: Thank you.
32:54
Speaker 1: This is the first time I've.
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Speaker 2: Seen this in real life.
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Speaker 1: This is the first time I've seen this in real life.
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Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you for watching. Thank you. Thank you.
35:32
Speaker 1: You you you
36:32
Speaker 2: Thank you.