The Best Tonic

Retail Manager Karen Hill was one of the first Somerset Larder employees to utilise our new cycle scheme. Here she writes about how it has benefitted her.

I love the outdoors and all the freedom it can bring. During lockdown, the very first one, it was all about letting us get out and exercise, that’s what they told us.

For me a few things happened, silence was the first thing and I found it to be quite mesmerising. Next came all these new people who’d started to exercise and go on family walks.  Each time I went out for a ride I’d meet new people, just a fleeting good morning, good afternoon or good evening and in some very strange way they became part of my life.  You notice so much when it’s silent.

From the silence came:

Birds chattering, swans protecting their young, calves suckling their mother and people talking. Berries to harvest for free, apples temptingly hanging heavy from the branches, mistletoe in abundance looking stunning high in the trees.  Every one of these, a tonic better than any tablet from a box to cure that headache or any other pain.

I would recommend to anyone to go and find the silence, it’s just the best tonic!