So just take a moment to allow your eyes to close and allow yourself to begin to relax and as you begin to comfortably fall asleep.
I don't know whether you'll drift asleep faster to the sound of my voice or whether it'll be to the spaces between my words.
And as you comfortably fall asleep I'm just going to tell this bedtime story in the background.
And the morning begins to unfurl slowly,
The sky transforming as the Sun begins to rise.
The world still quiet,
As if perhaps wrapped in the softness of a dream.
The only movement is the serene glide of two adult swans across a river which reflects the glow of the morning sky.
Their long necks curve with such grace,
So gentle.
Each movement sending the laziest ripples across the still water and behind those two adult swans.
The five small cygnets following along,
Their fluffy grey forms bobbing delicately on the water's surface.
As they paddle with hesitant,
Almost jerky movements,
In an awkward kind of way.
Still learning how to copy their parents strokes.
The air is so crisp and fresh and there are trees lining the riverbank with newly green leaves,
Dancing in the breeze.
With spring finally arriving,
Following the memory of winter.
With daisies and buttercups and wildflowers spread through the meadow around the river.
And the scent of those flowers,
The sight of those flowers,
The movement of the grasses as the wind gently tickles the surface of the land.
And as the Sun continues to climb higher into the sky,
The swans continue swimming.
And as those swans swim,
So the sounds of nature envelop them.
The rustling leaves of trees,
The hum of bees,
The soft lapping of water.
Eventually,
As those cygnets continue to grow up,
Summer arrives.
Warming the water,
Filling the landscape with most beautiful light and life stretched everywhere.
The cygnets grey feathers,
Showing hints of white,
As they change towards the swans they'll soon become.
Bees busily visiting different wildflowers,
Birds darting between trees.
The world seeming so alive and vibrant.
Each day stretching so long,
Feeling almost like a day will last forever.
And the swans find themselves absorbed in the rhythm of the day,
While moving so lazily and relaxed through the water.
Finding that water so refreshing under the summer Sun.
And in the summer afternoons,
The swans continue to drift lazily down the river.
Enjoying the tall grasses,
The soft breeze,
The way the air moves across the surface of the water.
And while swimming by the bank of the river,
Their feathers brush against the grasses.
The swans leave the water and head up onto the land.
Waddling along the land,
Exploring the land around this river.
Taking some time to rest on the side of the river,
Almost drifting pleasantly into dreams.
And then as summer continues on,
It passes into autumn.
With days shortening,
A cool nip tickling the air.
Leaves darkening and browning.
And turning more rustly as they hang in the trees.
Before finding their way from the branches to the ground.
The water cooling,
The days shortening.
As the swan family glides across the river,
With deliberate,
Delicate movements.
The landscape around,
Now different to how it looked before.
Leaves surrounding the river bank,
That crunch underfoot.
A certain stillness to the environment.
That helps them sink deeper and more peacefully,
Into the calmness of the moment.
The air becoming more crisp.
As the swans continue to explore their river,
As they have done all year.
Aware of how,
As they glide along the river,
The landscape has changed.
From the lush greens,
To the golden colours and the browns that inhabit the landscape now.
From the long,
Warm days,
To the cool softness of the current days.
And there's something they find magical,
About journeying downstream.
About noticing the way the world around them shifts and changes with time.
As they drift deeper and become more absorbed,
In the beauty of every moment,
Of every day.
Aware of the different bird sounds they've heard,
Through the year.
How these have changed as different birds,
Arrive and leave at different points across the year.
As the sun sinks lower in the sky,
Long shadows cast across the water.
The swans moving in harmony with nature.
Drifting deeper and deeper,
Into the quiet of the environment.
As autumn transitions softly to winter.
With the first snow beginning to fall,
So gracefully and delicately.
With soft wisps of snowflakes,
Gliding down to the ground.
Each flake,
Suspended in a spiral of time.
Descending,
So softly and slowly.
As if considering where the best place to land is.
While the swans continue,
To paddle through the cool water.
Watching the world around them transform,
Like the colour being drained from the landscape,
As the snow falls.
Each snowflake,
Like a tiny star.
Descending in a dreamlike way.
To create the softest blanket of white across this landscape.
The sky,
A comfortable grey.
Blending the horizon,
Between the earth and the sky.
Almost making it feel like the two are connected.
While the swans continue,
To enjoy exploring their river.
And the way their home changes,
Through time.
And the swans,
Step out of the river.
And explore the snowy shore.
The way their wide feet,
Leave soft impressions in that untouched snow.
Their steps,
Not sinking in quite as deep as they imagined they would.
The air so still,
So peaceful.
As if time itself,
Is standing still.
As if the world is drifting deeper and deeper into its own dream.
The swans exploring in an unhurried way.
And as winter continues on,
So the edge of the river.
Begins to develop,
A little area of ice.
And the swans are large enough.
That their bodies,
Can break that ice with ease.
The way it cracks,
As they lean against it.
Or if they step on it.
The water feeling thicker.
As the coldness of the environment sets in.
But the swans being unbothered,
By the experience,
Just enjoying the changes.
Enjoying this new world,
With a deep sense of curiosity.
And as night unfolds.
And the moon rises.
Casting its silvery glow across the landscape.
The swans glide effortlessly,
Across the river.
Each stroke continuing to,
Send gentle ripples out.
Across this river,
To the shore.
Having a sense,
That their movement and presence.
Is sending ripples out,
Through time.
And they glide through the water,
With such harmony and ease.
Feeling a sense of peace and tranquility.
And stillness around them.
And then the swans,
Find the perfect place to settle down.
And they leave the river.
Find that sheltered spot.
Tuck themselves in.
Tuck their heads,
Under their wing.
Huddled together for warmth and comfort.
Before closing their eyes.
Considering how the next stage is another spring.
And they'll all probably go their separate ways.
And find new families.
As they relax down.
Huddle up.
And drift and float.
So peacefully and relaxed asleep.
Into slumberland.
