Having to take seven days holiday during the winter months can be a bit of a pain, as the weather is not always kind and is always unreliable. Unfortunately we both have different work patterns meaning I always get more days holiday, as I have to work bank holidays and I don’t get every weekend off.
I don’t tend to do anything special as I’m on my own, so these days are normally spent gardening, cleaning or tidying or just sitting around watching television.
Last Monday was fairly pleasant, so while my wife worked from home, I decided to get out into the garden. I had two new pots to plant up and plenty of pruning and cutting back to do and I even managed to cut most of the lawns, though it was well saturated in places.
When we lived in Silver End, I had plenty of creative ideas and drive, but now we have moved to a house near Braintree that doesn’t as yet have a boundary fence, the drive has wained a little, so I just stick to cutting the lawn and planting in pots.
On Tuesday there was very little sunshine, so I spent most of the day indoors. I watched two episodes of Inspector Morse first, then got to work, tidying up in the house, sorting the laundry before heading upstairs to decorate the bathroom.
Living in an old house, it’s fairly cold and it does suffer from damp in certain parts of certain rooms. In the bathroom above the window for example, there always seems to be condensation and it had gone, slightly discoloured.
We had some anti mould paint in the cupboard and this seems to have done the trick, although we are now thinking about changing the colour scheme,too.
Wednesday, was a restful day, it began early watching “A Picture of Britain” narrated by David Dimbleby.
Afterwards I felt a need to go out, so I grabbed my camera donned some clothes and headed out looking for daffodils.
I hadn’t got far when I saw some near the village hall, I ventured on going around 5 miles in a round trip that encompassed Blackmores End, Beazley End and Bocking before returning home and shooting some daffodils. Back to work tomorrow, just for two days then we’re off to the Isle of Wight for three.
Why am I a naturist, why do I like living without clothes ? : It’s a question that’s pretty simple to answer, it’s the comfort, liberating feel and the total freedom which can be enjoyed during the summer and all the year round.
Given that we do live in England the weather is not always sunny and warm so it is not possible to be naked 24/7 365 days straight, especially in winter time. It is possible though to enjoy quality clothes free time during those months, just for shorter periods.
I’ve been naturist for over 30 years but it’s only been the last 13 that we (my darling wife and I) have been able to enjoy it regularly together and with others.
I have though enjoyed being naked for nearly 50 years and have slept naked for almost as long, I suppose being naked is second nature to me a practice that infact must be inbread in human, but suppressed by society, as something that is wrong and something should be forbidden. To be honest doesn’t everyone like being naked ?
The first time I enjoyed being clothes free outdoors was probably swimming in the Mediterranean while on holiday in the 1970s with my parents.
Discreetly slipping of my swimming trunks for a short while, enjoying the freedom of skinny dipping for a short while, before returning to the beach, trunks back in place. Didn’t we all do this at some point ?
The next time was probably at home in daytime or in the evening, when everyone else had gone out, during the late 1970’s / early 1980’s. I seriously began to think about clothes free living and the enjoyment of it, while reading about the care free times of the late 1960s and in particular the Woodstock Festival in 1969.
With its origins may be traced to social movements in the 19th and early 20th century some of the hippie ethos resonated with me from an early age.
Non violent and peace loving with an influence of spirituality and with its fundamental ethos including harmony with nature, it is something that I still believe in, even to this day.
From those days in the early 1980s I just couldn’t understand and still don’t just what was and still is peoples hang up with the human body in its natural form.
Over the past decade we’ve (my darling wife and I) have attended naturist conferences, been to naturist gatherings inside and outside, visited beaches and campsite, gone hiking, as well as visited and stayed at several naturist clubs.
We also own a cabin “Cabinchaletshed” at another naturist club in Essex. In recent years we’ve been on naturist holidays abroad and during the years surrounding and including the “Covid Pandemic Years” enjoyed quality naked time tending to our garden at home.
As I grow older I realise what things are important and what things aren’t and what should be discarded, physical things as well as mental baggage. Naturism helps me to do this and is something that is ‘non sexual’ and ‘pure’ when enjoyed in nature, it’s enjoyable too all the year round.
Hot tub dipping is enjoyable, just as cold water dipping is as well, hot air environments, such as saunas and steam rooms are cleansing and soothing, and ice cold air blasts outside during the cold month’s can refresh you just as much.
I can think clearly about life now, enjoy the natural things in the world, take from it so much more, than I can from things like alcohol and just enjoy life as it is supposed to be enjoyed naturally.
Naturism advocates a lifestyle and philosophy of living, in harmony with nature, emphasizing self-acceptance and respect for others through being free from clothing related societal norms and it is something that I agree with. Exploring naturism, nature and meditation provides peaceful wellbeing and good karma too .
Why Not ! : Why not try naturism for yourself, join a club, international or national organisation, go to a beach, go for a countryside ramble or just try it at home. Once you get over that first hurdle the hesitation dissappears and you won’t look back.
Fellow naturists will tell you the longer you practice naturism, the more frequent you do it, the happier you will be, the less you will worry and the more content life will become.
Naturism has been in the news recently as people have begun to step away from their normal “hideaways” and endeavour to make it a lifestyle more mainstream than it has ever been before.
Apart from the obvious national organisations breaking naturist news stories, two couples and a naked cyclist have hit the headlines here in the UK and abroad.
Neil Cox and Danielle Quiggan had already enjoyed a cold drink naked in Bristol and that nobody there, had kicked up a fuss at all. The next day the naturist pals visited the Somerset pub and had plenty of eyeballs on them when they walked through the door. The headlines read:
“Diners left ‘outraged’ and ‘appalled’ after naked couple stroll into pub to enjoy meal” the headlines read
As regards to the law in the UK, Naturism is not a criminal offence, with Crown Prosecution Service guidance explaining: “In the case of naturism a balance needs to be struck between the naturist’s right to freedom of expression and the right of the wider public to be protected from harassment, alarm and distress.
Whilst Cox and Quiggan were having their meal, other “alarmed patrons took to TripAdvisor to leave complaints against the pub, with many claiming they had been left ‘speechless’.
This is a typical response from those who still discriminate against Naturists. Comments were left saying : “We expected the bar man to refuse to serve them. There were several families with children in the pub, including ourselves, therefore it was not appropriate for them to be served.”
As well as : “We decided to leave the pub and find somewhere else for dinner in town. Unfortunately another family were not able to as they had already ordered food. “If you advertise as a family pub you should maintain these values.
So this is ok then, if you descriminate against naturists ?
On Tuesday last week Helen Berriman appeared on Good Morning Britain. Naturist Helen joined presenters Ed Balls and Charlotte Hawkins on the programme in a discussion over whether naked sunbathing should be made illegal and appeared on the panel in the nude.
Helen, who is a member of the Naturist Foundation, argued that people should be able to sunbathe naked in public, while Brand and Culture expert Nick Ede said it was a “selfish” thing to do.
“With all the things that are going on in the world at the moment, are we really that bothered about a nude body sunbathing in a quiet corner of a park?” asked Helen. “There’s so much else going on that we could be concerned about.”
Nick Ede disagreed profusely almost child like, arguing that some members of the public might be offended by nudity. “I have issues with it because I think it’s a very selfish thing,” he said. “It’s about you and your empowerment and I completely understand body positivity, which I think is fantastic. But you’re not taking into consideration the other people within that environment, who might be a little bit triggered or find it offensive.” I watched this myself and at time he sounded almost child like, while Helen sounded calm and reasonable.
While some threw in negative comments other viewers, however, applauded Helen for addressing the issue on national television. One person tweeted: “Well done Helen. You did an amazing job presenting your case and I’m sure many more will give naturism a try given how confident you were on national TV,” while another tweeted the naturist, writing: “Congrats and thanks for your outstanding continued support for naturism !”
Both Helen and husband Simon campaign tirelessly for positive changes with regards to naturism, just like the final person I’ll mention Naked Cyclist Stuart Gilmour.
Stuart was seen cycling, as well as filling up his car at a service station, which got reported in the UK press as well as on television in the USA. Stuart said : I’m just a naturist who loves to be able to experience everyday life without the restrictions of clothing he said, promoting body positivity. Embracing the individuality that is our bodies and showing people it’s ok to be different whether that be size, shape or colour and the general wellbeing it can give you.
“Most of all it’s meeting so many new people and making new friends while cycling. If I was clothed no one bothers you, you just ride past, but when in the buff people are just genuinely intrigued and want to know more.
Stuart is a down to earth character, who just like the two couples/friends and most other naturists, myself included just want to go about their Iives unhindered by the constraints of clothes and the frenzy that the world press, try to whip up. The actions of these people and others can only be applauded, as we all endeavour to make the unclothed natural human body something to be accepted as normal and not for naturists /nudists to be branded as some kind of freaks.
For me it’s the freedom to be naked, the cooling breeze, the warm sunshine and the total calmness I feel when I’m in the nude, especially barefoot too, it’s a wonderful feeling. It’s like the burden of life has been lifted from your shoulders and you haven’t a care in the world. It should be for everyone to enjoy freely and lauded openly not hidden away, like it shouldn’t be allowed or is wrong.
We’re now in February and so far things in the garden have been progressing slowly, mainly because of the lack of a boundary hedge or fence and at this point in the property we moved into last April.
Having no boundary means we can really plant anything on that side or even put pots there, of course there is the security issue too.
Having said that I have managed to get into the garden, pulling up the plants that didn’t survive the minus 9.5°C temperatures before Christmas. I’ve also cut the lawn twice, sorted and moved the sheds and also painted and revamped my potting bench.
Last week I managed to cut the lawn for the first time this year, which was surprising as around 3 weeks ago it was waterlogged after the snow and heavy rain around Christmas time. Despite what many people say, you can mow the lawn at almost any time of year providing its not waterlogged. The muddiness you get in spring tends to be worm casts forming on the top and often you’ll see football groundsmen cutting the pitches after matches,all the year round.
My long weekend began around Saturday lunchtime when I finally got my enthusiasm together and headed out into the garden to redesign the top half of my potting bench.
The bench had been an old computer table, which with the aid of some reclaimed pallet wood I’d turned into a potting bench, the summer before covid struck. As it need repainting, I took the opportunity to redesign the top half by removing the top shelf and rebuilding it with more shelves.
The one thing I hadn’t reckoned on was it being heavier at the back, which could see it topple over backwards. I did plan to add legs at the back but seeing how it is up against a fence, I did end up bothering. First job was to add two slats at the back before adding the uprights, four of them before adding the shelves.
Finally I added 5 small planks at the back (these were lying around since we’d moved in) just to give it an artistic touch, before painting it. I used Wickes Ultimate Fence & Shed paint in a fetching grey colour they called Silver Pebble.
Over the next two days I gave it three coats, which transformed it totally. I used a few of bits of the old shelf just to give it character
During the last week or so I’ve collected a few plant, some new, some rescued and late on Monday afternoon I freshened up a few pots and tidied the things behind the fence.
Clothing is not a terrible thing but we use our clothes to hide behind, hiding our humanity and our inner selves . In these difficult times we can all use and spread little more joy and happiness. We can probably find it if we let our naturally flawed bodies see the light of the sun at regular intervals.
Why not ? What fun and freedom we could all enjoy if we simply walked on the free side of life once in a while. Nude is not rude, it is pure and honest . I am proud of all the naturist people I know, who stand up and try to make change happen. I am excited to see where the naturist movement leads us and how liberation can affect us all.
To be in our natural state is just so natural and not artificial and put on. I also believe to know who we really are as humans, we have to go back to the beginning which naturism lets us do and only then do we get know who we really are. Nudity is very good for the body and mind too. Being naked in nature you simply feel part of the wildlife of nature and bound to the soil.
Clothed minorities need to learn and educate themselves with the truth and realise the harm comes from those ignorant people not allowing us to live as we chose. They wouldn’t like being designated to areas and zones for the choice of wearing clothes. We don’t judge, so they shouldn’t judge.
Boundaries need to be pushed and doors need to be opened. Cats and dogs never judge, just simple live naturally, which is what we want. We deal with the same bullying issues like racism, gender victims, etc… I thought people believed in equality for all? That is what we need too.
We shouldn’t be ignored and we won’t be ignored. Its good to see people are saying nudity which is devoid of any sexual connotations is just as ‘normal’ as everything else and should be allowed indoors or outdoors and everywhere else in modern life.
All people should be free from body discrimination by any social media platform should they wishes to display their non sexual nudity media which is created to inform and enlighten and not for titillation.
It's Only Natural 