Wild mountain thyme

Wild thyme, Cheviot Hills, Northumberland

We’re currently on holiday in my native Border area of North Northumberland - historically a place of conflict, bloodshed and general mayhem.

While out walking with our young dog, Percy, we came across these huge cushions of flowering wild thyme. It was a hill we knew well, so we expected to see thyme. We also expected it to be flowering at this time of year. But we were blown away by its abundance, colour and fragrance.

Percy was more interested in the scent of grouse and rabbit – for him, quite a change from the perfumes (and fumes) of South London, I should think.

For me, this is what holidays are all about – reconnecting with nature and with loved ones; opening up our senses and our minds; reminding ourselves of what’s important; regaining perspective; counting blessings; breathing; re-grounding ourselves.

Nothing to do with work or conflict resolution, you might think.

Exactly – that’s the point. But paradoxically, to work effectively and to deal with conflict constructively, it’s essential to leave the workplace from time to time. For many of us, the workplace is no longer just an office or building - it’s mostly in our heads.

So, we don’t just need to get out of the workplace, we need to get the workplace out of us.