There is nothing I like better than to be spending my time outdoors. Walking, running, gardening, observing..as long as it happens outside, generally, I am happy.

I am easy that way because outside is, well.. just outside. What has become a problem in the recent years for me though, is that this new environment where I find myself in, that is Belgian Flanders, is making outdoorsiness less appealing.

My immediate outdoors environment has deteriorated in quality. Not only is the air quality only moderate, there is always noise from traffic and industry,  dog poop and trash anywhere I go. Not to mention, I am never alone wherever I go as there are just so many people on this small parcel of land.

And, once you enter a forest, you need to stay on the marked paths to protect the little nature that is left.

But I don´t want to sound too negative. These are the cards I have been dealt and I will make the best of what I have for now.

This blog is, therefore, a form of therapy to someone who loves the great outdoors. It is also a contribution and my way to fight against the indoorsy culture that is making us sick, obese and unhappy.

As we say in the north: there is no bad weather, only incorrect clothing. That is what this blog is trying to promote:  the life outside, with or without kids, exploring nature near and far, urban and wild, in rain or shine.

This blog is also a place for documenting my experiences as  Forest Mind  guide  and a place to record my observations and notes (messy and incomplete, maar swat) at the Gentbos, which is part of my nature guide training, that lead to a certificate from the Natuurpunt CVN in December 2016.

I am also linking here the more serious big sister of Outsider,  NatureMinded, which is a consultancy started by us, myself and a friend of mine, Dr.Yannick Joye. NatureMinded, as you will later read, aims to spread the word about nature´s health benefits in our urban lives through different kinds of big and small projects.

I will be writing mostly in English, but occasionally drop words in my native Finnish and my third language and the language of my new home, Flemish.

Glad to have you reading 🙂

K