In Vashti Bunyan’s Wayward I came across the concept of ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ dogs, which I pursued to the back teeth of the internet (where people see their dead dogs in cloud formations) because I’ve now had two. I hopefully did them proud in this piece for The Times. Read here.
For The Fence I wrote about a what I thought was going to be a wildlife cruise while on honeymoon in Cuba. I had been reading Moby Dick the night before and all was not what I had expected. Read here.
For The Guardian I wrote about the ritual ‘Turning of the Stone’ in my local village – an ancient ritual that occurs every November 5th.
I wrote about life on a 3 mile long, 1/2 mile wide island during a four month lockdown; learning about interspecies interconnection and when it’s time to leave something you love for Vogue. Read Here.
I wrote about the changing of the clocks for The Guardian Country Diary
For The Guardian, I wrote about how the rural housing crisis has been exacerbated by the pandemic. This stretches all the way from Devon and Cornwall to the Hebrides. It’s so much worse than I thought it was, and I knew it was bad. Second homes have become a major problem—if you have a second home in an area where there’s a housing crisis you should be renting it (affordably) to the people who are currently being made homeless. Let’s hope something changes, fast. To read it, click here.
I think this might be one of my favourite pieces I’ve written. I wrote about the fallen raven chick I thought was a rook and adopted, Rookie the raven. About how the strong bonds we create with our pets (whatever they may be) means they are usually our first, lasting experience of deep emotion. Also featuring strange pets and extravagant funerals from Percival Everett, Virgil and Mozart. Read here.
Me and Rookie the Raven
The wild rose was the first rose, and every rose that exists now is a descendent of that first wild rose… Read the whole thing here
December is a time of giving and nature gives the greatest gifts of all. Read the whole newsletter here.
Did you know there are more than 20,000 kinds of edible plants in the world? That’s more than even the keenest chef could experiment with during World Vegan Month this November. Read the whole newsletter here.
