In many ways it has been a long hard slog to reach autumn this year, whilst navigating all of the various restrictions and knock-on implications of the pandemic. However, I've not been resting on my laurels, having been busy with a number of writing and proof-editing projects over the summer months, many of which have … Continue reading Autumn Update

In March 2019, I submitted an entry to the Arts and Humanities Research Council's spring nature diary -- you can see my blog post about it here. A year on, a selection of the entries have been collated into the Writes of Spring and I am delighted to have had my entry included. You can access … Continue reading Spring Nature Diary publication

Bird Watching magazine has published a recent interview with yours truly in their March 2020 issue.  

I recently read an article about the subject of English in schools and how it is currently being taught. It seems that in recent years there has been a revival of a blinkered focus on grammar and technical ‘jargon’ to the detriment of creativity, which is leading in turn to fewer people writing.  I am … Continue reading The making of a writer

Time: human-made. Measured in hours and minutes.  Rather a strange construct in many ways when you think about it. So many of us live our lives ‘clock watching’. Defining our days and activities in accordance with the hours-and-minutes version of time. In my experience, this kind of human-made time often equals stress and pressure. A … Continue reading It’s time – the eleventh hour

I took a stroll along our lane this afternoon. The gloomy morning sloped off after lunch to be replaced by a raw heat that churned the sky milk-blue and rinsed vibrancy from the vegetation.  Beyond a row of silent ash trees, the lane rolled steeply downhill, whereby the dry stone walls were exchanged for open … Continue reading Awash with butterflies

Although I limit my paper usage to the bare essentials, I have the potential to be a bit of a stationery geek. I just love the feeling of opening a new notepad; the sense of anticipation as the pen hovers over the unblemished page, and the self-imposed pressure that what I am about to write … Continue reading Nature Diary

Having run a number of ecology training workshops over the years, it is really exciting to launch an online series of presentations. The first few represent the areas I have been asked to provide advice and training on in recent years. My first presentation relates to report writing. The ability to produce a report that … Continue reading Online Ecology Presentations

The Arts and Humanities Research Council and the LandLines research team, supported by the National Trust, Natural England and the Field Studies Council, invited nature lovers to create a crowd-sourced spring nature diary. Each entry could be no more than 150 words; here's a copy of mine... It’s not to daylight that I look for … Continue reading Spring diary

"Afternoon was beginning to slide into dusk when Ember and Barley made their way back to the barn. The field felt quieter compared to their earlier visit, when it was alive with the buzz of insects. A blackbird sang a sweet solo from a nearby tree – a love song to the setting sun; its … Continue reading Book update

On a brazen autumn day, I stepped off the train at Richmond Station accompanied by three friends. Leaving the warm carriage behind us, we pulled on thick gloves and zipped up winter coats, to halt the chill breeze. We were buoyed up with anticipation. After a short bus journey and a stroll through leafy suburbs, … Continue reading Connecting people with nature – roots

Until relatively recently, the guidance was sparse in relation to ecology report writing. The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management have worked hard over the last few years to provide guidance documents to cover the technical reports that commonly accompany planning applications. In addition, a British Standard Institution publication (BS 42020:2013 Biodiversity. Code of … Continue reading How to improve your ecology report writing

Leaving the car, parked beside the reservoir, we set off across the road bridge towards the dark expanse of woodland. The valley funnelled the wind into a crescendo of gusts that battered our forms and whipped the water below into a churning grey mass. After the summer heatwave, the reservoir was a shadow of its … Continue reading Wintry woodland walk

I was twelve years old when my sister presented me with a diary for my birthday. I can still remember the excitement and wonder that I felt, looking down at the object in my hand. It had a drawing of a cartoon rabbit (frolicking in a rainbow'd world) splashed across the cover, but the words, … Continue reading Secret diary

Simply stunning start to the day as the fields cocooning the house, blushed with pleasure at the scarlet sunrise. I set out early for a walk with my four-pawed companion. The heavy air wound around our shoulders, wrapping us in the season’s earthy scents. The trees across the valley have reached a crescendo of colour. … Continue reading Autumnal magic