Subscribe to the Only Connect! newsletter before the end of the November 2023 to be in with a chance of winning a copy of Moving Mountains: Writing Nature through Illness and Disability and, for another lucky subscriber, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. Praise for Moving Mountains: ‘An anthology to treasure and return … Continue reading Only Three Days Left…
I'm happy to announce that I'm launching my first newsletter called Only Connect! Novelist E.M. Forster wrote "Only connect!... only connect the prose and the passion... Live in fragments no longer." Nature thrives on connections, networks, healthy ecosystems, symbiotic relationships – and so do we. We are as much a part of the natural world as a bracket fungus, a dandelion or a red kite. I'm passionate about finding simple, meaningful ways to engage with nature in our busy lives and communicating them through prose. My newsletters will explore how we can reconnect … Continue reading Only Connect! Exciting new content!
In today's Guardian country diary, I introduce my kids into the mysterious world of Odonata at Exbury Gardens in the New Forest, where dragons fly and damsels sparkle... (click on image for link). More of my country diaries can be found here.
Yesterday, I took deep breath and read through the proofs of my contribution to the Moving Mountains anthology. I've spent the last couple of days trying to get my head around the publication in October of the first piece I've ever written about living with chronic illness. Writing it was a massive challenge for me. … Continue reading Mustering courage
'Talking about the local landscape and wildlife as part of the Society of Authors contribution to the Hitchin Festival was a wonderful experience. The audience was enthusiastic and responsive, and the session ended with interesting conversations and questions about community-led conservation and how to help wildlife in our gardens.' Nature Writing Workshop Nic's next event … Continue reading Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust Workshop
In today's Guardian country diary, I make friends with a tiny and most unexpected butterfly... (click on image for link). More of my country diaries can be found here. Image credit: Steve Granger
Saying goodbye to a much-loved local landmark and family friend this week in my Guardian country diary... (click on image for link). More of my country diaries can be found here.
Henry VIII falls face-first in the fen and a lone heron stalks the rooftops in my Guardian Country Diary this morning... (click on image for link). More of my country diaries can be found here.
It was my childhood dream to see a hoopoe & today I got to write about it in The Guardian Country Diary. This one’s for you, Dad xx (Click on image for link)
This one's been a long time in the writing & means a great deal to me - tracing my family history from our early shepherding roots living alongside the poet John Clare, through 1920s urban Manchester & into the present day. My thanks to Little Toller's 'The Clearing' for the opportunity to share the story … Continue reading Motherlode