The weather is always a topic of conversation in countries like England where the weather is so changeable and often seems unpredictable. A weather diary is interesting from a scientific point of view and you might wish to get technical -note the wind direction, learn the names of cloud formations, note the temperature. You may … Continue reading Whatever the weather
Tag: nature
Technical Terms
You may have already found that you need to know more about flowers or birds or slugs or insects to help you identify them. Sometimes the difference between one tree and another is down to the shape of a leaf or the colour of a bud. It can be tricky! In order to use an identification … Continue reading Technical Terms
Naming the land
When we know a place well, we have our own local names for streets and landmarks. In our village, where there is a ‘Front Street’, many people call the parallel street, ‘Back Street’, even though it has a quite different name on the street sign. There is a Mill Road [though the mill no longer … Continue reading Naming the land
Up close
I have been digging up weeds in my garden and I have been learning about worms. They are amazing creatures, moving tons of earth every year, adding nutrients to the soil and making drainage holes that allow minerals to run deep into the ground and feed the plants that grow there. Yet there is very … Continue reading Up close
Looking for good stuff
Here is another post based on the Scraps book by Lois Ehlert. She tells us how she finds inspiration all around her and she goes out looking for ‘good stuff’. The good stuff could be materials for a collage that could turn into a story. These leaves remind me of her story Leaf Man. In Britain there … Continue reading Looking for good stuff
Magnifying glass
The poet, Alice Oswald, often places walking at the centre of her writing. She walks the distance of the rivers she has written about – the Rover Dart, the Severn – and she walks in the lanes around her Devon home. Last week, when asked what she had been doing during this time of enforced isolation, … Continue reading Magnifying glass
Walk with a preposition
The artist, Richard Long, makes walking an art form. He documents the walks he takes in words and photographs. He often builds structures or carries stones from place to place, leaving then at points along the way. He once walked from the west to the east coast of England, picking up a stone from the … Continue reading Walk with a preposition
The Things That I Love about Trees
Using a first person narrative, this beautiful picture book works it way through the seasons telling its readers what is special about trees throughout the year. The pages also hold snippets of information which link to the main text. Although it is not technically part of the Nature Storybooks series by Walker Books, it follows … Continue reading The Things That I Love about Trees
Walk maps
Many of us walk the same route every day, it might be the walk to school and back, a trip to the corner shop or the regular dog walk. We may not always take the same route, but we may always go to the same place. The Dutch artist, herman de vries walks in a … Continue reading Walk maps
Nature’s words
If you're not yet familiar with the nature writing of Robert Macfarlane then you should get to know it. Macfarlane is a genius at combining two of my favourite things: nature and words. Not just in prose form but he is also a serious collector of lesser-known words for landscapes and the natural world. In … Continue reading Nature’s words
Writing Box 