Wellbeing
Plant a Tree for the Jubilee
Plant a Tree for the Jubilee. ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee’ is an initiative to mark Queen Elizabeth II platinum jubilee, when we will be celebrating her 70 years on the throne. Schools, individuals, companies and anyone who wants to join in can plant a tree and highlight Britain’s ancient woodlands and trees. Groups…
Read MoreSoundscapes Wellbeing Project
The Soundscapes Wellbeing Project is a collaboration between Exeter University and the BBC. For many of us getting out into the countryside is not an option at the moment. Living in urban areas can mean the sounds of nature are difficult to hear sometimes. Can listening to the sounds of nature digitally really improve our…
Read MoreA Sense of Place the Downlands
A Sense of Place Seeking a sense of place, a home, is something many of us strive for. When the eminent nature writer, Robert Mcfarlane wrote in his book ‘Landmarks’, that to be parochial is a good thing, he meant for us to use the term in its true sense of the word. That is…
Read MoreThe Importance of Gardening For Our Wellbeing
The Importance of gardening. There can be no doubt that the British are a nation of gardeners. Even if we don’t have a garden of our own to attend we like to watch gardening programmes and visit open gardens. The importance of gardening in these tricky times cannot be undersetimated. In March 2020, during one…
Read MoreLet Nature Be Your Teacher
Let Nature Be Your Teacher. The poem by Wordsworth ‘The Tables Turned’, urges us to leave our books and look to nature to teach us. While so many of us, young and old are hunched over devices and books, it is a timely reminder to get outside. Even a five minute walk outside with phone…
Read MoreAnimal Tracks Trails and Signs
Walk out to check out animal tracks, trails and signs. Advent Calendar 7 How can you turn a family walk in Winter into an exploratory adventure? Get everyone looking for animal tracks, trails and signs. Walking in Winter time gives us all the opportunity to see things that are harder to spot in Summer. In…
Read MoreThe Progress of the Sloe Gin
Sloe gin, from bush to bottle. It’s still not too late to gather the sloes from the Blackthorn bushes. They have had a couple of frosts so are perfect for making the perfect Sloe gin. Remember the longer you leave it to mature the better it will taste. The abundance of sloes this year tempted…
Read MoreSlow Down For Trees
Slow Down for Trees. Most of us love a walk in woodlands. The swell of woodland birdsong in Spring, the smell of woodland decay in the Autumn, the noise of wind rushing through branches in Winter, a woodland provides a rich broth for the senses but it’s time to slow down and observe individual trees…
Read MoreHoping for a Wildflower Meadow
To cut or not to cut? Every year I find myself in a right old pickle. We grow a two acre field of grasses and meadow flowers, not for hay making but purely for the joy of watching the profusion of animals that visit it throughout the year. We wanted to establish as many native…
Read MoreThe Importance of Bees
The importance of British Bees. The importance of bees and the need to call a halt to their current demise is a complex problem. It will have escaped few peoples notice that there has been an overall decline in the number of British bees over the last fifty years or so and that this pattern…
Read MoreWalking in the Rain. Why it is so good for us.
Why it’s good to walk in the rain. Walking in the rain is one of life’s positive activities. For every hot and sun drenched walk in the baking days of July give me two in soft Autumn rain. So although we all look out of the window on a drizzly wet day and feel gloomy,…
Read MoreGrow an Oak Tree
Make this the year to grow an oak tree. 2020 has been a unlike any other and sometimes it can be hard to find the positive things. Make 2020 the year you grow an oak tree. So many of us have looked to nature and the natural world to gives us a sense of reassurance…
Read MoreMaking Hawthorn Syrup
Hawthorn Syrup, a Winter pick you up. Homemade hawthorn syrup is Autumn packed into a bottle. Mindful of leaving haws on the trees for the birds, the hawthorn berry syrup benefits us as well. They are beloved by many of our birds, including blackbirds, thrushes, fieldfares and many smaller finches. Watch as these birds swallow…
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