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Carve Your Own Spoon (#ulink_3931c669-4d3f-5a4b-82c3-cbed3f6f0470)
Catch a Falling Leaf (#ulink_dc565b0a-00d0-50ab-adb2-acbc99244669)
Conkers (#ulink_d1b779f1-766b-5bcb-830c-864cc561b253)
Colour Wheel (#ulink_82924bc3-0c84-5b28-9d78-1ed41bbdc376)
Hedging Your Bets (#ulink_791e77af-49ba-58e8-aead-9c55c3d5581e)
Acorn Coffee (#ulink_4dd5ca04-ee22-5443-a143-51a1fde34f25)
Stripping the Willow (#ulink_bd0f92ae-e7d1-5c37-8ff7-0d4307d8123c)
Barking (#ulink_31f3d5d4-758b-51b1-a627-a56491ab5787)
Swing Time (#ulink_6d5df604-9963-5a14-a0f0-690aaecc832a)
How to Wield an Axe (#ulink_e40ca9e9-2685-5fdd-9bfd-76f1e776d43b)
Stumped (#ulink_f0550cf2-c566-5951-88c7-b69a552f655b)
Around the Fire (#ulink_f49140a9-2ee0-5f85-a2e5-44546f911526)
— Feather —
Feather Light (#ulink_6109fb6b-8c23-59ae-aa8c-a93ee87ee72d)
Write Like Shakespeare (#ulink_e610c110-872c-548c-814f-7d666b7d5ef2)
Wake Up with the Dawn Chorus (#ulink_79d1d940-1a18-5fe0-b9a8-7890d8af453a)
Bird Language (#ulink_f04bafeb-24b2-53f3-9f7a-9249eebca787)
Make Your Own Bird Feeder (#ulink_4448b476-a74e-527f-9051-e1829610172e)
Pecking Orders (#ulink_e01509a5-ede9-5ad3-b375-3b57aea086d7)
You’re on the List (#ulink_714836e3-2718-5ba8-8648-01921a957726)
DIY Nest Box (#ulink_68d227a5-05d5-5bae-ba51-eeaaa9a4571a)
A Song of Your Own (#ulink_f7a42cb2-0e7d-5fbf-be02-c79e958b3d3b)
A Mischief of Magpies (#ulink_5b8c2de5-498a-5f68-a03d-3a90524f3650)
Living the High Life (#ulink_1dc125d8-cb7a-505c-b448-b0dc0ba3763a)
Great Bird Spectacles (#ulink_31948d3d-464e-5344-b753-3aa127dc3fbf)
Birds of a Feather (#ulink_e60ab2a6-7a4e-5914-8406-2108098b1d70)
The Inner Compass (#ulink_2487e522-22c5-5998-af2c-fec4bb97cc84)
Birds of Prey (#ulink_99486e94-e585-5d2e-b383-f1a216dd0699)
Lark or Owl? (#ulink_5180a87f-beb5-598a-b79c-3f285d048679)
Eavesdropping on Skylarks (#ulink_fc30d478-906a-5776-adad-5e98487dbfe2)
Pellet Power (#ulink_e57e5a31-da1a-54f7-a283-8bb90b53f773)
— Fur —
Train Spotting (#ulink_b3e7db1d-c086-5b44-a4be-d9e647f3899f)
Wild Visitors (#ulink_408f84df-5bf0-5d06-9ec5-235df443aa6b)
Invite the Neighbours to Dinner (#ulink_fd6ef868-1d1e-5571-98dd-f62c53dc7531)
Making Tracks (#ulink_b4258f69-aac7-53d9-900a-772dc72edd58)
Create an Animal Highway (#ulink_0370b69b-8d05-5b97-8f41-c94f87a776d6)
Badger Watching (#ulink_8fc30dab-1e19-5dd3-96ea-93430aa72130)
Nutting (#ulink_31ef264f-a9cb-55d4-82ca-b387ed1b7386)
Rabbits and Hares (#ulink_799eaaf5-7a1e-50a4-b4d3-44f516ba8edb)
Wild Indoors (#ulink_dfbbb43b-7112-5504-91ef-ded53dc6181c)
How to Catch a Mouse (#ulink_0ef2682c-7146-58d1-8568-c51c636b1142)
Well Groomed (#ulink_e0495140-ef95-54ba-94e4-8cd2bdab6d8b)
The Art of Camouflage (#ulink_023447fb-f724-5113-a168-1f0173ea0e52)
Cows Together (#ulink_0313bfb2-017a-5370-8843-97ea10569439)
Heaven Scent (#ulink_e457f578-55d4-5614-b8c1-bf958ab7c371)
Burrowing Down (#ulink_966668ad-81c7-53a9-846c-771bb44794d9)
Mole in a Hole (#ulink_6933afb2-5b89-5bc9-8f8c-73bf473c0baf)
Pop! Goes the Weasel (#ulink_0a3e4a52-fd88-5c96-83ae-ca8f11b44b7d)
Bats (#ulink_db1237d9-373d-5ffe-bc96-d86d0abffe11)
Night Shift (#ulink_a0af7b25-9283-51a0-b7e3-bc566aa03ba0)
In Conclusion – A Beginning … (#ulink_5ec4ec9f-dc92-560f-8b5e-e64e04197d0c)
Further Reading (#ulink_d365d000-e8b0-56af-88a3-f5a0aa1db153)
Acknowledgements (#ulink_d345addf-bd80-57a2-bcc7-c2397e348007)
About the Author (#ulink_76019110-6e54-5148-b817-b86227dc83c9)
About the Publisher
Introduction (#ulink_f0b908ff-f469-5da8-8ebd-ba37f97fbbf8)
First, a confession – I’ve never been to the Serengeti to marvel at lions. Nor have I witnessed a sunset in the Australian outback, or swum with brilliantly coloured fish over a coral reef. Yet I still remember one of the first times I saw a creature in the wild that made me gasp out loud.
I was sitting on the back of a motorbike at the time, riding pillion at 65 mph. And the creature that caught my eye was a buzzard, waddling across a field by the side of the road. It wasn’t soaring, swooping or doing anything particularly impressive. Most probably it was grubbing about for worms. But I was left buzzing at the thought that such a large bird of prey could exist, free to wander where it liked, within a couple of hours’ drive from London.
Today I live in the countryside and am surrounded by footpaths, green fields and woodland. And each time I step outside I’m struck again by the amazing variety of life – animals, insects, fungi and plants – that surrounds us.
But you don’t have to live in the countryside to experience that sense of wonder. Wherever your home and wherever you find yourself – suburb or seaside, tower block or terrace – you too are surrounded by living, breathing, growing beings, be they trees, bees or woodlice.
All the suggestions in this book are designed to help you create your own sense of connection with the natural world. If you’re drawn to this idea, you probably know intuitively that spending time in nature can be good for us. There’s a growing body of scientific evidence in support of nature’s many health benefits, from helping us destress and find calm, to strengthening the immune system and fighting disease, improving memory and creativity, and grounding ourselves in the present moment.
Most of the activities can be enjoyed at any time of year, although a few, such as nutting, are dependent on the seasons. Throughout this journal you’ll find plenty of inspirational quotes from great nature writers, and you’re invited to add to these by jotting down your own thoughts, ideas, sketches and observations in a notebook.
Other than being mindful of safety – for instance, when handling sharp tools – there are no firm rules. Be kind and give yourself permission to try things out, adapting them in whatever way suits you. Follow your instincts. Some of the ideas might be a better fit for you than others, or need a bit of adapting depending on the circumstances; nobody is going to judge you on the results.
When you do venture out and about in the natural world, please keep your wits about you and respect the environment. Be mindful that, as the poet Tennyson said, nature can be ‘red in tooth and claw’. If you go walking and don’t want to get lost, take a map (and keep a wary eye out for cows – more people are killed by cattle in the UK than tigers, that’s for sure). If you want to try wild swimming, check that you can get out of the water as easily as you can hop in. While some of the suggestions in this book might seem a little like child’s play, the intention isn’t to treat nature like a recreation ground, without any thought for other animals, plants and people; it’s about rediscovering the playful sense of curiosity and calm wonder that spending time in nature can nurture.
This journal isn’t a spotter’s guide and won’t, for example, tell you the weight of a robin’s egg or give you the Latin name of the common frog. If, however, your curiosity is piqued, perhaps you’ll go on to do a bit of research of your own. You might like to record your findings, whatever shape they take, in a notebook. And who knows what that might be – scientific insights, lines of poetry or quick sketches of things that catch your eye?
This much I can tell you: there’s a whole beautiful wild world out there, right on your doorstep, just waiting to be discovered. And it’s time to make yourself truly at home in it.
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The Earth is our home in the solar system, and the soil beneath our feet. If you ever feel disconnected from your surroundings, go outside and stand barefoot for a moment or two, take a couple of deep breaths and focus on the uneven surface under your soles and toes. If you’d prefer to ground yourself by getting your hands dirty, try foraging for wild foods or consider growing your own. Perhaps build a wormery. Or walk somewhere new that leads you into the past.
Create a sense of rootedness and belonging wherever you find yourself by familiarising yourself with the smells, sights and tastes that surround you. Discover the plants that thrive against the odds and hidden wildlife.
Welcome yourself back to where you belong.
‘Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.’
HENRY DAVID THOREAU (1817–1862), Walden
Being Here (#ulink_5093b76b-de5a-53b5-b97a-c4af42985fc3)
Choose a place that you can visit easily. It could be your garden or balcony, an allotment or stretch of hedgerow, perhaps a park bench or even the corner of a car park. Somewhere you can go and sit or stand without being disturbed for a few minutes; turning off your phone will help. Don’t worry about being stared at; most people are too busy with their own stuff to notice if you sit quietly. (Of course, if you do want others to give you a wide berth, you could try singing the national anthem at the top of your voice; that should work.)
Mark out an area that’s about 1 metre, or an arm span, square. Think of it as a pillar that stretches from the ground up into the sky. Now focus.
What can you see?
What do you hear, smell or sense?
Is there anything in particular that delights you?
Or is there anything that disgusts you?
How does the air feel on your skin, on your face, ears and hands?
Can you hear bird calls or the sounds of animals?
What insects are crawling or flying around you?
What other creatures might have passed this way?
What difference do you make, being here now?
And what difference might you make, without disturbing the habitat of any creatures that live here? Could you tend to the plot in some way, perhaps by clearing away litter?
Repeat to yourself: ‘I belong here.’
You are part of it all.
If you like, why not return here once a day or once a week for a month? Make a note of your changing observations as time passes.
‘Come forth into the light of things,
Let Nature be your teacher.’
William Wordsworth (1770–1850), ‘The Tables Turned’
A Map of Smells (#ulink_16688b56-c43e-5696-b3c6-9f4c25c9aee4)
If you’re ever out and about, and come across a spot used by a fox to scent-mark its territory, you’ll find the odour hard to ignore: so strong and musky, it can often be smelt even if you’re driving past in a car with the windows shut.
There’s a particular corner in the middle of the village where I live that always smells of fox. Mind you, the village as a whole often smells of muck-spreading and cows, so there are probably people who crinkle their noses at the entire place as they drive past. I guess I don’t notice the whiff as much as visitors do; it’s just what I’m used to. But I don’t think we should underestimate the power of smell when it comes to making sense of our surroundings, or how important smell is in stoking our impressions and memories of a place.
Here’s a suggestion. On a warm day, when scents are likely to be strong, or after a shower of rain, why not tune into your sense of smell and make an olfactory map? You can do this either on foot, scribbling down notes as you go, or, if travelling by some other means, maybe on a sketch when you get home. What strikes you? Which smells are familiar and which are unexpected? Pungent or pleasing? Plant, animal or mineral?
Once you have tuned into your sense of smell, you might be surprised by just how much you pick up, and how important those smells are in shaping your relationship with a place.
Good Enough to Eat (#ulink_f97c12e1-98c1-56c2-8080-e34c833f9c18)
Few things taste as delicious as blackberries picked straight from the hedgerow or an apple plucked from the tree. Likewise, it can be hugely rewarding to grow your own food or forage for your dinner.
If you do decide to go foraging, please make sure you have expert advice about whatever it is that you choose to gather. The consequences of eating that tasty-looking mushroom (which turns out to be poisonous) or the pip of a plump yew berry, for instance, are just too dire to contemplate.
