I had a lot of fun writing about the autumnal netherworld of galls, blisters and lesions... https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/09/country-diary-an-autumnal-netherworld-of-galls-blisters-and-lesions?CMP=share_btn_url
Author: Nic Wilson
Writer, editor, Guardian country diarist
The night air is thick with bats
In today's batty country diary from Fairlands Valley Park in Stevenage, I discover the importance of dark skies for a whole range of flighty nocturnal visitors… (click on image for link). More of my country diaries can be found here.
A young kestrel wings its way into the world
It was a privilege to watch kestrel chicks learning to fly between their church tower nest and nearby trees - an event that's taken place in this secluded spot for 40 (or could it be 400?) years… (click on image for link). More of my country diaries can be found here. My thanks to Steve Granger for … Continue reading A young kestrel wings its way into the world
A covert congregation has gathered in the wood
Watch out! Something furtive's afoot in the woods today in my Guardian country diary today… (click on image for link). More of my country diaries can be found here.
A liquid landscape with a magnetic draw
My quaggy Guardian country diary today comes from the Ouse Washes where the wild swans fly… (click on image for link). More of my country diaries can be found here.
The wood spreads its wings and takes flight
In today’s Guardian country diary, crotchet-tailed puddocks take to the sky en masse... (click on image for link). More of my country diaries can be found here.
Only Three Days Left…
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…
Only Connect! Exciting new content!
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!
The beautiful demoiselle lives up to its name
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.
Mustering courage
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