Why thank you. I do think there is so much that could be written about ltts... and isn't. And the buzzard experience was quietly profound, in its way.
You used to live near Frome - how could you bear to leave?
A beautiful unfolding of wonder, Michael. Welcome to the club!
Why thank you, Laura. I hope it inspires others to take a walk and listen.
Why thank you, Richard. Yes, we need hopeful stories right now and this one is plucked from the edge of despair, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. So pleased that more than 13 years after publication it still has impact.
It's important to mark the importance of Black Friday with one of those essentials that every family should have for Christmas.
I would say distance yourself from the words written so that they become an object to be improved rather than part of your psyche to be preserved at all costs. That's perhaps the closest you'll get to having an objective eye on your own writing.
At these moments we do show our age, don't we? Me too. ITV at 1pm, I seem to remember. My favourite spine-tingling passage is when the opening theme reappears in the final movement and flowers gloriously in a higher register. Isn't it marvellous!
Once a fortnight, I go to visit an elderly artist who is now blind to give her company. Yesterday she gave a whoop when she found we share a love of Janacek's Sinfonietta. Life should be full of whoops, don't you think?
Three unprepossessing young adults riding a pony and trap coming this way. I stopped the car and waited to let them pass. One of the lads yelled "Hi fives" and after a second insisted, 'No, hi fives!'. I wound the window down and got a grateful slap. Common courtesy. Meaningful human contact.
So looking forward to chatting to fellow country diarist and author @derekniemann.bsky.social about nearby nature, local landscape & chronic illness at #Heal #Rewilding in #Somerset next Tuesday.
If you're in the #Frome area, do come along and join us! 🦫🐛🦉🦔
www.tickettailor.com/events/healr...
#naturewriting Giddily happy this morning after such a parched, droughty summer to find the soil just a few inches down full of little worms. Earth's little wonders thriving after all this. Such joy.
This is the most exhilarating thing I've read all year. Spread the word. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
What, just what, does the UK's leader of the opposition tell her kids about how she justifies this? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Talking to my bro last night about how we still - nearly three years later - find ourselves thinking 'I must ask mammy about...' again and again. Parents don't die; they just stop answering our questions.
You omitted to mention that you were the most eloquent, passionate interviewee, and you inspired everyone with your commitment and courage. If it was one of the best evenings of your life, you deserved every minute. In an understated way, I say to everyone - "Get this book!"
Hear, hear, Nic. There's enough bile in the world right now without the beautiful blue being turned black too. Let's all remember our humanity and be kind to one another.
Dear Sarah, I'm so sorry for the delay in responding. You must think me very rude. Actually, it's inefficient. I'd lost my bluesky password and now it's refound. Frabjous day! So this is a belated hello and connection.
Best wishes
Derek
Just in case anyone is interested in an online course from Cambridge on creative writing, here are some of the tutors telling more (inc yours truly). Do follow the link: ice-cambridge.my.salesforce-sites.com/events/targe...
The blizzard cleared and I picked my way down the side of the mountain. I wouldn't recommend that ascent. The ravens were short-changed too.
I went in to the fruit and veg shop just now to buy an apple, orange and banana for a homeless lady begging on the street and the young Egyptian guy refused to accept any money for it. Ah, the kindness of people. May his god bless him a thousand times.
Message to the whole of the UK: if you're expecting post, keep expecting. We have just had a basket-full on the doormat including 8 items posted first class in November. News out this week that a fifth of people have stopped sending Christmas cards. Rising prices for falling service.
#naturewriting In ever stormier futures, we'll need to be more acutely aware not just of wind strengths but also changes of direction. Westerly Darragh at 65mph did nothing to our garden; as a 45mph northerly, it flipped a stone-weighted compost bin over two others and gave us a tree decoration.
Thank you. From what I've heard (though never been) it would be hard to beat that. Keep walking!
That's delightful, Jacq. I find that waders are far more confiding on Scotland's outer isles and it sounds like you're having the same experience with the plovers.
Fantastic, James. Seeing one requires such a combination of luck and visual judgement - an ability to see the shape amongst such a cryptic mass. Great stuff!
#naturewriting Guardian country diarists have our annual virtual meeting tomorrow and have two minutes each to give our highlight of the year. Mine to follow on here after the session, but what would yours be for 2024 within the confines of a single tweet?
Well raised, Kit. It doesn't feel right that the big publishing houses should have a monopoly on awards. A good book is a good book and too many are starved of recognition.
The Rubery Prize - international book award seeking the best books by indie writers, self published authors and books published by independent presses.
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Watching leaves shower down from the storm-stressed trees has got us wondering #naturewriting. Once, we'd have seen this as a storm-driven thing. But could it be that trees have sensitivity to high winds and will actually choose to jettison leaves faster and thus reduce the risk of wind-throw?
For me it's a perfect melding of the stories of both people and landscapes, so it's endlessly rewarding to tap into it, both in writing and reading. If anyone has any doubts about its power, read @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social