The only one

the-only-one

I spied this gorgeously coloured leaf while walking up the green path in the late afternoon. Lying on a damp mat of mushed leaves, this one shone like a gilded emerald and took my breath away. It was the only one, and I wanted you to see it too. Because you are as distinctive as … Read more

Where’s the best fruit?

wheres-the-best-fruit

Talk to the farmers, foragers and growers – they all have their versions of where to find the best fruit. And it’s usually far from the roadside, the place where everyone walks by. It has to be sought for, often in hidden places yet it’s worth it. So what about us, where’s our best fruit? … Read more

Unexpected fruit

unexpected-fruit

Sometimesthe fruit we seekis not thefruit for us. We just thinkit is becauseit’s shinyand attractive. But it’s inthe wrong place. ~ Yesterday morning I spied gorgeous red berries on a holly bush. I was delighted because the hollies in the valley rarely fruit. Yet something wasn’t quite right. This isn’t the time for holly berries. … Read more

Making space for life

making-space-for-life

Joy isn’t the same as happiness. Just as hope isn’t optimism dressed up with positive words. And as the beautiful piece A Love Letter to Melancholy, by Joel Duntin for The Encouragement Manifesto suggests: “… when we lose control, life happens.” Making space in unexpected places.

Finding our joy again

finding-our-joy-again

I’ve been waiting a few weeks until it felt autumn enough to share Gideon Heugh’s playful poem from Devastating Beauty. And from here in the valley, I think the time is now: LINES FOR AUTUMN Leaves make their golden turnunhurried,then in cooler airwaltz to the damp groundand in sweet-scented crowdmake happinessfor wellington boots. Maybe not … Read more

What are we listening for?

what-are-we-listening-for

White noise is the mush of sound that can’t be distinguished. And if we tried listening to everything in our acoustic orbit, we’d be equally overwhelmed. Instead, most of us are intuitively selective in what we hear. We filter things out in the same way we only process part of the light that lands on … Read more