For a while this month, I seemed to lose my voice, online at least. I took a break from Facebook and Twitter, preferring to watch the blackthorn bloom and fade then bud and leaf, than be bombarded by notifications and newsreels. I’ve taken to standing beside the car for a moment before heading out on …
Coast
When I visit the coast it is almost always in the winter. I love the empty loneliness of the beach then, the way it feels as though you have miles of linear space that is just your own. It is the wildness that is most inspiring though; the white and silver flashes of gull or …
What to Look for in Nature – April, Part 2
In April, there is so much happening in the natural world. If any month surely deserves two editions of ‘What to look for’ blog posts it is this one! In ‘What to Look for in Nature – March & April’ (published March 16th 2018) we looked at the signs that spring was gaining momentum; frogspawn …
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Little April Shower
If March is the month of winds and the last snows, April is certainly the month of showers. So far this year, in my little corner of Sussex at least, it has been a cold, wet spring. Following the thaw that swelled the ditches with melt water and liquified within the ground to create sodden …
Blackthorn Winter
It has felt like we have been poised on the cusp of the seasonal change for weeks. The cold weather we associate with winter lingered long into the 3rd calendar month of the year, and according to the weather forecast, hasn't yet been completely banished to the mysterious artic north. But snow isn't just a …
Patch Watch: February 15th, Bumblebee and Bullfinches
I have taken to walking often on the heathland. I leave work for an hour at lunchtime, follow the path through the wood and cross the busy main road. As soon as the gate clunks shut softly behind me, I am in a different world. For a short time I can put all thoughts of …
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Patch Watch: What a Lot of Wellie-Weather!
After a relatively dry 2017, the first month of the new year seems to be excited to have discovered rain, and has been enthusiastically demonstrating this day after day. Few bright days have punctuated the curtains of rain, but when they have, they have been glistening gems. We may complain about the wet weather, but …
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SFN Journal – Autumn Almanac: Windblown and Washed Out
I have fallen behind somewhat with this seasonal diary, drifting off in a similar fashion to the way autumn is sinking into the soil under the weight of winters approach. After the first flush of inspiration that came on the winds that turned the leaves to crisp flowerings of golden hues, I have been feeling …
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SFN Journal – Autumn Almanac: The Day The Sky Turned Autumn
Monday afternoon had everybody talking. It was that same old topic that British folk are famously obsessed with - the weather. When it comes to weather, the ability of our island's maritime climate to bring four seasons in one day means we tend to think nothing can surprise us. I'm not sure where I first …
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Sussex Field Notes 