

- Sep 27, 2015
11 Good (Nature) Writing Habits
I’m afraid I can’t remember where I first read these or who wrote them, or even if I might have added one or two points myself. I have them hand written on a piece of paper which stands on the ledge of my roll-top desk, between my TODAY pebble and my sand dollar. When I look up from my laptop, there they are, gently reminding me of what I should be doing. I offer them again here, with some additional thoughts: 1. Be observant. And mindful of details. Peoples’ expressions, the


- Sep 20, 2015
A Child's Right to Hands-On Nature
According to David Attenborough, all children have an affinity for nature. I agree with him. I think we are all born with the desire to understand our fellow creatures. Unless taught by adults to fear insects, or frogs, or lizards, children are likely to be trusting and to regard these animals without judgement. Sadly, it’s as we grow older that our curiosity and awe often wanes, to be replaced by suspicion. My husband and I have two kids, aged 10 and 11.5, both still enthral


- Sep 17, 2015
Ivory Is Not Art
A while back I wrote a poem in praise of African elephants entitled Without You. I had doubts about its technical merits but the sentiment behind it was heartfelt. I decided to post it on my Nature Bytes blog and then I shared it on my Facebook writer page. An artist based in Michigan, Patty Roby, saw my poem and asked if she could use the last stanza to create a wooden indoor decorating sign to sell on her Etsy site, with all profits going to WildAid, an organization we both


- Sep 14, 2015
Electric
Some months back, on a Sunday morning, my dog added his outdoor voice to those of my bickering kids and told me something was wrong. I stomped downstairs, unlocked the back door, and became aware of a chittering between Pip’s excited barks. I have tried to render the story of what followed in a poem, because the encounter seemed to me to merit poetic language, a fitting ode to an experience that made me smile the rest of the day. But, as usual, I feel my efforts are poor and


- Sep 7, 2015
The Perfect Pebble
I love to comb the beds of streams, the banks of rivers, the shores of lakes, and the beaches of oceans, in search of the perfect pebble. When I go into ‘pebble mode’, as my husband calls it, I tend to become obsessive. I enter a dreamy state, all my attention is focused at my feet, and my eyes scan the ground within a radius of a metre. At first, any stone with a pleasing oval or round form would satisfy me. I loved to heft these in my hand, roll them between my fingers, or