Fascinated, enchanted and restored by the natural world

Nature and creativity are the answer to so many of my questions. This is what I write about.

An illustrated white aquilegia flower on a green background

Articles

GCJ Book Club – The Garden Cure

GCJ Book Club – The Garden Cure

The Grow Create Joy book club is back and I'm picking up from where I left off with The Garden Cure by Jan Cameron. The Garden Cure is a guide to cultivating wellness, for ones self or for others,...

Chamomile, before the tea

Chamomile, before the tea

Once you invite chamomile in, it becomes a faithful friend. Returning year after year, at first almost undetected as their tiny seeds nestle between the soil particles and the little plants...

GCJ Book Club – Unearthed by Claire Ratinon

GCJ Book Club – Unearthed by Claire Ratinon

The timing of reading Unearthed by Claire Ratinon was significant for me and I will explain why later. It strongly articulates why representation in nature writing is so important. Claire did this...

The chameleon and the crown

The chameleon and the crown

Goodbye to October, the chameleon and the crown of the season. A month when we can nostalgically forget the dark, rainy days and delight in the life-giving glow of decay. It’s no coincidence that...

How my garden holds me

How my garden holds me

The motif of this summer was intense heat and more intense work schedules. A garden participant said to me in one session “how lucky you are to work in this calming garden”. I agree, I am. When I am...

The gentle flow of flower pressing

The gentle flow of flower pressing

Sometimes, when our heads are full of thoughts and concerns, we need more than a passive activity to distract us. But worries are tiring and can leave us too exhausted to do anything energetic in...