The bright sunshine urged me out of doors this Sunday morning, and I pulled on boots and a raincoat in readiness for a walk. Long-standing readers of this blog may recall I previously wrote about experiencing nature in the city. Living in the midst of a built-up area, surrounded by blocks of flats and busy…
Tag: Writing
The Post Christmas Escape
Dawn broke overhead as I took my first, adrenaline-fueled steps into the reedbeds of Gosforth Park Nature Reserve, the grey-blue sky, a vestige of the previous frigid night, soon yielding to pleasant silver as the day got underway. The only lasting remnant of the darker, colder hours before coming from the veil of fog lingering…
Forestry Commission Launches New Project to Diversify Nature Writing
As part of celebrations to mark its centenary in 2019, the Forestry Commission has launched a new writing competition to diversify nature writing. From Wordsworth to J.K Rowling, England’s forests have inspired characters and chronicles that have shaped the nation’s literary history for centuries. Now, for the first time, the Forestry Commission is opening applications…
The latest New Nature Magazine is out!
Autumn leaves drift through the air, caught and propelled in a gust of wind before they touch down to the earth – this season is in full swing now, and winter is creeping ever nearer. The cold mornings will soon see frost cling to the crisped leaves and car windows, as the man-made and natural…
How to write a nature blog, by Newton Wildsmith
So you want to start a blog. A nature blog, no less. Hats off to you for taking some steps closer to creating one. There is always room on the web for another voice for the natural world. This article is all about how to blog about nature. What format and style to choose, the…
The benefits of ‘curtain twitching’
We all have days when everything feels like just a little bit too much: like myriad tasks are mounting up uncontrollably while motivation [and self-worth] are cascading downwards. Slumps and spells of low creativity as we bemoan mounting pressures but do little to combat them due to persistent, nagging and quite frankly, irritating, doubts. Yes,…
Cyclamen and Summer’s End, by Frances Jones
A late afternoon in the final week of summer and I found myself taking a detour along the edge of woodland on my local common. The place was bathed in a vivid light, bright enough to illuminate the trees in their various shades of green, and there was a strong breeze that whipped around my…
The drawbacks of Environmental Blogging
Bloggers in the present day are everywhere: voluntary journalists covering, in often exquisite detail, everything from hair and beauty to politics and, of course, the environment. There are so many now, in fact, that most people (myself included) will visit a blog on a daily basis, to ascertain new information, form opinions, kill time and…
Can nature blogging make a difference?
I have written before about the virtues of blogging from a personal perspective and the ample benefits it brings in terms of personal development, networking and general enjoyment. As such, it will come as no surprise to learn that I thoroughly enjoy blogging and, in turn, derive great pleasure from reading the virtual musings of…
New Nature Issue 8!
The August edition of New Nature, the youth nature magazine, has been released and is now available to download online and free. Check it out: https://goo.gl/FeC9Sd This issue has a definite marine theme and features some fabulous writing with regards to cetaceans, micro plastics and marine wildlife; in addition to an interview with Andy Bool, the…
The good news keeps on coming
After a pretty tedious day of rain, menial work and more rain, I was delighted to receive two loads of good news this evening. The first coming from my University who kindly informed me that I received 71% for my final taught Masters module. This grade taking me to within striking distance of an overall distinction should my…
Nature Blogging: Why Bother?
One of the most common questions raised whenever someone stumbles across this blog, particularly from those of a non-environmental background is: why bother? Surely it takes up too much time, provides very little in the way of a reward and is generally rather tedious. A good question, actually, though one I struggle to answer on a…
