With some rearranging I’ve finally found a place to put all my nature-related books. Here’s a little selection. A mixture of the new, old, gifted and charity-shopped. I also keep a little basket of library books close by. In the new year, I plant to share more about the wonderful books I’ve discovered.

On the Spring list of ‘things I should have done by now’ is cutting back the blackberry canes that keep popping up everywhere. But, see, now they’ve blossomed and the fruit has set and soon we’ll be able to pick blackberries… so now it’s on the Autumn list instead.

My husband has had quite a few Christmas parties to go to. I’ve had precisely zero. So, the kids and I decided to head out last night to one of our favourite seaside spots for what my son called ‘a fancy three course meal’ (a drink, some chips, and dessert). We talked about our favourite things from the year, and made a toast and clinked our glasses and consequently slopped our drinks and it was wonderful.

My son is into Pokemon Go. We go out early most mornings and drive and walk around so he can do whatever it is that he does in the game. This week we sat on a park bench by the railway station waiting for half an hour. It was concrete paths and close-mown grass and not much else. But there, on the grass next to the rubbish bin were these two beautiful blue birds eggs. What they were doing there and where they came from, I don’t know. But a little bit of bird magic to start the day was delightful.

A little something reflecting on the power of trusting yourself instead of looking to others for direction.