Standing on my land in the Lake District on a clear night, and I do that as much as I can, it is still possible to see the Milky Way. The skylines of the surrounding fells are dark, the only lights being a possible farmhouse in the valley, the brilliant glow from Ambleside, or a scatter of vehicle headlights moving along the region’s roads. Yet even here, the night is no longer what it once was.

A visit to Kew Gardens' Shirley Sherwood Gallery unexpectedly transported me into the living world of trees - through the brushstrokes of botanical artists. What began as an appreciation of art unfolded into a reflection on conifers, climate resilience, biodiversity, and why we must rethink our assumptions about woodland ecosystems.

What is it about badgers? I know I am supposed to love the animals and offer them protection and space. Yet somehow...

Whenever I climb the Lake District’s Great Gable (899 metres) [i] , I usually have whisky on my mind. This time it was climate change...

Modern Haweswater Whenever I visit Haweswater, I admit to feeling depressed. Despite its evident beauty and the fact it is so remote,...

Trees relax me What is it about trees? For some reason they relax me, especially in this month of May. It is a month when the weather is...

Week 10 Once again this is a long one, so please grab a cuppa if you can. You will need somewhere quiet and thoughtful to read it and do...

Week 2 Introduction There are few better ways of seeing the effects of climate change than standing atop a Lake District mountain. I had...

Week 45 Nobody likes me, everybody hates me I think I’ll go eat worms![i] Although these words have been spoken or sung in many different...

Week 44 What is it about autumn colours that are so pleasing? This year, for reasons I cannot explain, the colours on my land are...