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There is no present in Wales,
And no future;
There is only the past…
R.S. THOMAS
… Continue readingOF CHRISTMAS PAST

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them. … Continue readingREMEMBER, REMEMBER…

With Hallowe’en just around the corner, I’m taking a look at the dark and mysterious tales surrounding two of our longest living and most iconic trees, the mighty oak and the venerable yew, both of which feature large in the collective mythologies of our islands, … Continue readingTALES FROM THE WOOD

Autumn, with its velvet-soft mornings sharpened by cool, still air  – a reminder that winter is on its way – is the celebrated season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, the time for harvesting summer’s bounty from our trees and hedgerows. For me, there is no … Continue readingQUICK, QUICK, SLOE

Today is the first of September, and it’s brought with it a good drying day. Cobwebs and bed sheets fly in the wind as magnificent fleets of cumulus clouds billow in full sail across the blue of a fresh-washed sky. I’ve been out gathering apples … Continue readingCRAFT CIDER CYMRU

Together with a small group of enthusiastic amateur botanists, I could recently be found seeking out the wild flowers of Halkyn Mountain in Flintshire with the Clwydian Hills in the distance before us, their blue and violet outline just breaking the soft grey of a … Continue readingON HALKYN MOUNTAIN

‘Rewilding’ has become a bit of a buzz word (no pun intended!), with the issue lately receiving increasing exposure from the mainstream media. A wide-ranging and far-reaching subject, the basic premise is that we can all do our bit for wildlife by allowing our gardens … Continue readingWHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

One of the most thrilling moments of spring is the sight and sound of returning swifts, their thin, metallic shriek heralding their arrival, as they cut through the air on sickle-sharp wings. In an epic and often hazardous journey of up to 6,000 miles, common … Continue readingTHE AERIALIST

Who knew that a trip to a garden would make a rock fan of me, but that’s exactly what happened on a recent visit to the National Botanic Gardens of Wales in Carmarthenshire! On a dreary and damp day in mid May when even the … Continue readingWALES ROCKS

A modern day story of patience, love, tortoises…and gin Down a quiet lane in the heart of the Flintshire countryside, an extraordinary alchemy is taking place. Carefully chosen and prepared botanicals and infusions are gently commingling in a traditional copper still as eight tortoises of … Continue readingThe tortoise and the still