It was an otter that led me to the banks of the River Dee in north Wales, to explore the magic and history of the celebrated ‘wizard stream’ of Milton and ‘silver clere’ waters of Spenser. The otter in question caught my eye whilst on … Continue readingFOLLOWING THE WIZARD STREAM

The morning of Saturday 15th August 2020 dawned sunny and fine, perfect for my drive to Hope Mountain Bed and Breakfast and the watercolour workshop I had booked in for.  Travelling through the quiet country lanes of Cymau, blowsy and voluptuous with the dark, deep … Continue readingHOPE FOR THE FUTURE

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

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

On a warm and gilded afternoon in Autumn, there is nowhere I’d rather be than wandering the leafy lanes of my home in North East Wales, searching the hedgerows for the season’s bounty, picking the softly yielding fruit with eager anticipation. Having made sloe gin … 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 fleets of cumulus clouds billow in full sail across the blue of a fresh-washed sky. I’ve been out gathering apples from … 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, with the issue lately receiving increasing exposure from the mainstream media. The subject is wide ranging, but the basic premise is that we can all do our bit for wildlife by allowing our gardens and other … Continue readingWHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

For me, one of the most thrilling moments of spring is the sight and sound of swifts returning to our skies. Following an epic and often hazardous journey of up to 6,000 miles, common swifts normally arrive here in late April. But in the spring … Continue readingTHE AERIALIST