Wild About Life
A collection of writing inspired by the plants and creatures of the natural world. Sometimes fact, sometimes fiction, but all based on experience.
Have a browse and let me know what you think in the comments below.
How to… tell a dragonfly from a damselfly
My introduction to Odonata I grew up in a suburb of Harare, Zimbabwe1, in the beautiful high plains of continental Africa. The landscape around Harare was open grassland with ranges of low rocky hills and some enormous granite outcrops. Local rivers were small and seasonal, raging torrents for a brief spell when the rains broke,…
Abnormal loads, Part 1
Loading up I started cycling by accident. Living in central London I’d vaguely toyed with the idea for years but never did anything about it. It wasn’t the traffic that put me off, a few years of riding a motorcycle had left me super-aware of road users around me. Then a generous massage client gave…
The Foreshore
Journey there A bad few days. The novelty of furlough and endless hours to fill has worn off. The exhilaration of recovering from the virus is long gone. Rambling walks in the park are failing to lift my spirits. The park is busier, more people are returning and with them, litter. Bottles in the long…
How to… tell a moth from a butterfly
Butterflies are beautiful insects and something we associate with summer sunshine, meadows and flowers. They feature in fabric, fashion, earrings and tattoos, butterfly kisses and symbols of the soul. In ancient Greek the word for butterfly is psyche, indicating how we use them to represent something from within. Around the world they are traditionally associated…
Dawn Chorus (with audio)
4.30am and the alarm crashes me out of deep sleep with a heart-stopping, adrenaline fuelled lurch. Why have I done this to myself? Just go back to sleep, do it another day. No! I swing my legs out of bed without even opening my eyes, not giving myself the chance to sink back into oblivion.…
Aftrekplek
Single track tar road, Zimbabwe 1984 Her hair whipped around her face, strands stiffly matted with sweat and dust. All the windows were open, hot air buffeting around the car interior as it sped along the unfolding ribbon of road. Leaning listlessly against the window edge she watched the landscape move by, red roadside edges…
Marylebone tits
Thank goodness for the Farmers’ Market. Still open which means I can shop outside, buy produce straight from the farm and treat myself to things I wouldn’t normally buy. Nothing is normal. Or should I say, as everyone else is, we have a new normal. ‘Normally’ I would cycle here every Sunday morning, arriving just…
Here goes
Cherry blossom Regent’s Park, April 10, 2020 This has been a long time coming. If I had started writing a blog when the first person said to me “you should write a blog”, I would be a blog veteran by now. But I’m not. I’m a newby. This strangest of times has finally made me…
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Wild About Life 