nature – and so she thinks

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

admin — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 20:08:08 +0000

Part of the annual cultural calendar for many, the renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition from the Natural History Museum is a glorious lens into a world that we often don’t see. The complexities of our natural world and all who inhabit it become starkly apparent through beautiful shots of extraordinary spectacles and amazingly intricate activities, and the competition is a celebration of the talent and passion of the artists who participate – all 50,000 of them in 2016.

This year they set photographers the task of telling tell visual stories about society’s interactions with the natural world. Winner Tim Laman, from America, was chosen for his image Entwined Lives, which frames a critically endangered Bornean orangutan above the Indonesian rainforest. Nosy Neighbour by Sam Hobson in the UK captures the curious nature of the urban fox, whilst in India leopards can be just as familiar, as the glowing streets of Mumbai slums show in Nayan Khanolkar’s shot The Alley Cat.

Much more a familiar a sight, but rarely seen in such a way, Gideon Knight, 16, from the UK, won the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year title for his image of a moonlit crow on a sycamore tree in London’s Valentine’s Park, an image with eerie beauty with its sprawling dark branches and silhouette against the full moon. The Moon and the crow is an image that is rightly referred to as a poem by its taker.

I’m always struck by the tenacity and patience that photographers have. Many go to extraordinary lengths to capture their image, including push ups to keep warm in the Antartic, hang gliding with their equipment, or months hiding out. But there’s also those moments of perfect serendipity. Roberto Bueno was looking to capture some rare birds, but when they failed to show, turned his attention to a small hair grass species and was struck by its ethereal beauty, resulting in this beautiful Grass at sunrise.

Once again the exhibition amazes, delights, and educates, bringing its audience closer to the world in which they live. Beautifully.

At Bristol M Shed until 5 March 2017.

Reading the nature of place at Wealden Literary Festival

admin — Tue, 17 May 2016 16:44:31 +0000

Given that writing is about life, and life takes places in a location, it’s actually more surprising than more word events don’t focus on the where. Even more rare is a literary soiree that embraces the ‘where’ outside – nature, environment, and landscape. The Wealden Literary Festival is a celebration of the outdoors, the natural world and the earth beneath our feet. Describing themselves as ‘a rootling of roots and a stomp across the landscapes we are part of’ it is a weekend exploring the relationship between person and place, offering talks, workshops, walks, art installations, craft stalls, local food, activities and more that aim to encourage people to reflect more on the relationship with their surroundings, explore the rhythms and patterns of place, and be inspired by their experience.

Taking place at over 18th – 19th June 2016 in the beautiful and enchanting Boldshaves Gardens, Kent, where guests will be able to explore over 100 acres of surrounding woodland and farmland. This it’s first year, and the process from idea to fruition has been something of an organic one for founders and directors Andrew and Laura Willen.

Having been London dwellers for many years, they would ‘constantly plot our escape from the confines of the city to explore some of the countless wonderful places across Britain, often armed with little more than a sleeping bag, a book and a chocolate bar or two.’

This gave them a taste of not only the extraordinary diversity of the country’s landscapes but also the fragility of those landscapes, partly caused by the detachment from our surroundings. The modern lifestyle of a top floor flat, where you don’t know your neighbours, buying packaged food that does not resemble how it may have left the ground, glued to technology all indicate a growing separation between us and our surroundings.

As a result, they’ve invited down a whole host of authors who in recent years who have written inspiring books about the natural world, our sense of place and the ways in which nature can enrich our lives.

As Andrew explains ‘The idea behind the festival therefore is to celebrate not just the written word but also the subject matter of those books, i.e. the actual, living world around us. Given the everyday importance of the natural world in all our lives, we hope that the festival might appeal to people regardless of whether they are avid readers or not.’

The two days are jam packed with a programme of events, talks, readings, and conversations. Apt for the location, Philip Walling will be telling the story of wool, money, farming and the soil as he discusses his book Counting Sheep: A Celebration of the Pastoral Heritage of Britain. There’s Patrick Barkham who walked the coastlines of Britain for his book Coastlines: The Story of our Shore, and Miriam Darlington & Charles Foster in conversation about their experiences with wild animals. Esther Woolfson will read from
Field Notes from a Hidden City, proving that nature isn’t only something that happens in rural locations, whilst Cynan Jones and Tom Bullough reflect upon the role of place and nature in fiction.

One concern of Andrew and Laura is the lack of access to nature for young people and those from more disadvantaged backgrounds. As a result, they’ve made accessibility key, with a range of activities appealing to young people, and tickets starting at only £5. Practicing what they preach, they have engaged with the local community and been working with nearby schools, universities, bookshops, galleries, businesses, artists, authors, farmers, producers and more to bring the festival alive.

Whether you’re a fan of words or the world, it’s definitely worth exploring the local landscape this weekend, engaging with the community and heading down to the Wealden Literary Festival.

It might even be sunny.

On The Right Track

admin — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 18:42:00 +0000

“Look at his legs,” fellow hiker Tessa says. I can’t stop looking at them, even though I’m panting heavily. Day One of the 81-kilometre Queen Charlotte Track and our guide, Ray, a rather sprightly 76-year-old who runs up the hills billy goat-style, is full of vigour. He’s been walking and running for years, “the chance to see places that I wouldn’t ordinarily,” he says. Every month, he completes this route five or six times, all this during his ‘retirement.’
Read more at Curious Animal.

Festival helpers!

admin — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 22:00:09 +0000

Festival season wreaks havoc on the body. Great for the mind and nectar for the soul, there comes a point in late September (nay, even the Saturday morning of most festivals) when the body is screaming out for some rest and recuperation. Turns out that getting vitamins from cider and protein from burgers does not a balanced diet make, and so sometimes a little help is needed to get through the fun.
Which is why my rucksack will contain some of these little energy boosters that both get the juices flowing in the morning, and help to head of that hangover.
There’s Nature’s Plus Potent C, which contains B vitamins, electrolytes and vitamin C, to help combat the damage caused by alcohol and cigarettes (sorry Mum), as well as ginseng and bee pollen for an energy boost, or the Red Lightening version, which has extracts from over 30 superfoods – essentially the elixir of health. Both of these are in handy sachet form (fits in a pocket!) and can make the water from the campsite taste a hell of a lot better, as well as reviving you.

If mixing yourself is too hard, there is also Scheckter’s OrganicEnergy Lite, an organic energy drink that is light on sugar. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Tasting a million times better than Red Bull (although I didn’t try it with vodka) and being infinitely better for you, this is a no brainer for a refreshing drink to reinvigorate you.
Ever wondered why Marmite on toast always sorts you out after a night on the razz? It’s B12. Toasters are hard to come by in the field, so Nature’s Plus Shot-O-B12 contains a hefty dose of the wonder vitamin.
Having organised, held, and massively enjoyed the first It’s All Happening festival this year (see this lovely video from Alessi’s Ark) and pretty much relied on these to get me through the office comedown, I can vouch they work. My ‘never again’ has already become a ‘where’s my wellies?’