The Tao of Disappearance
I gaze at the sky and the voluminous clouds. I follow the flight of birds above and wonder where they might be going. No else looks up; everyone’s in a hurry. I have to move aside to avoid bumping into them, enthralled by their smartphones. I taste the wind and listen to the nuances of […]
Stone Country Song
I don’t come away easily. I trail all kinds of bits and pieces, sphagnum moss hanging off me and tendrils of ivy. I’m too entangled to be a discrete entity. If you tug here, there’s roots and soil attached and it’s a messy mystery. I’m kind of through and in things – not the same […]
To Be a Pilgrim
The notion of being a pilgrim has resonated with me from way back in my school days when in Morning Assembly, singing hymns was part of the daily occasion. Though often bored by words I couldn’t make sense of, one hymn in particular did rouse me. It was ‘To be a Pilgrim’, the tune set […]
Becoming Native: an Urban Odyssey
I realised recently that over time I’ve become a ‘native’. That word, of course, can very easily be loaded with pejorative or romantic associations. It can also be seen as potentially disrespectful towards indigenous people when the term comes from relatively recent settlers speaking of indigenous ancestral land. Please let me explain what I mean: […]
Seasons are in Us
Winter solstice has just passed and the northern earth is starting to stir, though freezing weather will undoubtedly return. The sun is starting to emerge just a tiny bit more each day from its deepest nadir. It’s very much the heart of winter and yet there are stirrings in the life world. On my regular […]
Lady Julian & Anchors of the Land
I always enjoy walking around Norwich, where so many medieval buildings still survive, unlike in most English cities. A short walk from the main train station and up a narrow alleyway from the river Wensum brings me to St Julian’s Church, a place I always visit when I’m in the city. It’s a small ancient […]
Being Porous
Walking, my favourite activity, flowing and relaxed. And walking is what our human bodies have particularly evolved to do over hundreds of thousands of years; no wonder walking is now being recognised as the healthiest exercise. I’m not exactly sauntering, as I do have a destination, but I’m not in any way hurrying to arrive; […]
Walking in the Woods: A Deepening Mystery
The day begins with an autumn mist which soon burns off to reveal a sparkling blue sky. It’s impossibly blue and with the cool clarity that has been absent since spring. There’s a gentle feel, slightly melancholic and beautiful; and the world at this moment feels still. My mood follows the atmosphere of the land: […]
Obituary to a Robin Friend
I now accept he’s gone. Most days for the last 6 or 7 years, we saw each other. And now, after the summer is over, he no longer comes to greet me, perching at eye level on my allotment door, looking right in my face, as I unlock it. He had been going through the […]
Humancentric: A fresh look
Eco-redevelopment of dockside in London I often walk past the new eco-oasis called Eden Dock in the high rise London Docklands, pictured above, made by the Eden Project, a pioneering ecological organisation. It’s undoubtedly a very big improvement on the previous bare concrete dock walls, with its lush plantings and wooden seating for people […]