Climate Cacophony (And Why We Must Find The Harmonies)

I've been sitting looking at an empty screen for an hour, listening to the same song on repeat (Groceries: Mallrat, since you ask), pondering this post, and wondering how to begin it. The girls and I  had a long, blissfully exhausting day yesterday out by the river and among the trees with lovely friends. A …

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Rock, Water, Tree. (For Our Children, And Their Earth.)

"People gonna rise like water, and turn this system round. In the voice of my great grand-daughter, climate justice now" From the phoenix-like flames of Notre Dame, to the sound of hundreds of people joining in a traditional Scottish mourning song on the streets of London, and from hearing Greta Thunberg address the crowds at …

Taking The Streets to Save the World

The planet we spend our days walking on, living and breathing on, caring for our children on, is currently, right now, in the throes of a 6th mass extinction. The last mass extinction was 66 million years ago, and saw the end of the age of the dinosaurs, with 75% of all plant and animal …

Telling Old Stories, and Painting New Beginnings.

Today I have been painting again. I had been feeling that perhaps I might not ever want to paint again, or at least, might not ever find joy in it again. A daunting prospect, given it's such a huge part of who I am. I was afraid that it was another lost piece, gone forever. …

Any Other Sunday – Mother’s Day Blues and Blessings

I am writing this at 2.01am on a foggy, starless Mother's Day morn. Well, it was 1am precisely one minute ago, but the clocks have jumped forward and an hour of my day is lost already, just like that. I am listening to Alexandre Desplat. I have his haunting "Lily's Theme" (from Harry Potter, in …

Wild Food (And Where To Find It.)

I can feel Spring in my bones. Standing at my back door in the sunshine, sheltering from the wind, and peering at the Angel of the North way off in the distance that will soon to be obscured by the leafy green of all the trees in between, I can almost feel the sap rising …

Butter Me Up (Zero Waste Stylie)

I'm going to admit right now, I'm a bit of a butter snob. Even before the days of feeling at odds with plastic packaging, and trying to limit the things we buy in plastic, I've preferred a good, organic, salted butter over a tub of margarine. There really is nothing better than a piece of …

The Song of The Feminine Eco Warrior, and Why You Are Enough.

I imagine your social media was as full of #internationalwomensday posts on Friday as mine was. Memes and inspirational quotes in great abundance on my Facebook news feed. I spent some of Friday out in nature, with some wonderful women, under flowering Blackthorn trees, their petals beneath our feet as we walked. This tree's determination …

A Quiet Revolution Under my Kitchen Sink

If it's not too personal a question to ask, what's under your kitchen sink? If it's anything like mine, probably dishwasher tablets, washing up liquid, dishcloths by the dozen, an ancient sink plunger maybe? A bottle of Brasso that, like me, you've maybe used twice, a million years ago? (Do I even own anything made …

Reclaiming my Path. Grief, Hibernation, and Full Moon Release.

It's been quiet on the blog since Solstice. I'd like to say I've been hibernating, and have you imagine a nest of quilts and blankets, a stack of books, a cosy and content me, all wrapped up in stillness with a constant supply of tasty snacks. Ones that are plastic free, and don't leave crumbs …