Category: The Arts

Home, Books and a Sense of Belonging

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It’s an early grey Sunday morning, and the rain taps on the window quietly. The long drought has at last shifted to much-needed rain, and my sea sounds are behind me from my little sound machine. A hot cup of tea sits on the shelf above, and I have no idea quite where these words will go, only that something now needs to be said.

Behind me are the current books that have largely been part of my home, life, and a sense of belonging over these past three months. One is absent (as it’s been returned to the library – I am a great supporter of public libraries), but I have mentioned it to many of my friends on social media. ‘Notes From Walnut Tree Farm’ by Roger Deakin, published in 2008, two years after his death. The farm sits on the edge of Mellis Common near Diss.

This book was so powerful for me in the following ways:

  1. It told me about the fascinating life of a nature writer that I knew nothing about and who should stand more prominently in the genre of Nature writing.
  2. I was transported into a beautiful home with 12 acres, a life so powerfully yet so peacefully lived, with such a raw sense of presence. A life lived with great purpose and commitment to conservation.
  3. The writing was so poetic, vibrant, and so well written. It was an inspiration for my own words, and how I could become better at writing these blog posts.
  4. Lasting impression:
  6. It left me with such a lasting impression that I wanted to find this place and soak in something of what he knew on the edge of Mellis Common, near Diss, on the edges of Suffolk and Norfolk.
  7. I also felt a personal connection. Suffolk is where I was born, though on the Northern fringes in Lowestoft. There were mentions of towns that reinforced a sense of belonging, that I too was part of this special place.

This book was compiled from his nature notes, capturing the last six years of his life. Tragically, as he was finishing ‘Wildwood’ (about the life of trees), he died in August 2006 of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain tumour, at the age of 63. To be able to see that book’s completion, as he was dying of something that was killing his mind, demonstrates to me just what a special talent he had for writing.

He has been described as a literary genius and was a personal friend of Robert Macfarlane ( one of Nature’s great travel writers), who became his literary agent after his death. A personal archive of his notes is currently with the University of East Anglia.

 Roger bought Walnut Tree Farm in 1970, having discovered it a year before in a derelict condition. He restored his home and lived there until his death in 2006. The Farm was eventually sold by his son Rufus to his childhood friends, who I believe still own it to this day, and it is possible to stay there in one of the dwellings Roger built himself. The Shepherd’s Hut and The Railway Wagon were two of his favourite nooks that he would take off to write in. I don’t include any photos here out of respect as this is now a private home.

Roger also described in his notes how he fought to save the nearby Cow pasture Lane from developers and, had he lived, his friends, knowing his radical views and forceful character, when it came to saving the countryside, believed he would have been a prominent character in Extinction Rebellion. He was already a founding member of Friends of the Earth and co-founder of Common Ground, the latter being a conservation movement saving hedgerows, orchards and verges.

There was another book written in his lifetime which is viewed as a catalyst for the wild swimming movement. ‘Waterlog, a swimmer’s journey through Britain’ by Patrick Barkham, published in 1999, becoming a best seller by word of mouth.

To find out more about this work and Roger’s life and career, click here. Patrick wrote an excellent article for The Guardian, and his biography is taken from interviews with the many people Roger knew and worked with. It’s a brilliant biography by someone who never met him, yet in incredible detail captured his life and the essence of who he was.

Why has this character fascinated me so much that I had to go and find Walnut Tree Farm?

My kind friend, also called Helen, drove me there in August, and we had quite an adventure finding this home nestled down a lane, on the edge of Mellis Common, having asked two people for its whereabouts. It was a joy to meet someone who had met him.

We didn’t get to find Cow Pasture Lane, due to time restrictions (we packed a lot in that day), but when I can drive again, this will be one of the first places I shall be returning to.

A final word:

‘The Notes of Walnut Tree Farm’ truly celebrate art in the natural world because the words became a living, breathing embodiment of a life infused with natural connections, beauty, colour, poetry, prose, and a life well lived with passion and energy. For me, it echoes how our home isn’t just about a physical dwelling but a spiritual connection with life itself through people, places, and creatures, both on land, water, and air. All of this was there within the pages. Pages that spoke to me, became alive, and showed me why, as I mature with age, the natural world is a huge part of my identity and how both art and nature continue to heal me in so many ways from physical and emotional illness.

Next time:

When Art and Nature become medicine.    

Gardens on the Edge

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I have heard so often that we are a nation of gardeners. If I were a social prescriber, I would say that being outside, caring for another living thing and getting our hands in soil are very therapeutic. No wonder community gardens have helped so much for people’s Mental Health. People can lose themselves and forget their troubles when they have something else to focus on.

As a former florist and when I was able to garden in the past, I recognise this as an art form, a creative process, and this was shown in all its glory as this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

‘Gardens on the Edge’, designed by Sarah Eberie and in association with The Campaign to Protect Rural England, won overall best show garden, and it’s not difficult to see why.

The central theme was a beautiful wooden sculpture of Mother Nature, carved from an 11-meter Coast Redwood tree, Sequoia, with flowing hair from willow thatch into a dry stone wall. Mother Nature is lying on her side, asleep, resting and looking peaceful, just as we could feel peaceful when surrounded by trees and nature.

See here for a full picture.

But where does the term Mother Nature come from?

The term is rooted in thousands of years of tradition and myth. It is a powerful reminder of us all being at one with the Universe and of the Earth’s ability to sustain, nurture and create all living things.

Gaia is the name for Mother Nature from the Greek, the name given to this garden’s centre- piece but the Romans also referred to her as Terra Mater.

This garden’s designers also included:

Chris Wood- wood sculpture

Tom Hare- willow artist

Fran Clifton and others from a horticultural team.

The garden’s overall structure was built by The Outdoor Room.

Wood sculpture is indeed a specialist skill. My own father loved to turn wood into many different objects and used pyrography to decorate these to sell at craft fairs. Suitable wood for large scale project are Redwood and Cedar, Oak and Sweet Chestnut.

In ‘Gardens on the Edge’, the landscape design included: Hawthorn, Silver Birch and Field Maple.

The Garden’s central aim was to send a clear message that our towns and cities are under increasing threat for development. Recent planning changes allow developers to build on Green Belt sites, reclassified as Grey Belt (land considered to be of poor quality and neglected to provide suitable land stock to meet the increased housing needs). This poses a difficult question- the legitimate need for more housing and the balance between preserving areas for conservation. Currently, 250,000 homes are proposed to be built on Greenfield sites. Planning inspectors now have a final say over Local Authorities, making it harder to block new builds.

My personal view is that every square acre of the UK needs a new and carefully managed plan, which includes reform of all housing legislation. Using empty houses left vacant, capping the number of holiday and second homes, and implementing an aggressive and proactive farming policy to protect farmers and food supplies. Incorporating lots of Green Space when planning new communities, and agencies/ Governments- both locally and nationally to work together with a united front over how our precious land can be protected.

Roydon Common, King’s Lynn, Norfolk

The conflicting needs of more numbers needing to live here to pay for our economy against an ever-increasing population, and the decline in birth rates are very difficult issues to solve. As someone on the edge of her own housing needs, I have never been so shocked at how broken our national housing policies are.

Ultimately, we have to remember that If we have no wildlife, no worker bees, no pollinators left, then we as a species will die because we will not be able to grow our own food. The dystopia of mass starvation and food rioting could become a terrifying future prospect.

This garden’s future is for a relocation to a regenerated housing development in Urban Sheffield Park Hill, where the legacy of its early campaigners will be a lasting reminder of the need for nature and us to thrive together.

“To be one with Nature means to attain the greatest spiritual and physical connection with the Earth to sustain health.”

‘Mother Nature’ – Shmaltz and Menudo

Gardens on the Edge represents more than just being able to walk on the fringes of towns seeking solace and some natural respite. We could all be ‘on the edge’ for our survival.

Roydon Common, King’s Lynn, Norfolk ( preserved area of outstanding natural beauty)

Next Time:

My discovery of the late nature writer Roger Deakin and his own example of land, art and man living side-by-side at his beloved Walnut Tree Farm, near Diss.

References:

The Origin of “Mother Nature” – Plant Me Green https://share.google/Ti2NE4eSnaZRFr2Fa

The Campaign to Protect Rural England Garden: ‘On the Edge’ at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 / RHS https://share.google/kBA55frDScuwxUBL5

Stop building on countryside, says Chelsea’s garden-of-the-year winner https://share.google/cuVFBzI8CZ0p3ZqKJ

Famous Sayings #147 — ‘Mother Nature’ – Shmaltz and Menudo https://share.google/Qnnyv3zHeQ3jtjssy

Connecting The Arts to the Natural World ( an introduction)

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  For me, music flows through the air as freely as wind moves through trees. Each note is like a wave, an impulse, an energy. Its lightness is invisible to the eye, but its presence can be felt all around you, with a magnitude as mighty as any Oak.

Music can soar like a bird or be as delicate as a feather floating down from the breeze. It can touch us and linger there.

We are all affected by The Arts and The Natural World, even if this influence sits beneath the surface in our subconscious mind. Our world is forever encouraging us to rush through the day. The radio or audio player in our ears as we are running in a park or drowning out the noise on our ever-hectic roadsides to a destination.

We may not notice the bird song in our streets or stop to look up at the beauty of the skies, but we are forever in its presence.

What do we define as The Arts? A theatre production, a film, concerts, a piece of music, a painting, a poem, a literary piece of work or prose, a sculpture, a much-prized Bansky image on a city wall.

How many of us associate ourselves as being Artists? We say we cannot paint or play anything, and therefore,we close ourselves off to this creative process, and only those processing certain ‘gifts’ can fully appreciate it.

But how many of us know that both Nature and the Arts are the most profound healers of all things sorrowful and sad? How we take off in our cars at the earliest opportunity, or by foot,or bike to seek out the abundance of the natural world to ingest its wonderful elixir of life, through our five senses. Visits to gardens, museums, art galleries, the countryside or flowing streams on a warm summer day, or a bracing walk by the sea in the winter.

In fact, I believe that most people crave peace and beauty, which can be found in the natural world and that  Mother Earth is expressed in multi-faceted ways through The Arts.

A novice observer, a beginner, an introduction is all it takes to create momentum. A chance encounter, an idea turns a thought into a reality, a new way of seeing things for the very first time, of what was hiding in plain sight. A symphony of a new life can be born.

Open your eyes, your ears and above all, your hearts,you are going to go on a journey you may not have been on before, as it is my intention to capture it here.

I’ve nearly finished the most beautiful book, ‘Notes from Walnut Tree Farm’, by the late Roger Deakin (a good friend and fellow travel companion to the great nature writer Robert Macfarlane). It was through reading McFarlane’s book ‘The Wild Places’ dedicated to Roger, that prompted me to seek out his own work.

It was Roger’s words in the opening pages of Nature Notes that I read over and over again, saying to myself:

“Yes, this is how it is, these words are perfect and describe one of the Arts so well.”

I quote:

‘Music is like the decorative, symphonic possibilities of a wood: endless combinations of notes or twigs, leaves and wind, branch shapes against the sky.’

It inspired me with the opening lines of this rejuvenated blog and gave me an idea of a poem to be called,‘The Music of Trees.’

Now, I understand why I love Nature so much and totally ‘get it’ why I love the Arts and the natural world together. To me, they are one big canvas, full of potential exploration and discovery of all that is beautiful and wonderful. It is the balm that soothes my own soul, and connects experiences from the past, present and hope to my future.

How both are combined so perfectly, creating a massive pull for anyone who decides to stop and see with fresh eyes for the very first time how this force can be truly life-changing.

It has for me!

I hope it will for you.

Next time:

The Chelsea Flower Show and the overall design winner. ‘Gardens on the Edge’- a perfect example where art and nature can come together to create a most powerful message about the need to protect our environment around the fringes of town and cities.

I hope you will continue this journey with me.

Reference: Nature Notes from Walnut Tree Farm, Roger Deakin, edited by Alison Hastie and Terrence Blacker, Penguin Random House, Uk @2008 page 16.

All images are my own apart from the image of the house and water taken by Marcus Boughen my son-in-law.