‘Nature took on a new importance for thousands of people when the coronavirus pandemic arrived in Britain, providing solace in a time of great anxiety – not least because the crisis struck at the beginning of spring, the season of hope and renewal; and furthermore, in an extraordinary conjunction, the spring of 2020 turned out to be the loveliest spring ever recorded in Britain.
Three nature writers, living like everyone else under lockdown, but walking out each day to exercise, resolved to record their experiences of the coronavirus spring, in widely contrasting parts of the country. They did so to share with others their sense of the wonder, inspiration and delight the natural world can offer, and The Consolation of Nature is the enthralling account of what they discovered by literally walking out from their front doors.‘
The Consolation of Nature: springtime in the time of coronavirus by Michael McCarthy, Jeremy Mynott and Peter Marren will be published on 15 October 2020 by Hachette Books.
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Right now we need as much consolation from Nature as we can get – I have just seen that Ian Botham is being made a peer by Boris Johnson in thanks for his support of the Brexit campaign. The idea that an oaf like Botham is to be given a voice in parliament with which to advance his obnoxious views makes me feel physically ill!
I think calling Botham an oaf is very generous.
A friend who used to follow Botham on Twitter once Tweeted ” I used to admire you as a marvellous cricketer now I just think you’re a twat”
Whatever we call him it should contain the word odious and I saw every ball of that famous test series!.