Nine years ago…

Nine years ago I was in Washington DC with jet lag but with 7 weeks to cross the USA in a hire car and chat to waitresses in diners. And The Guardian published this piece from me – which is interesting for me to re-read and perhaps for you too. It was a Janus moment…

Paul Leyland – Hairy-footed Flower Bee

Social Distancing Week 7. Hairy-footed Flower Bee. I’ve been watching a colony of these beautiful bees since the middle of March. I initially noticed them in one of the flower beds in my village five years ago and now I watch out for them each year. Hairy-footed Flower Bees (Anthophora plumipes) are one of the…

Voting for your favourite

I received over 40 entries to this blog’s Lockdown Nature-writing challenge – you can choose your favourite. Here is a list of the dozen shortlisted entries, with links, so that you can reach them all from here. Entry A Entry B Entry C Entry D Entry E Entry F Entry G Entry H Entry I…

Entry L – by Sharon Pinner

Lockdown Birdwatch  In between wondering just how much chocolate I must buy to make it last a whole week and working on university assignments, I have spent many hours during lockdown in the back garden waiting for birds. Waiting with my camera to hand. I probably shouldn’t have my camera – that would, after all,…

Entry K

Covid19 Lockdown Diaries – The Unexpected Guest. Lockdown, day in, day out, day in, day out. Break for Lunch, break for Tea (I’m Northern I don’t do Dinner or Supper!) Breakfast, a break from my fast, oh yeah, I get it now! Meal to meal, drink to drink, is it too early? Who’s watching anyway?…