My Natural History by Simon Barnes

Subtitled 'The animal kingdom and how it shaped me' this is a memoir from Simon Barnes (author of many nature books including How to Be a Bad Birdwatcher.)

Barnes picks out a number of encounters with nature throughout his life and details how they helped him both get closer to nature and to come to terms with that part of his life. How animals helped him find meaning when he was bullied at school, helped him cope with teenage boredom, shaped his career and helped him raise his family.

As in all his books, this is full of enthusiasm for the natural world, though there are more specifically human concerns in this book than in the others of his I've read. There are some really moving moments too, especially the chapter about how Barnes' son Eddie (who has Down's Syndrome) loves tigers, but also the family dog:

'Our dog Gabriel, a black labrador bitch, helped shape Eddie's universe. A deep joy in  Eddie's life was to curl up alongside her in her basket. ...She has scarcely uttered a cross word in Eddie's direction, never once snapped: only occasionally when the ear-pulling and tail tugging became too oppressive, she would sighand walk into another room.  Because of Gabe, Eddie knew he was living in a world full of kind and generous creatures.'

This is a lovely book, showing how nature can influence our lives.

My Natural History by Simon Barnes published by Short Books.

You can read my other reviews of Barnes' books by following the links below:

How to be Wild.

Birdwatching with your Eyes Closed. 

How to Fly

You have rid yourself of the panic of vertigo?

Good, then choose a plateau, high and flat
Stand on the edge facing out
Close your eyes, stretch up and raise your arms high
Brace your body for the wind from behind

Think yourself into the shape of a swift
(the most aerial of birds)

If this is a dream, the wind will lift you
to soar above the forests and rivers
your veins delight in the excitement
as you dive and corner
swoop and circle with the swifts

And if this is not a dream?

Keep your feet on the ground
and enjoy the breeze in your hair.


reposting this poem from 2011, which I wrote in response to this prompt over on 26N, a great little prompt site, which was never used as much as it should have been and is now sadly defunct.... 

Scotland's Wild Lands

Scotland's wild lands are home to rare wildlife, and offer places where nature can be conserved into the future. The distinctive landscapes, ecology and geology of our wild lands draw thousands of visitors each year, while the vast peatlands act as a carbon store, helping to protect against the extremes of climate change.

In recent years developers have been targeting these special places as possible sites for industrial-scale wind farms. While wind farms in general are a good thing as they contribute towards renewable energy targets, they need to be put in the right places. The wild lands of Scotland are not the right place for large windfarms for three reasons:

windfarms in these areas damage the ability of peatlands to act as carbon stores
they damage the habitats for rare wildlife and can directly kill birds of prey and bats
and they would require extensive cabling to link them up with the population centres that will use the power

The most recent large scale windfarm to be given permission is Creag Riabhach, near Altnaharra in the far north of Scotland. This will see 22-turbines up to 125m tall, five within Wild Land Area 37 and is the first time permission has been given for a development within the boundaries of an official "Wild Land Area." Scottish Government decisions on a number of other major wind farms that would damage wild land are also due.

The John Muir Trust is campaining to protect Scotland's wild lands from inappropriate large scale wind farm developments. You can find out more here. 

Signs of Autumn

It's a beautiful autumnal day today. It started with a real chill in the air, but warmed up. I made my weekly visit to Colinton and Craiglockart Dell today (later in the week than usual due to teaching commitments!). The autumn colours are really beginning to show now

 though some of the trees are still very green

I love the hornbeams at this time of year, their chandelier style fruits are particularly beautiful as they start to change colour

Hornbeams are only native to the south of the UK and were planted along the Water of Leith as their very hard wood was ideal to be used in building mill wheels back in the days when this area was full of mills.

The puff balls look beautiful in the autumnal light

The ivy is starting to bloom and attracting pollinators such as this Eristalis sp hoverfly

The woods were full of the sound of robins singing their winter song.

Just as I was leaving the Dells I had a wonderful view of a kingfisher dashing upstream, a blur of turquoise and orange.....

Library Cat by Alex Howard

Library Cat is the cat of Edinburgh University's library. He patrols the central University area, chasing mice, allowing students to stroke him, eating pizza and searching for the ever elusive and enticingly beautiful Puddle Cat. But, because he is a thinking cat, he also thinks about the meaning of life, muses on why humans are so foolish and ponders the work of Nietzsche.

In this lovely book, illustrated with photos of Library Cat in his many moods (thoughtful, pensive, curious) the reader gets an insight into how this feline sees the world, how he feels humans are getting it all wrong for themselves and in their relationships with cats. We also get to meet his sophisticated French cousin Biblio Chat and his down to earth English cousin Saaf Landan Tom.

It's a lovely book to read, one that starts off very light hearted but that becomes increasingly  philosophical as it goes on.

My ambition now is to meet Library Cat, so I'll need to find an excuse to spend more time near the University library!

Library Cat by Alex Howard published by Black and White Publishing (2016)

Edited to add, I've just found out that Library Cat went missing soon after this book was published! There is now a new Library Cat...

Of Frogs and Poetry

Frog, Waving

On a rock in a river that rushes and glides

down a beautiful lonely mountainside

the last wild golden frog waves*

trying to attract himself a mate.

The biologist starts to daydream

as she walks along the mountain stream -

she remembers visiting this place before

there were frogs everywhere then, she's sure!

She wants to leave the frog here in its home

but she can't do that because she knows

to save it she has to take the frog away

from the deadly fungus coming this way.

The biologist feels there is so little hope

as she walks down the now less golden slope

to the frog hospital where lined up in cages

the last golden frogs sit quietly and wave.

* The male golden frog waves its front legs to warn off other males and to attract females. 

*****

I'm reposting this poem, which got an honourable mention in the Save the Frogs Poetry Competition 2012.

More Earrings in the Crafty Green Poet Etsy shop

(I had meant to post this a while ago but for some reason overlooked it!)

I bought a box full of beads and other jewellery supplies from a second hand shop in Dumfries, while we were there recently. Included in the box were a lot of lovely leaf shaped pendants, which turned out to be ideal to make into earrings. So that's what I've started doing!

I've made several of the plain leaf earrings, which are now for sale in the Crafty Green Poet Etsy shop here. There's only one each of the other designs, which are in the shop here and here.

Using second hand jewellery supplies is a way of recycling items that other people don't want and avoids waste. All earring hooks are new, for hygiene purposes, and are purchased from the local bead supply store.