Skimming stones across the stilled waters of a restless mind

Natural World (General) Episodes

Autumn Forest
Oct. 29, 2023

Autumn Forest

I am not sure if it is just me, but so far autumn doesn’t feel quite so ‘autumny’ as it usually does. Therefore, I think that it is a perfect time to savour a reading from one of my most favourite childhood books, Brendon Cha...
Under the ghost of a Harvest Moon
Oct. 1, 2023

Under the ghost of a Harvest Moon

A week of serious problems with our internet has meant that I have been unable to record the episode answering listeners’ questions. However, join us tonight to enjoy a special meeting under the ‘ghost’ of a harvest moon. Jou...
Home thoughts of a Pilgrim (Chasing the wind)
Sept. 10, 2023

Home thoughts of a Pilgrim (Chasing the wind)

It's a hot sultry night in the late eve of summer. Join us tonight as we spend time with the gentle words and wisdom of a friend of mine. Journal entry : 6th September, Wednesday “This evening The wool of traveller’s joy has ...
Roots do not hold you down (Hedge wisdom)
Sept. 3, 2023

Roots do not hold you down (Hedge wisdom)

The hedges are ablaze with colour and they call to us of lessons that we have long forgotten. Journal entry : 2nd September, Saturday “At the edgings of the day. A delinquent V of geese Transect a sinking sun. As they reappea...
As long as the rain talks (I will listen)
Aug. 27, 2023

As long as the rain talks (I will listen)

A warm dry week has ended with chasing shadows and showers. It looks like a dampish Bank Holiday! Therefore, this might be a good time to consider more deeply on the quality that rain has to touch us both physically and emoti...
Low along the Fox Paths
July 16, 2023

Low along the Fox Paths

It’s a wild and wet July night of wind and rain. So why not step aboard for a while as we meander down some fox trails and contemplate the pleasure of sunshine and dark skies. Journal entry : 11th July, Tuesday “A quarter to ...
Changes (lessons from a field edge)
July 9, 2023

Changes (lessons from a field edge)

Join us tonight on a hot sticky night of lingering light and stubborn twilight. With the summer’s tilt shifting wider and deeper changes are felt. "Life is a motion. Life is growth. It is never static," says the corner of a f...
Five Finger Widths (above the horizon)
June 25, 2023

Five Finger Widths (above the horizon)

Watching the sun sink below the horizon, particularly after long sunny days such as these, can evoke a mass of mental and emotional responses that seem to tap into something deep within us. Join us this week as week count dow...
These are the Long Days (on Windmill Hill)
June 18, 2023

These are the Long Days (on Windmill Hill)

These are the days when the nights are short and the days are long. On the cusp of the summer solstice, the year's turning reaches its zenith, join me tonight in celebrating the unique joys (and challenges) of the long days w...
The Sun that Shone on Eden (still shines upon us here)
May 28, 2023

The Sun that Shone on Eden (still shines upon us here)

Come with me for a walk by the canal and I will show you something wonderful! This week we explore how names and memories have the power to root and reinforce our connections with home and tell us something very important abo...
A Nightingale Sang (and the world listened)
May 21, 2023

A Nightingale Sang (and the world listened)

This week marked the anniversary of what has been considered by many to be one of the most important cultural events of the twentieth century. Tonight, we try to recapture that moment and explore why its power to move still r...
Up on the Roof (Waiting for the rain)
May 14, 2023

Up on the Roof (Waiting for the rain)

We are back! Spring sunshine and showers are transforming the fields and the canal and it is wonderful to be behind the microphone once again! The roof of a narrowboat can acts as a special extra room offering you panoramic v...
The Three of Seven (At the conclave of oaks)
March 26, 2023

The Three of Seven (At the conclave of oaks)

Tonight's episode will be the last for awhile. I am trying to juggle too many things and I am not coping. I hope to be back soon. Thank you for all your support it means and has meant so much to me xx Tonight, the clouds are ...
When blackbirds learn to sing
March 19, 2023

When blackbirds learn to sing

After a blustery week of wild, mad, March weather, why not join us tonight as we enjoy a sunny moment beside the canal and contemplate on the powerful word-play of some very old Celtic bards. Journal entry : 17th March, Frida...
Night Swimming (After the snows)
March 12, 2023

Night Swimming (After the snows)

Curl up with us tonight as we enjoy the warmth of a cosy cabin as snow gives way to sweeping rain and our stove glows brightly in the gathering darkness. Journal entry : 10th March, Friday “The convocation of oaks rises to my...
Songs to the Younger Part (Hymn of the Pearl)
Feb. 19, 2023

Songs to the Younger Part (Hymn of the Pearl)

Blustery late winter nights are perfect for retelling old stories. Tonight we listen again with new ears to the ancient story told in the 'hymn of the pearl' and explore how old myths and folktales can weave such powerful tal...
Lock Wheeling
Feb. 12, 2023

Lock Wheeling

Any boater who is faced with the prospect of numerous locks ahead will know how wonderful it is to find someone who is prepared to take on ‘lock-wheeling’ duties. This episode takes some time out to reflect on the podcast as ...
February Dawning
Feb. 5, 2023

February Dawning

All along the canal side, the wintery tees and hedgerows are filling with spring song and life. Subtle shifts and changes, the play of light through the trees, the shimmering reflection of an old oak, auger new seasons awaiti...
One day last summer
Jan. 22, 2023

One day last summer

Join us around the warmth of a glowing stove tonight as ice once more grips the boat and freezing fog thickly mantles the winter-naked trees. On nights like these, it is good to remember summer days and so, tonight’s episode ...
Tuesday Morning, 5.30am (The Voyage of Bran)
Jan. 15, 2023

Tuesday Morning, 5.30am (The Voyage of Bran)

Rain and mud are all around us at the moment, but there is wonder there too. The ancient myth of ‘The Voyage of Bran’ helps us to find the extraordinary within the ordinary and (with apologies to Simon and Garfunkel) the beau...
When darkness falls (Skating on 'un-time')
Jan. 8, 2023

When darkness falls (Skating on 'un-time')

Happy New Year! New Years can be exciting times, marking new beginnings, a clean page, awakening dormant dreams and ambitions. However, sometimes it is not always like that. This year, in particular, many face the new year wi...
'Earth stood hard as iron...'
Dec. 18, 2022

'Earth stood hard as iron...'

Join us around the stove tonight, on a very cosy NB Erica that is currently ice-locked into a frozen landscape, as we think about the Fimbulwinter of old, and why Midwinter might be mid-winter after all! Journal entry : 14th ...
Nightwalk 2 (Moon shadows across the water)
Dec. 4, 2022

Nightwalk 2 (Moon shadows across the water)

The night is chill and crisp, a bright moon rides the racing clouds and stars shimmer on the surface of the canal. It’s a perfect night for a night walk. Snuggle down and wrap up warm as you join me on a canal walk washed by ...
Today I held back time
Oct. 30, 2022

Today I held back time

This weekend the clocks change (in the UK). These small markers in our calendars can touch us in deep ways. Join me tonight as we stop the clock, step out of time, and savour together the unspent, untouched hour as the world ...