A Summer’s Day at Avebury

There are some places I never seem to tire of, and Avebury is one of them. We’re lucky enough to have it within easy reach, and as a National Trust property we love visiting the Manor house and gardens regularly. It’s lovely to see the gardens changing with the seasons. Of course, there are the

Books

The Secret Life of Trees

I’ve always loved trees, but I don’t think I’d ever really considered quite how much is happening in a woodland that we can’t see. That is at the heart of Peter Wohlleben’s bestselling book The Hidden Life of Trees. Wohlleben spent many years working as a forester in Germany, and the book invites us to

Mindfulness

Five Ways to Feel More Connected to Nature

I spend a lot of time thinking about why being in nature makes me feel better. It’s one of the reasons I started Little Piece of Wonder in the first place. But I recently came across a National Trust booklet called Nature and Me, which made me think about the difference between simply being outside

Art

Learning to Look: Green Sketching

I have loved drawing and painting from nature since I was a child. There is something about observing the unfurling of a fern frond, the veins on a leaf, the way the light falls across a flower petal, that has always seemed like magic to me. As an adult with a business to run, a

Nature

A few days in the Malvern Hills

We spent a few days in the Malverns recently, staying high above Great Malvern at The Cottage in the Wood. It is a historic Georgian country house and hillside estate with 32 bedrooms across the Main House and two cottages. Additionally, it offers sweeping 30-mile panoramic views across the Severn Valley, the Vale of Evesham,

Nature

What’s growing in the hedgerows?

Since moving to the Wiltshire countryside twelve years ago, I’ve found myself noticing our hedgerows more and more – particularly as I’ve begun to understand just how important they are. My husband has lived in the countryside for around 30 years and has taught me so much about the landscape around us: the plants we’re

Nature

Noticing Spring

There is something about March that makes me want to start looking properly again. After months of bare branches, muddy paths and grey skies, suddenly there are tiny signs that things are shifting. A bud where yesterday there seemed to be nothing. Green shoots pushing through the soil. The first blossom. Even the evenings seem

Nature

Unexpected Joy on a Grey Winter’s Day

This week I took a day for myself at my favourite spot – The Retreat at Elcot Park in Berkshire. I know I mention it often, but it really is my haven from the busyness of life. I’d booked the afternoon off for a swim, some time in the spa and a much-needed massage. The

Nature

Nature, the Body, and Learning to Listen Again

Little Piece of Wonder has always been about paying attention, noticing the little things and the wonder in those. When I first started writing here, I wasn’t thinking in therapeutic terms. I just knew that nature steadied me. That when life felt loud, busy or overwhelming, something as simple as walking, sketching, noticing or sitting

Nature

Lessons from the red kite

There are some birds that feel woven into the landscape rather than passing through it. The red kite is one of those. When one drifts overhead, wings slightly angled, tail gently fanned, it feels less like watching wildlife and more like witnessing a quiet piece of poetry. I remember strolling along our road in rural

Photography