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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTESELLER

Emma Mitchell’s richly illustrated and evocative diary – as seen on the BBC’s Springwatch – records her nature finds over the course of a year and shows how being in the wild benefits our mental and physical wellbeing.

‘This is a beautiful, beautiful book, and I can’t recommend it enough.’ Sue Perkins
‘Emma’s words are profound, her photography is inspiring and her illustrations are exquisite.’ Emma Freud
‘Emma’s writing is precise, gorgeous and inspiring.’ Amy Liptrot
‘An absolute joy.’ Joanna Cannon

Emma Mitchell has suffered with depression – or as she calls it, ‘the grey slug’ – for twenty-five years. In 2003, she moved from the city to the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens and began to take walks in the countryside around her new home, photographing, collecting and drawing as she went. Each walk lifted her mood, proving to be as medicinal as any talking therapy or pharmaceutical.

In Emma’s hand-illustrated diary, she takes us with her as she follows the local paths and trails, sharing her nature finds over the course of a year. Reflecting on how these encounters impact her mood, Emma’s candid account of her own struggles is a powerful testament to how reconnecting with nature may offer some answers to today’s mental health epidemic.

Written with Emma’s characteristic wit and frankness, and filled with her beautiful drawings, paintings and photography, this is a truly unique book for anyone who has ever felt drawn to nature and wondered about its influence over us.