Description

Inspired by a traditional Japanese calendar which divides the year into segments of four to five days, this book guides you through a year of 72 seasons as they manifest in the British Isles.

From ‘Snowdrops emerge’ in the first days of January to ‘Tree skeletons and sky’ at the close of the year, each fleeting season is epitomized by some natural phenomenon, be it a plant coming into bud, a burst of birdsong, or a cobweb spangled by dew. Drawing on folklore and tradition, herbal medicine and natural history, this is a book to give, to treasure, to dip into, and to inspire your own regular acts of noticing nature as it flourishes and fades and rises again, through the seasons.

Publisher Review

A gorgeous guide to the year, one that will deepen readers’ relationships with the seasons — Melissa Harrison The magic of Nature’s Calendar lies in the simplicity of its premise: break the year into smaller parts, and see what happens to our noticing. What follows is a striking collection of essays by writers and keen observers of the natural world; an invitation to get involved; and a celebration of what is fleeting — Helen Jukes [A] treasure of a book * Bookseller * [Nature’s Calendar] highlights subtle changes, with ‘noticing exercises’ to make us aware of nature’s beauty and complexity * Woman’s Weekly * [A] gorgeous guide… Drawing on science, art, literature and history, the contributors aim to re-enchant the reader, encouraging close observation of the world * Simple Things * Delightful… Nature’s Calendar, designed to be dipped into rather than read in one go, is a reassuringly old-fashioned book, the sort of volume the Famous Five might have consulted before going on one of their jaunts… It proves that, as long as you know where to look, there are wonders unfolding all around us right through the year * Daily Mail * Beautifully eclectic… Books such as Nature’s Calendar are there to remind us to take life at a slower pace, to metaphorically (and literally) smell the roses * BBC Countryfile magazine *