What words from the natural world do you love?

I’ve been home for a week, in which time I have finished the first draft for The Unwinding, written a proposal for a book, been interviewed by an MA student and BBC Radio Devon and written a piece for a magazine in Australia. Before that I was on the road for five weeks, travelling from Plymouth to Wigtown, talking about The House Without Windows, and The Secret of the Tattered Shoes.

I have to go away again tomorrow to Exeter, where The Lost Words exhibition has sprung up at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum. I will be painting, playing with gold leaf, speaking spells, maybe reading a bit, from The Letters to the Earth and The House Without Windows. And then I come home, to settle into something secret, demanding, and I hope, beautiful.

There are so many things to talk about, so much going on, too much, so I limit myself to two.

1. It is hard in these times to carry your heart hopefully. I’ve been asked a couple of times now to go to London, once to read from the pink boat in Oxford Circus, once to read in Trafalgar Square. And I would love to go and see some of the beautiful and peaceful protests the Xtinction Rebellion are making to try to hold our government to account, as a call for us to change how we live, but I travel so much and have work to do and need to be home. There was a marathon ten hours of readings in Trafalgar Square, as writers joined in the rebellion, with police helicopters overhead and sirens and rain and drumming. And I know the ‘audience’ would have been bigger in London, but the thing is, this isn’t about audience, it’s about the soul. So, yesterday I sent out a facebook invitation to a few people and asked if they might come to Cross Square instead. To bring the protests into Britain’s smallest city. With Nicola Davies we read from our work, and the work of others. I had a copy of The Letters to the Earth, a hopeful book. There were no police helicopters, just jackdaws in the trees, and the curious irony of a man hoovering fallen leaves from the plastic grass outside The Old Cross Hotel. And it was good to come quietly together. We need to take time from our too busy lives to re-evaluate and I need this community and the support it offers to walk through the world with hope. And my hope is this, that groups like ours will rise and form across the land. I’ve decided to to it again, at 11 am every Friday ( From 25th October, and here is a facebook invitation to share) Yesterday Nicola read from Every Child a Song, ( the next four photos are from Deborah Tilley) dedicated the reading to four month old Leo. The book is a celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for the child, and as our government attempts to tackle Climate Change by sticking its fingers into its ears and pretending Brexit is a really important thing, and making it illegal to hold Xtinction Rebellion gatherings in the capital city, it’s important to know that you have, enshrined in International Law, the right to peaceful protest.

The invitation was there for others to read and two people stepped up. Elizabeth Daniels introduced a phrase that rang deep in my soul, the ‘anxiety footprint’. Yes. This is what had been building in me.

Sharing this space, this time, even though I have too much work to do, this was so important. Not book promotion, just a simple and quite celebration of life, shared. And in our small gathering Leo’s mum, all the way from Australia, who is taking the idea back home with her. We need to spread a net around the world of hope and creativity. I’ve chosen 11 am on Fridays in St Davids, to support the Youth Strikes for Climate Justice. Join us here, start your own group, in schools, at work, inside, outside, in parks, gardens, at museums, galleries, churches, cathedrals. Spread the word.

Thank you Deborah for the beautiful photos.

2. The second thing is, I did an interview with Radio Devon about the forthcoming exhibition at RAMM. The Lost Words exhibition is still touring. So far it has been at Compton Verney, The Foundling Museum in London, The Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, Nyman’s Gardens and The North Yorks Moors Visitor’s Centre in Danby. Now it is opening in Exeter. During our conversation Toby Buckland and I talked about which words from nature we love. I talked of the shapes of ravens in flight, otters in water, rather than words. When I think of it there are so many things and I need to remind myself to see them, to change my focus. And I asked the question on twitter. What flowed was a curious poem of natural beauty. So, I ask the same question here. Leave a comment, in less than 50 words, about your favourite words for nature. I will pick one, maybe two, and send a parcel containing a book ( one of the special Lost Words editions, with its missing words, some cards, and curious pieces from my studio to a comment, or two, that I choose. (Remember I have to action the comments and will be in the gallery all day on Saturday, so your comment might take a while to appear). I am in the gallery on Saturday, painting and talking and reading and speaking spells, so come and join us.

And join us on 25th Oct in Cross Square at 11 am. If it’s raining we will find a shelter- we’ve been offered the shack at the back of TYF shop, so all will be well, but Pembrokeshire weather smiled on us yesterday and the sky was a wonderful blue.

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