It seems appropriate that I should devote this newsletter to ghoulies and ghosties. Hallowe’en is next Sunday and the mosses are dripping in anticipation. Everything is damp. Yellow slime mould is running riot. Under the brambles, the red and white Amanitas are out in force, capturing the imagination. (more…)

It’s beautiful!  Clouds of butterflies dancing in the sunshine. On warm September days, the wood smells delicious. I struggle to describe the rich and complex aroma in a way that would be meaningful to those who are unable to visit; it’s a mixture of fruit and fungi, trees and damp earth; it reminds me of Christmas cake, but with a bit of a citrus tang to it. (more…)

Frogs are jumping and the brambles are high. The wood is totally lush: the trees in full sail, the ferns at their most magnificent. In sunny spots, flowers are blooming as never before and the air is scented with honey suckle. (more…)

It’s late spring and spirits are rising with the temperature. We are being freed from lockdown and the earth is producing fresh life. Day after day dawns bright the air sweet with birdsong; and while the wind can still feel chilly, there is real warmth in the sunshine.… (more…)

I was fortunate to be in the wood on St Davids Day. It was glorious. The daffodils have just come into bloom, sunshine filtering through their bright spring bonnets. The wild daffs in the Baby Grove are doing particularly well and spreading freely… (more…)

It was a letter from one of my readers that induced me to write this newsletter today. Maybe other people share her misconception. If so, there’s an urgent need to correct it. So here it is: We can and do bury people who have died of Covid… (more…)

The snow came and went very quickly but it was lovely while it lasted. Julia and I went to the wood to enjoy this rare treat and gather winter fuel.… (more…)

Even in January, the wood is lovely.

Happy new year! Blwyddyn Newydd Dda! My main resolution is to improve my Welsh to the point that I can actually hold a conversation and maybe even translate newsletters, but one year isn’t going to be enough.… (more…)

Wishing you a Happy Solstice! The wood this week: wet but still lovely.

It’s less than a week till the winter solstice and Pen Llyn is absolutely sodden. I am dreaming of a white Christmas: blue skies, sunshine and clear dry. To be honest, I’m worried about all this rain. It makes life difficult for us and even harder for the wildlife in the wood… (more…)

For the living: A new November newsletter.

Today is All Souls, The Day of the Dead: an appropriate time to remember the people and pets buried in the wood over the last 15 years. The first person to take up residence, in 2005, was my father, Billy Melville. It would have been his 107th birthday today but he didn’t want to stick around, 14 years without my mother was already too long… (more…)