Everything unfolding

Hi. How are you doing?

I meant to write this on Friday but I was overwhelmed by spring. I heard my first cuckoo of the summer, gaped at brand new oak leaves, and had to wade, laughing, through a short stretch of sparkling river I’d forgotten was tidal, and which had risen while I was at the pub. Yesterday it was swallows, a lesser whitethroat, and the heady fragrance of lilac blossom, and today I’ve been listening to our local nightingales 👇🏼 and counting the sparrows’ nests in my roof. The second half of April is – god, well, it’s everything. Sometimes I can’t believe how lucky I am that I get to witness it all unfolding once again.

This is really just a quick missive to let you know that if you’d like to come and say hello I’ll be at the following bookshops and venues in the coming months. To get a ticket you’ll generally need to head to the relevant website and navigate to ‘events’ or ‘what’s on’ or suchlike (or pop into the shop in question), but shout if you get stuck.

I hope the birds are singing wherever you are. I hope the wildflowers are raising their faces to the sky. I hope all the different shades of green are absolutely breathtaking. I hope there are insects everywhere.

Don’t forget to get up early – at least once! – to listen to the dawn chorus. We don’t deserve such riches. And all of it is free!