All quiet on the Western front. A beautiful, bright, still, January day. I know we’re not out of the Winter woods yet, but there is that mysterious air of expectancy that we’ve turned the corner towards Spring. The birds are beginning to sing Spring songs and – somehow – there’s just something in the air. I love the Winter – but I love the Spring too – well, all the seasons. The pleasures of each, the sense of life, movement, growth in Nature and our amazing World. My online

Oh my goodness, Jon Katz, (he and his wife are my favourite bloggers – he a writer and photographer, Maria a textile artist and a great writer too) - wrote a wonderful piece about me and my work on his blog yesterday at www.BedlamFarm.com. I am over the moon because I love their work and their blogs are a daily treat for me – but I’ll write more about that another day. Anyway, turns out the painting I mentioned yesterday is not by him but by (sadly the late) artist L V Hull

My first day as a journalist on a newspaper, I was shown to my desk and tasked with various items to write. I stared at the screen. Panicking. ‘I can’t do this.’ My mind a blank. Sure, I had a few published freelance articles and a lot of copywriting to my name, but who was I to think I could be a journalist? One of the team was watching. He came over. “Just write,” he said. “Anything – doesn’t matter what - just type something. Then you’ll be fine.” He was right. It got m