The Ragged Optimist 58
I dislike the phrase ‘in nature’. We are nature: it’s not something we’re separate from and can choose to sometimes ‘be in’.
I went to Borde Hill Garden at the weekend, in Sussex. The place was founded in 1598 when Stephen Borde, the grandson of Henry VIII’s private herbalist and physician Andrew Borde, built a big Elizabethan manor house which is still there. Much later Colonel Stephenson R Clarke sponsored plant hunting trips to plunder the British Empire, and the garden is now full of exotic trees, shrubs, and bushes.
The Round Dell, full of varieties of bamboo, bananas, and giant gunnera was my favourite corner - it’s a recent addition, designed by Sophie Walker in 2017. I also liked the Italian Garden, with a copy of a statue by Ev Meynell, of a naked lady with her arms outstretched. Placed above a rill running into a pond above a wide view of the High Weald, it felt like a sacred space, with the statue as goddess, so I made a small offering (of a leaf I’d kept and pressed in my sketchbook) to her.
The whole place does that wonderful thing of making you think it’s wild, when it’s so carefully cultivated. Generations of care have contributed to make something, and that’s perhaps all we can hope to do in life.
“The world exists for the purpose of producing artists, in order that artists may produce new worlds.” Don Marquis
A Kent nature reserve is playing a key role in efforts to revive southern England's dwindling curlew population. Thirty-nine chicks have successfully hatched and are being raised in captivity as part of a project to save one of Britain's most iconic wading birds from local extinction.
I spoke last week about my workshop with Space for Storytelling. They have free workshops once a month, to support anyone who wants to try storytelling. They also hold monthly free folklore talks about aspects of folklore and myth which are thoughtful, inclusive and kind.
We The Forest is a beautifully illustrated book for children aged 6-12. It bringsthe forest ecosystem to life through art and science.
The Wildlife Trusts, the WI, Incredible Edible and Garden Organic have called for a ‘Right to Grow’ in towns and cities. It says that local councils should raise their ambition for community food growing, which delivers significant benefits for community well-being, nature restoration and local economies.
UK Overseas Territories are mainly islands dotted around the globe – in the Atlantic, Indian and South Pacific oceans, and the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas, as well as the British Antarctic Territory. They’re home to an incredible diversity of wildlife - and the RSPB support projects in many of them.
The V&A have opened up access to half a million items they own, which are held in their new store, V&A East Storehouse. You can request access to see anything they have up-close.
Marine Studios in Margate are hosting an evening looking at DIY culture. Make your own zines, badges and vegetable block prints. And there’ll be a chance to browse protest posters and zines from my collection (most of which are now held by Special Collections at the University of Kent).
Social good is centred among the design projects from students at Arts University Plymouth. They include a project utilising fish skins, seaweed and fruit pulp to create compostable textiles, a housing concept for refugee families in Plymouth, UK, and a women's creative community centre.
Wilder Blean Festival celebrates the Kent rewilding project over a few days in July.
And finally - I’ve been updating my website, with a new logo some new projects added. What do you think?
In nature is non-specific and lazy use of the language. As you say, we are nature. It reminds me of the trend of putting the words "All Natural " on food packaging.
Website looks great!