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I hung a poem on a branch….
That’s the title of a poem I love by Yevgeny Yevtushenko. I’ve kept a copy on my noticeboard since I…
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The beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete…
That’s one of the descriptions of Wabi-Sabi, given in Leonard Koren’s book. Along with ‘a beauty of things modest and…
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‘Trying things out’ at Gravetye Manor
Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to be invited to visit the garden at the hotel, Gravetye Manor, as…
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Friends and reviews…
Just in this month… First friends… a page in Kent Life with photographs from the launch, such a lovely memory:…
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Apples, bank notes and a garden at Bere Mill
Bere Mill in Hampshire has a rich history. And I use that adjective on purpose, because it was where the…
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Send me your photographs of Digging Up Paradise – and win some writing seeds.
Remember – if you have got a copy of Digging Up Paradise, send me a photograph of it in your…
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DIgging Up the Pantiles
Forget Potatoes, People and Poetry – it was Books, Bunting and Busking in the Pantiles this week for the signing…
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Putting out the bunting for DIGGING UP PARADISE
This week, my new book, Digging Up Paradise, is published – and there have been reports of sightings in gardens…
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Old maps, hands and ghost gardens…
Or fingertips anyway… This is me joining the marvellous Vegplotting’s Show of Hands for the Chelsea Fringe, and a chance…
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Love, duelling pistols and an outdoor theatre in a Luccan garden
I’ve been all – and happily Kent, Kent, Kent gardens recently (and a little ghost ones) so this post on a…
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Hello beautiful….
Forgive me a little more book love here, but please can I introduce you to the front cover of Digging…
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Creative writing workshops about gardens and the landscape, plus some walks and weeks away…
I’m delighted to tell you that my latest book, Digging Up Paradise is now available for pre-order. It will come…
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Poetry in Westgate Gardens, Canterbury – a competition
I’m delighted to be judging the competition to find three poems to display in the underpass in the Westgate gardens…
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What people have been saying about Digging Up Paradise
I’m not always the best person to talk about my own work. To be honest, I tend to say stuff…
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An Exciting Book Announcement!
I’m absolutely delighted to tell you I’ve just signed the contract for a book from this blog. DIGGING UP PARADISE:…
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‘Loveliest’ Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle – in Kent, not Yorkshire as some people apparently think – is justly proud of Lord Conway’s comment…
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The view from a hill – Octavia Hill, Toys Hill and Ide Hill
The Octavia Hill Centenary Hill is not so much a garden, but a walk involving three hills – Toys Hill,…
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Porcupines and Poetry at Penshurst Place, Kent
I always think of Penshurst Place as a true writers’ garden. This isn’t just because it was the home of…
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A joyride in a paintbox – a walk round Winston Churchill’s Chartwell, Kent
Regular visitors here will know that there’s a form of time-travelling that can go on. Sometimes I’ll put up a…
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Eating William Morris’s Potatoes – Red House, Bexleyheath
I nearly turned back when I got to the suburban street marked as the address for Red House because it…
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Kent Life
Given that this website began in Kent – with Kent gardens – I’m very happy to be featured in Kent…
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Acorns and shopping streets – Delville Wood, France
I’m aware that this is a blog for English gardens but on a recent visit to the site of the…
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Autumn colour at Marle Place … by appointment
After my post on Marle Place, I’m happy to tell you that – although now officially closed – it may…