Book of the Month: Wilding

'Wilding - The return of nature to a British farm' 

by Isabella Tree 

As someone who is not a landowner, hated history as a child and who treats ‘facts’ with healthy suspicion and unhealthy dread, I am an unlikely fan of ‘Wilding’ by Isabella Tree. But when a book sparkles with literary flair, passion and insight after insight relevant to ‘the common man or woman’ it is bound to be compelling. It is book to treasure and I shall certainly re-read it in a more leisurely fashion than reviewing permits.

However, this review starts with an odd request: skip the intro and read it as a reminder of the journey accomplished when you’ve reached the end. Head straight for Chapter 1 to meet a remarkable tree man – Ted Green – and a couple facing a mountain of unpalatable facts.  From there you’ll be drawn swiftly into the story of the re-wilding of the Knepp Estate told with searing honesty and humility. Seeded with humour ‘Wilding’ presents a harvest of knowledge from the earth beneath your feet whilst constantly drawing you skywards to feast your eyes on turtle doves, the yaffle (Sussex name for a green woodpecker) nightingale and rare butterflies. Enter the world of Knepp – it enlightened and enchanted me. It also made my heart ache at our arrogance and refusal to learn from nature herself.

This is a nationally important book, not just for those interested in the future of agriculture and the land but for those worried about the ‘extinction of experience’. It is a salutary thought to consider that 40% of children never play outdoors at all. ‘Wilding’ also challenges myths about Britain’s ecological history with logic and evidence dug out of peat and sharp observation, revising my picture of a forested Britain in favour of wooded pasture inhabited by grazing animals.

Isabella Tree | Photo credit Anthony Cullen ©

Like the Knepp project itself this is a book which deserves a slow read with a note-book beside you if you like expanding your vocabulary. The quotes from literary figures and references to little-known customs and ancient lore give it depth but also ensure it feeds the spirit at every turn. Thank you Isabella!

'Wilding' is also beautiful to look at and handle. An exquisite cover, as rich as the hedgerow it depicts, with gloriously thick crisp dark green endpapers make ‘Wilding’ an ideal Christmas present for the country gentleman or woman. Teamed up with tickets to visit Knepp on one of its nature Safaris would surely be the perfect gift for parents, godparents or grandparents.

I admit my right brain raced over a couple of pages in the middle which charted the frustrations and interminable complexities of securing funding from various government agencies. Nevertheless, no doubt for the landowner these pages will no doubt evoke sympathy and context.

Whether or not this ends up on your or your family’s bookshelves, let me leave you with a quote to bury into the soil of your heart, ‘The great concerns of our time – climate change, natural resources, food production, water control and conservation, and human health – all boil down to the condition of the soil.’ (page 289). This book will give you a visceral understanding of how to treat earth’s skin in ways which might restore it and preserve it for thousands of years to come. It has given the ground beneath my feet new meaning.

P.S. Knepp is not far away from Beatons Petersfield. How about booking on one of Knepp’s nature safaris or workshops and either prefacing it or concluding it with Breakfast or Afternoon Tea? I’m earmarking it for a family member’s birthday treat! Further information: www.kneppsafaris.co.uk

Liz Darcy Jones

Book Ambassador

Secrets from our Countryside

Book of the Month

There British Summer is upon us and many of us enjoy a stroll in the beautiful countryside that surrounds us.

This book, The Walkers Guide to Outdoor Clues and Signs, by Tristan Gooley,  was BBC Countryfile book of the year and contains hundreds of clues, signs and techniques to read the landscape around us and make more of our time spent outdoors.

How can we navigate using natures stunning rainbows? Six secrets that Ivy teach us and what the colour of mud means...these are just a few of the intriguing and amazing aspects that we can learn about and really make the most of our forays into the wild!

Perfect for  families wanting to learn more about  what the land, sun, moon, stars, trees, plants, animals, sky and clouds can reveal - when you know what to look for.

The Labrador Theory by Cheever Hardwick

From one of our Wiltshire Authors... Christmas conundrum:  people who have everything. Answer? This book. The Labrador Theory by Cheever Hardwick, hardback, £14.95 Quiller Publishing

You don't have to be a country gent or lady to enjoy this book. A dog lover? Unquestionably!

Like me, you may not be as well acquainted with the tribe as the author thinks (they have money and land...) but it makes no matter. This romp of a coffee table book will make you chuckle and perhaps even prompt some useful self-reflection.

Wiltshire author Cheever Hardwick has found a remarkable cartoonist in Alasdair Hilleary to complement his witty theory. He makes a robust case for treating our men with more appreciation, affection and allowing them a long lead when it comes to their misdemeanours, as we would our labradors.

Warm, funny but not for the vegan!

Done your Christmas shopping already?  Sneak a copy away and present it on Valentine's Day, with a bottle of bubbly and follow Hardwick's rules on love...

The Spell of The Sensuous by David Abram

A local author who also understands the non-human world -
          'Anna Birch' author of best-seller 'Call the Vet' 

If you're looking for depth and greater connection with the non-human world around you on holiday, this might be a good find.

A fine 'first book'. David Abram weaves magic around the very words you are reading, taking them back to their oral roots. In so doing, we find ourselves plunged into the sensuous world of 'other' or non-human.

Any lover of language, ecology or interested in how as a race we have become so dependent on the landscape of our minds to satisfy us rather than the intimacy of the landscape needs to read this book. Abram demonstrates in his own sensuous way how we may have become 'literally misplaced' as our worlds speak from the page rather than from the prairie. Rich narrative draws on his own experience as a magician in Indonesia, Balinese shamanism, Apache storytelling as well as  philosophical sources such as Merleau-Ponty.

A poignant study that reminds us, 'We have forgotten the poise that comes from living in storied relation and reciprocity with the myriad things, the myriad beings, that perceptually surround us.'  This is a book that gives you permission to lay down your book, gaze at the sky and listen to the crickets or rustling wind in the trees...

Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Happier Life by Arianna Huffington

From one of America's most respected papers come a best-seller to hand to overwhelmed entrepreneurs or work alcoholics. If you think a holiday should be restorative - we do - then this is the book for you. This was born out of a well documented drama when the  co-founder, president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group 'collapsed from exhaustion and lack of sleep' and was found  lying at her desk in a pool of her own blood. Hopefully 'Thrive' will stop us reaching such a stage which is why Adriana has written it! It is impassioned, easy to read and reeks of integrity.

This godsend for the overworked demonstrates how you can be more efficient and successful by addressing four areas of your life: wellbeing, wonder, wisdom and giving. Far from being a 'mind - body - spirit' book, it's practical and packed full of research and examples of how some of the most successful companies in the world are applying Huffington's principles.

Thrive - paperback pub by Ebury Press

Did you know that Google has nap-rooms for employees? The evidence is compelling in all areas but most of all that sleep is essential, something Greg McKeown has also picked up on in his book 'The Essentialist' (also recommended). Play - or cultivating a child-like sense of awe - turns out to contribute creativity to teams with strategic conundrums.  What is particularly pleasing, is Huffington's acceptance and use of technology to enable us to 'Thrive'. There is a brilliant Appendices which lists all kinds of apps and tools to wean us off distractions or becoming a 'screen-sucker'. 

Recommended for your last few days on the beach to fire you up to 'thrive' when you return!