Country Living UK May 2021

One of the silver linings of the past few months has been the resurgence of interest in craft. I’ve spoken to many friends who eulogise about the soothing effects of needlework, knitting, painting and pottery. It reminds me of my aunt, who was a semi-professional embroiderer. I remember, as a teenager, asking her about her dedication to her craft. Peering at me over her half-moon spectacles, she softly explained how the slow, repetitive process of pushing a needle through fabric allowed her mind to rest and helped her disconnect from her surroundings. I was mesmerised, yet too young to understand that this is what we now call mindfulness. Recently, my 27-year-old daughter took up the same craft, choosing to spurn ‘evening screen addiction’ in favour of this absorbing form of…

BOOKS The Ecological Gardener by Matt Rees-Warren (Chelsea Green, £20) Looking to transform your plot into a wildlife haven? This book is full of ideas to get you started, from building rainwater catchments to creating wild-flower meadows. My Farming Life by Emma Gray (Little Brown, £16.99) When she was 23, Emma Gray upped sticks to a remote Northumbrian farm to become Britain’s youngest solo shepherdess. Her story will be an inspiration to any country-lover. Light to Life by Raffael Jovine (Short Books, £14.99) Photosynthesis is the source of life, says biologist Raffael Jovine. Here, he explains how, by harnessing this natural process, we can regenerate the planet and stabilise the climate. Where the Wild Things Grow by David Hamilton (Hodder & Stoughton, £20) David Hamilton takes readers on a foraging adventure through the British landscape, explaining how to…

SENSE OF THE SEASON LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY This perennial, instantly recognisable from its white bell-shaped blooms, has an enticing fragrance, but is poisonous if eaten. Said to have sprung up where Eve’s tears fell as she left the Garden of Eden, Convallaria majalis signifies that a woodland has ancient origins. Look out for the flower in dry woodlands throughout England, and some parts of Scotland and Wales. Find out more at wildlifetrusts.org. Take your time to… survey the swift THE NUMBER OF SWIFTS (APUS APUS) WINGING THEIR WAY TO THE UK FROM THE SAHARA HAS MORE THAN HALVED IN THE PAST 20 YEARS, LEADING THE RSPB AND ITS PARTNERS TO LAUNCH A SWIFT MAPPER. YOU CAN RECORD SIGHTINGS OF SWIFTS OR THEIR NESTS, OFTEN UNDER ROOFS OR IN THE EAVES OF BUILDINGS, ON THE RSPB WEBSITE…

Follow @CLArtisans on Instagram for news of our The Good Life artisan markets this year and to see more unique products from CL artisans FOR STOCKISTS see Where to Buy PRICES AND AVAILABILITY CORRECT AT TIME OF GOING TO PRESS. POSTAGE/DELIVERY COSTS ARE IN ADDITION TO THE PRICES QUOTED HERE…

May is the month when, under normal circumstances, I look forward to my annual visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Along with the gardening pages of Country Living, it is where, over the years, I have found many ideas for my own patch. But this is not, as we know, a normal year. Nor was 2020. The flower show was cancelled last year for, incredibly, the first time since the Second World War. This year it has been postponed until September in the hope that, by then, it might be able to go ahead – live as opposed to ‘on screen’. Many fingers will be crossed on that one. Devoid of the inspiration from my annual Chelsea visit, I have been using the various stages of lockdown to take a…