Adapting, Growing, and Thriving: Lessons from the Woodland

The Changing Seasons at Blue Bell Wood The sun is shining, and for the first time in months, I’ve shed my usual woolly hat, a small but delightful sign of the changing seasons here at Blue Bell Wood. The primroses are blooming, and I’m eagerly anticipating the arrival of the bluebells in the coming months. […]

Embracing the Beauty of Hard Work in the Woods

Finding Joy in Nature Spending time in the woods has a way of grounding us, bringing clarity and a deep sense of connection. Today was no exception. I arrived at my woodland retreat early in the morning, eager to get started on a new project. This time, I was working with Justin to build a […]

Woodland Ownership: Connecting with Nature and Its Complexities

In recent years, there has been a growing trend of individuals and organisations purchasing woodlands. This movement is often driven by a desire to protect natural habitats, combat climate change, and foster a deeper connection with nature. However, as with many environmental initiatives, the reality can be more complex than it first appears. The Rise […]

Time in Nature – Singing with Nightingales

Owning a wood, I enjoy spending quiet time alone with the trees; listening to the sounds of birds and other wildlife. However, I’ve never heard musicians playing along to bird song. I found out about an event Singing with Nightingales, last year on a visit to a RSPB Nature reserve, just a few miles from our […]

Trailcam footage

The latest from the trailcam, there is some good footage of a fox, and also hare, roe and muntjac deer and some birds from basecamp. We do get animal visitors to base camp – this time a glimpse of a deer.

Nature as Nurture

Hi, it’s Dr Denise and I’m standing at the edge of our wood. One of the good things about this time of year is you can actually see the field because there’s less leaves in the way. I haven’t been here for a week, and when I came here last Sunday, I was glad I […]

When plans go awry

Hi, it’s Dr. Denise and I just want to talk to you about how plans can go awry.  We can make plans and we can think that certain things are going to be happening, but they don’t always happen. Stuff will interfere. I was talking to a fellow woodland owner and that person was saying […]

When life is busy

My life has been busy of late has yours? I think sometimes we just forget that we human beings and become human doings, and there was just so much to do, so much to focus on … and it can lead to stress, and tension and pressure, and sometimes we have to say, enough, I’ve […]

Dealing with things

Hi, it’s Dr. Denise Taylor, and I’m coming to you from my wood. I so enjoy coming and getting outside my normal environment, out into the fresh air and to spend time walking around the wood and just seeing how the changes are since I was last here a couple of weeks ago. We’ve got […]

Who was at basecamp?

We start at basecamp with 2 birds of prey and 2 deer wandering around our camp. The second was just a few hours before we arrived. We also see a hare and 2 jaybirds.