Wrote about the larch tree this weekend for The New York Times. It’s a wonderful tree and has been integral to our economy and industry over the last 300 years. A disease is currently threatening its future but @forestresearchuk.bsky.social are on the case. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/21/o...

Had proper full moon insomnia last night. Went outside at 3am, garden was lit like a headlight over the hill. Stood on a slug and saw a hedgehog.

There’s only so much crumble we can eat.

This will be really lovely for anyone in the area.

I’m running a non fiction course again this autumn. You can join me as I finish the 1st draft of my book, file a travel commission to a VERY tight deadline & deliver an essay for a collection I kind of forgot. Read here for what course actually entails. ⬇️ www.writelikeagrrrl.org/product/narr...

When the kids go back to school and you write 1000 words in a few hours. God I’ve missed working.

The journey back to Scotland. First stop, Ribe, Denmark.

Beech, birch, pine and aspen. Swedish forests are fab. #forests #forestry #sweden

This place is pretty glorious. #southsweden

Picked and cooked chanterelles today. We checked and checked, naturally, and fried them in simple butter. Delicious.

Cannot wait to buy a few copies of this for friends. It’s a brilliant book. Pre-order now.

Carrots and a short canal.

Cuddled a sausage dog. Surprisingly heavy.

Please share :)

So pleased to offer a quote for Kristies book! It’s such a powerful read. Pre-order now!

A weekend on Raasay, the most stunning place.

I wrote an essay about a good friend who went through postnatal psychosis. It’s something quite unbelievable, to watch someone you love go through that. She is amazing & now raises awareness about the condition. It’s in the latest edition of Gutter magazine (Guttermag.co.uk) ❤️

Findlatter Castle and Sunnyside Beach. As dramatic as it looks. It was a three layer/two jumper kind of day. Thank for recs @foresterwill.bsky.social It’s gorgeous up here.

Scots Pine near Cullen and Portsoy framing the view. Like someone from an Indie film. #moray #banff

Harbour at twilight, Portsoy

Loved reading this book by @rebeccasmithauthor.bsky.social - an honest, real reflection on rural community life, with land ownership thread throughout. Who owns land matters, that's where the power lies.

I dip into Substack every now and then for certain things and always read something excellent. Very pleased to see Kristie on there too now. Read this and follow her, you won’t regret it.

Next Monday, my non fiction course kicks off again. It’s 5 weeks long, nearly 2 hours each week. Did I learn some extra stuff from running it last time? Yep. Will running it now help me write my current book? Probably! Come and join us!

Storm Eowyn buggered up our first night away in London, at a black tie do no less, in well over a year. So the grandparents stayed an extra night and we went a little further north instead for a much needed escape. Thanks parents.

Ok Bluesky - we’re meant to fly from Edinburgh to London tomorrow for a fancy do and a rare night away from the kids. How likely is it the flights will be cancelled? I think very likely. Partner thinks they will fly. @dundeesat.bsky.social maybe you can help! #stormeowyn

My first PLR statement. 😍 Thank you to everyone who uses libraries & especially to those who have taken out Rural. For those who don’t know PLR is Public Lending Right & each time you lend a book, it’s like putting a coin or two in a pot. So thank you. Here’s Rural at my local library.

Big bellied Hercules flying low in St John’s in the Vale near Keswick today. Gorgeous day to be near the fells.

Fascinating morning at Napier Uni with @flyingquercus.bsky.social learning about timber properties. What a complex and fascinating science!

Rachelle Atalla on BBC radio 4s new book programme, Take Four Books is a masterclass in writing. Great hosting too @jdcrawf.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

I am so excited to mentor Kristie over this next year!

Interested in learning more about writing nonfiction? I’m running a nonfiction course with @writelikeagrrrl.bsky.social from Feb 3rd - only 4 weeks today! Join us, Monday nights for 5 weeks. It’ll be great. www.writelikeagrrrl.org/product/non-...

Cool hair ice in the woods today at the Hermitage.

Happy new year everyone! Wishing you all the very best for 2025. Only 14 weeks until we hear the calls of the nightingales again and displays like this. Hang on in there.

I was asked to write about one of my favourite winter walks for The Guardian. It was in the paper on Sat but I totally forgot about it until today. 🤦‍♀️ I wrote about the River Avon near me. It’s a lovely stretch, full of industrial history and more. amp.theguardian.com/travel/2024/...

A walk up Latterbarrow. We used to do this on Christmas Day, a bunch of us from the village would go up to the top then back down to the pub. Love this view in winter.

Another weekend, another set of impressive trees! These gorgeous Redwoods are in Dunmore near Airth in central Scotland. Lots of see round here including a ruined Big House, a Pineapple Summerhouse & empty mausoleum.

Dunkeld has some impressive trees. Some of the country’s tallest Douglas Firs grow here & I was v. interested to meet the ‘parent’ larch which was planted in the 1730s & has provided millions of seeds for larch trees ever since. Its seed will have been used for everything from pitprops to flooring.

This week's Freelance Writing Jobs fills me with such hope for the year to come. Share with your favourite freelancer, they might buy you pastries when they get brilliant commissions. 🥐https://freelancewritingjobs.substack.com/p/freelance-writing-jobs-faber-comic-relief

I’ve done a few podcasts over the last year or so and it was a delight to chat to Sam from Fieldzine for this one. Here’s the link! podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/f...

Doing everything except what I should be doing. Write for gods sake, just write.

Cockleroy, a short climb for a fab view. Blows the cobwebs away too. #linlithgow

I couldnt see one, so I started one! I literally just threw this up on my coffee break so will have missed many awesome people. Shout if you’re one of them go.bsky.app/MeKxG4G

The Women in Journalism Scotland mentoring scheme is open. I know lots of women journalists who have had a rough year: we can find you a mentor to help with confidence, career redirection, whatever you need www.wijscotland.com/news/wij-sco...

This was a really interesting and well researched article. And this line sums it up brilliantly. ‘It’s too often about a product, rather than people and place.’ Relevant to much more than just tourism too.

The foreshore at Boness looking bright today. Love the three cranes in the distance at Ironmill Bay.

The middle kid and I drop the youngest off at the childminder early so we can walk through the park and have some time together. This was our last day to do it today as he starts nursery next week at her school. I’ll miss these uninterrupted conversations. I’ll make sure to find time for more.

Spent the day with some passionate and knowledgeable young foresters yesterday. It’s a profession that isn’t all that well known but such a varied one. Great day.

These are just SOME of the books I’ve been re-reading for the non fiction course I’m running for Write Like A Grrrl. It starts on the last Monday in Oct for 5 weeks, 7.30pm til 9.15pm. Come and join me! Info below. www.writelikeagrrrl.org/product/non-...

Ulverston Lantern Festival. An incredible 10 thousand people descend on this Cumbrian town every Sept. This year there was Zog, Dumbo and a very proud boy with his wee fish.

If anyone is free tonight, Wainwright are recording the event and you can watch it here. The fact that Rural is shortlisted is incredible - I’m just so looking forward to meeting the other authors. www.youtube.com/live/MlVhiKs...