You can’t beat #homemade #soup cooked #outdoors on your #kellykettle . #livingmybestlife

For this week's #WildflowerHour #HedgerowChallenge, I spent a happy couple of hours searching an ancient VC29 hedgerow, and found 21 different species. The Wood Anemones were all over, unfortunately, but there was one remaining Oxlip (just!), and a few Early Purple orchids in bloom 🙂 ALT text/names

Tiny, delicate ground ivy, by the Leeds Liverpool Canal in West Lancs. My knees did not appreciate me bending for this one after a lot of hiking miles this weekend! #wildflowerhour

There seem to be so many more #wildflowers this year in my local area . Tonight #HedgerowChallenge for #WildflowerHour I spotted cow parsley , wild apple blossom , hawthorn blossom, cuckoo flower, red campion , yellow archangel , bluebells, jack in the hedge , wild garlic ,cuckoo pint, alkanet.

Today’s find up at the wood but at least he didn’t eat it this time ! Half a dead pheasant 🤦‍♀️

Samson was in the #doghouse last night as he trailed into the house half a plant with accompanying soil. So he just turned his back on me . This dog just makes me 😂 everyday 🥰

Great haul of #books arrived today from the fabulous @gallovidiabooks.bsky.social . Who needs Amazon I certainly don’t . I ordered yesterday morning and they arrived this morning - #supportlocalbookshops 📚📚

The perfect day up at #Bellwood. I have been labelling more trees so that I can keep track of how many of each 🌳we have which is going to be a task with 2,000! So far have identified alder, guelder rose , downy birch , field maple , ash , hawthorn , ear willow , purple willow. 🌿

“Xtreme Eco Actions.” “When you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future.” ~ Dian Fossey #Sky. #Trees. #Rainbow. #EarthDay. #Rainbows. #Mountains. #Photography.

Happy #EarthDay #ourplanetourpower doing our bit one 🌳at a time #BellWood

#WildflowerHour #BellWood

What a fabulous weekend of events @litfest.bsky.social ! From a walk about the #slavetrade in #Lancaster to #poetry #philosophy,#history and finally to #TheRightsofNature panel discussion last night it has been a fabulous weekend .

I really enjoyed 'moderating' Anna Whitelock's discussion about her book "The Sun Rising: James I and the Dawn of Great Britain" (new in paperback this month) for @litfest.bsky.social this morning 🌄 Fab speaker Fab book

Looking forward to the conversation with #AnthonyMcGowan with students at #LancasterGirlsGrammarSchool @litfest.bsky.social . I am not sure what my two 🦮🐕‍🦺 are thinking about the book at the moment but hopefully I will learn more over the weekend !

Excellent #LancasterHistory lecture last night @lancasteruni.bsky.social with @litfest. @profdanhicks.bsky.social lecture was titled “Staying with the fragments “ gave plenty of food for thought and there were plenty of questions from the audience .

Spending the afternoon with @profannawhitelock.bsky.social excellent new book "The Sun Rising: James I and the Dawn of Great Britain" in readiness for moderating her talk @litfest.bsky.social on Sunday March 22 2026 @thedukeslancaster.bsky.social

A superb event with @zoelambert.bsky.social in conversation with @kitdewaal.com @litfest.bsky.social. It was a fascinating conversation covering @kitdewaal.com memoir and her latest book of fiction #Thebestofeverything . I would highly recommend both books available from #litfestbookshop online.

#FictionSunday @litfest.bsky.social and what a lineup we had today ! More #fiction on Tuesday evening with @kitdewaal.com and more events to follow right through until next Sunday evening 📚

Snapshots of a sunny Saturday with Lancaster @litfest.bsky.social . Off home for a sit down before we go again tomorrow!

Superb afternoon @litfest.bsky.social listening to the most talented #authors and #illustrators @moohara.bsky.social @mglnrd.bsky.social @chrismould.bsky.social with @catherinespooner.bsky.social thank you to all of you for sharing your talent and stories today 👏👏

Fascinating conversation last night with @karenllo.bsky.social and #LeeSchofield about The connections between land recovery and the #rightsofnature @litfest.bsky.social in the #AtkinsonsUpperHall. There are so many more events on offer over the next 11 days @litfest .

It was a delight to attend the #ElizabethBurns memorial prize poetry readings last night presided over by Alan Rice . The winners and runners up who were aged between 6 and 16 years were superb. The future @litfest.bsky.social poets of the future .#Atkinsons upper hall in Lancaster is a great venue

I am huge fan of #BeatrixPotter and so it was a delight to attend the #IWD event last night @litfest.bsky.social to listen to @drpennybradshaw.bsky.social in conversation with #JoBaker who talked about her new book an A-Z of Beatrix Potter. 🙏 I am looking forward to reading the book.

A lovely event @litfest.bsky.social this evening to mark International Women’s Day at which I discussed why Beatrix Potter should be recognised on this day & discussed my new book, ‘An A-Z of Beatrix Potter’. I’ll be appearing next at Words by the Water on Sat 14 March: wordsbythewaterkeswick.com

Today we are celebrating #InterantionalWomensDay 2026 with a wonderful celebration of @drpennybradshaw.bsky.social new book and I cannot think of a better way to spend the evening @litfest.bsky.social .

Join me @litfest.bsky.social this Sunday (8th March) for International Women’s Day to find out more about my recently published book, ‘An A-Z of Beatrix Potter’, and the new perspectives it offers on one of our most popular children’s authors 🍄📚🍃

Well that was a weekend! Over 58 wonderful friends and family turned up to plant 2,000. 🌳🌳🌳 and create a new woodland . #BellWood is officially a wood now . You can’t see the trees on here but hopefully on 1/3/27 you will ! More corridors for our wildlife 🥰

We planted 1,000 🌳🌳🌳today back tomorrow for round 2 ! Thanks to #canalsandriverstrust for all their help and @wtscotsocial.bsky.social for the trees and to all my fabulous friends and family who volunteered their time🌟🌟

A fascinating read that has made me think about my own #reading habits and choices. As the chair @litfest.bsky.social I feel very fortunate that I have plenty of opportunities to listen to a wide variety of #writers who definitely have opened up new possibilities for me - join us geni.us/LFSpring26

I will be appearing at both @litfest.bsky.social (Sun 8) and Words by the Water (Sat 14) in March, and at the Lake District Book Festival in June to talk about my new book on Beatrix Potter. Date for the latter TBC 🍄📚🍃 www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/magazines/cu...

Doesn’t this look grand. On the front door of Bluemoose Towers. Magic. @thebookseller.com @bookcornerhx.bsky.social

If you enjoyed the #WaroftheWorlds performance @thedukeslancaster.bsky.social by #ImitatingTheDog come along @litfest.bsky.social event with @chrismould.bsky.social and Andrew Quick for another take on this classic tale geni.us/LFSpring26. The after show discussion was really insightful on Thursday

Our first Litfest workshop for 2026 will be a Queer Life Writing Course with @paulburston.bsky.social and Gordon A. Urquhart! You can choose to join the first workshop only (£15) or the full course including an additional 5 digital workshops (£60) Apply now: litfest.org/workshops26/

Our 2nd workshop of Litfest '26 will be a session on Nature & Environment Writing with Karen Lloyd on 21st Mar at 10:30am! In this time of crisis, consider ways that writers can engage in storytelling that places the rights of nature centre stage. Apply (£15): litfest.org/workshop...

Our final workshop for Litfest 2026, is a FREE Historical Fiction Writing Workshop with Vicky MacKenzie on Sunday 22nd March at 4pm! Apply here: litfest.org/workshop... You can also join us at 2pm when she will be discussing her novel with Alex Wragge-Morley! geni.us/LFSpring26

Stuck for something to do with the kids this half term? We've got a few ideas for you! For more information on how to book, sign up, and submit: geni.us/LFSpring26 The majority of tickets only £3, with some events free! Two events can also be joined online.

Meet our Queer Writing Strand! Our LGBTQ+ Writer in residence Paul Burston will run a queer life writing course & an event on Queering the Memoir with Gordon A. Urquhart, he'll also host the Polari Salon with VG Lee , Rosie Garland & @maxwallis.bsky.social ! 1/2

We've got a packed Litfest Children's Festival coming your way over the first weekend - 13th-15th March! All tickets £3: geni.us/LFSpring26 Ft. Mo O’Hara M. G. Leonard Chris Mould & more!

Litfest 2026 is packed with Poetry! We've got Blake Morrison, Karen McCarthy Woolf Fiona Benson, Sarah Howe, Polly Atkin and, perhaps, YOU at our very special gala reading of a selection your submissions to our Rights of Nature Poetry Map! Book now geni.us/LFSpring26

FREE EVENT! In person and online! On Wednesday 18th March at 6:30pm, we will welcome @profdanhicks.bsky.social to @lancasteruni.bsky.social to deliver the Lancaster History Lecture on the topic of 'Every Monument Will Fall' in conversation with Deborah Sutton. Book now: geni.us/LFSpring26

We are very excited to be bringing Lancaster University 's Eoghan Walls 's new novel: field notes from an extinction ( Seven Stories Press UK ) to Litfest! Join us at 5pm on Sunday 15th March for a very exciting launch! Tickets £6, book now: geni.us/LFSpring26

On Tuesday 17th March at 7pm, we'll be welcoming @kitdewaal.com to Lancaster to discuss her latest novel - THE BEST OF EVERYTHING - with @lancasteruni.bsky.social's Zoe Lambert! 'Takes an ordinary life and renders it extraordinary' Monica Ali Tickets £8, book now: geni.us/LFSpring26

One month today, we'll be launching Litfest 2026...with a book launch! We'll be celebrating our Naturalist in Residence @karenllo.bsky.social's new book - EARTHWORKS - in conversation with Lee Schofield! 13th March, 7pm at Atkinsons Upper Hall, tickets £6 geni.us/LFSpring26

On 8th March at 7pm, Dr Penny Bradshaw will be celebrating #internationalwomensday by taking us through the A-Z of Beatrix Potter in conversation with Jo Baker! Tickets only £8, book now! geni.us/LFSpring26

Dear readers & bird-lovers of Lancaster, I'll be talking about how nature inspired me to write The Twitchers books & giving you an exclusive peak at The Adventures of Portly to Otter on MARCH 14th at @litfest.bsky.social. Tickets are ONLY £3! www.mgleonard.com/events/2026/...

We are very excited to be welcoming Blake Morrison back to Litfest! In addition to his poetry double with Fiona Benson at 2pm on Saturday 21st Feb, he will also be treating us to an early preview of his A-Z of Life Writing- ON MEMOIR at 5pm! Book now (£8): geni.us/LFSpring26

On Sunday 22nd March 11am @thedukeslancaster.bsky.social , we'll be welcoming @profannawhitelock.bsky.social to discuss THE SUN RISING! A panoramic history of the arrival of the Stuarts, and how the reign of King James I saw England reach new corners of the globe. Tickets £8: geni.us/LFSpring26

This year is #nationalyearofreading2026! So, it's the perfect time to sign up to our Big read - litfest.org/big-read... - and come along to hear this year's featured author M. G. Leonard exploring her work: geni.us/LFSpring26

So good to be up at #BellWood today with the dogs and the 🦆🦆

After the crazy horrible windy weather today was almost tropical ☀️Time to get the Kelly kettle on !