Childhood, risk and ‘wild’ places

May 6, 2013 By 3 Comments
Harborne Walkway in its current, manicured state. Image by Andy Reeve, used under Creative Commons license.

When I came back from my travels recently, I spent a week at my mum's on the way back. It was an opportunity to revisit some of the haunts of my youth: the huge willow tree at the bottom of the road, still standing, and the old railway track which has since been transformed into a public path all the way from Harborne to Winson Green, approximately two miles of green, car-free paths winding through Birmingham's suburbia. The willow tree is an old friend. I and the little gang of pre-teens I … [Read more...]

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Meeting the wild

March 26, 2013 By 2 Comments
connect in the garden

I mentioned last week how disconnected I was from the cycles of nature as a child. It wasn't for lack of exposure to non-urban places. In fact, my father took great pride in the fact that he shared his love of the outdoors with me from infancy. My parents have photo albums full of pictures of me in a backpack on my dad's back exploring nature. My dad would carry magnifying glasses in his pocket so that we could look at leaves and bugs and rocks up close. When I was 3 we visited a tiny pod with … [Read more...]

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Lessons from the river

January 1, 2013 By 1 Comment
River Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland

I spent most of my young life living near the ocean. I could never imagine what it was like for people who never saw a beach in their lives, or who called the banks of a large lake "the beach". To me, the idea that a place where the waves weren't large enough to surf could be called a beach seemed silly, wrong headed, even. I grew up taking great comfort from the smell of the sea, the blanket of fog in the morning and evening, and the sounds of the waves. So, when I was 29 and found myself far … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Nature's Metaphors Tagged With: , , , , , , , , 1 Comment