The New Year energy is still strong. The impulse to make resolutions to do more, to be more, - plenty of new year, new you messaging in the media, selling exercise regimes, plan your year regimes, diet regimes. On the one hand it seems everyone has forgotten that it's still winter here, that it's hibernation season and really not the time to be trying to persuade yourself to eat more salad (brrrr!) or go for that 6.00am jog in the dark and cold. On the other hand, there are a

I have a long held theory about when capitalism really took over the world and I date it as the year (unknown) when instead of a paper advent calendar with a wee picture of a star or a shepherd or an angel behind a door, I received one which had chocolates. These days if chocolate isn't indulgent enough for you, there is jam, or socks or perfume or mashed potato, whatever takes your fancy or suits your budget, however large, although I'm not sure anyone needs 24 luxury watch

As I write this there's just one month until the Winter Solstice and just over a week until the First Sunday in Advent which really begins the countdown to Christmas Day. Winter has finally hit us here this week with sub zero temperatures. It came as a bit of a surprise to me that if we wanted to run another wintery adventure then we needed to get a move on! There's no full blown advent calendar this year instead we're going to bring you weekly winter wonder to encourage y

This week I had the pleasure of attending a Bat Mitvah (coming of age) ceremony, which took place in a synagogue. During the service we were told that the date fell within the celebrations of Sukkot, a harvest festival in the Jewish calendar. We were invited to take part in the Kiddush meal after the service which was to take place partly in the sukkah, a tent-like structure that had been erected in the synagogue's outdoor space. The congregation were very welcoming to the

Well that crept up on me! The autumn equinox - or the start of astronomical autumn - is on Monday 22nd September. It certainly seems...

I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have arranged a meeting at Dumbreck Marsh Local Nature Reserve in Kilsyth during a heatwave. What...

No, don't worry, not that season. It was unnerving to open The Living Almanac newsletter and discover that the seasonal signpost that...

It seems a long while since we were out amongst the trees celebrating Green Health Week, but somehow it doesn't feel that long since I...

Nature is for everyone.  That’s the theme of this year’s Green Health Week.  But what if it’s difficult to get outdoors or where you stay...

On Sunday morning I found myself standing on the edge of Belstane Burn in Carluke cheering on a jolly band of small yellow ducks as they...

As March draws to a close, a couple of things occur. I am writing this on the day of the Vernal Equinox, the first day of Spring - if...

I had an exciting afternoon out last Thursday, joining the gardening gang down at R:evolve Recycle in Cambuslang to count seeds. (Side...

Like the green shoots of bulbs pushing up last year's leaf litter, there are lots of new ideas percolating in the nature connection world...

This is the fifth year of our advent calendar - rather than the fourth that I have previously referred to. Apparently I am unable to...

"Autumn gradually becomes winter in November." so begins the November chapter in Miles Richardson's new book " The Blackbird's Song &...

It feels like perhaps I am not destined to see the aurora from my back door. Despite people all around me posting photos on social...

The camera reel on my phone is a litany of pretty poor nature photos today, however I think there is still some benefit in sharing them -...

This week has definitely demonstrated the best of back to school weather with torrential rain for much of the last day of the holidays...

The title of this blog came to mind as I uploaded the pictures from the walk I took in Carluke last week. I knew I hadn't invented it,...

I find it difficult to stick to routines, yet there have been a number of habits that I have incorporated into my days over the last few...