I never thought I’d be posting a photo of a loaf of bread, but I never thought I’d get so much joy from making bread either- so here we are. My first proper sourdough loaf, maybe she’s a fluke (I hope not for how long I researched & how many pages of notes I made). It feels like an ancient dopamine hit to reveal a beautiful warm golden crust like that. People have been making sourdough for at least 5-6000 years, and in such a fast paced modern life, spending days tending a starter into a ball of dough to be baked into this thing that has sustained us for thousands of years feels more than special. No instant gratification here. Thanks @108thebakery for the happy healthy starter 🥖

In a time where people seem to rely so heavily on AI for the most menial tasks, I’m more than ever using my books to identify birds, plants, mushrooms, moths and butterflies again. I’ve started taking a notebook on walks to replace my phone, sketchbooks are being finished much quicker too. Autumn is one of my favourite seasons, finally being able to wear wool layers, the trees are shifting and the birds are louder again. A joint exhale as we shift away from the pace of summer.

I’ve never met a dog like her. So full of love, wits and goofiness. Always on the clock, always one eye open, always at my feet in an instant when the butter packet is opened. A dog who stares into your soul for a piece of carrot or the peanut butter spoon. Who runs to your lap for a cuddle if you sit cross legged on the floor, who squeals with excitement when you come home from doing a shop. Whose head smells like love and fur is always soft, but especially after it’s been raining. Who is leaning over my shoulder as I write this and I’m reminded of all these little things again.

This year was far from the one I expected to have, but the one I completely and utterly needed.

A slow slow few days exploring Norfolk. Sleeping in a meadow met with hundreds of dragonflies each dusk, riverside saunas and daily coffee from the same spot we fell in love with. Sometimes it’s really not about how far you go. This trip we barely left the town we camped near to, we learned about the local folk lore of the Black Shuck from a photographer we chatted to in the cafe. We bought local veg and fish to cook with each evening outside and generally didn’t ’do’ a whole lot. We met Zoe and Harry, the lovely folks of @outbeing.earth , on a camping trip a few months ago and got chatting about their new fully electric camper vans, designed thoughtfully to travel lighter and slow down. Stocked with everything you’d need & sourced from small businesses, it’s a really wonderful way to see the country without the heavy & unnecessary impact of flying.

There are marigolds on the coffee table in a glass of water, iced coffee and reluctant rings on the wood. The car is packed and unpacked most weeks, camping, driving, friends’ cottages. Rosy cheeks and salty hair, melting ice creams and afternoons hiding from the heat that remind me daily of the lingering climate anxiety. Early riverside walks in cooler air, still bird spotting even though they’re quieter in August. We have a shrew resident that returned and realistically we’ll let hang around for a bit. A summer of high highs and low lows but I wouldn’t change it for the world