What a book. I’m always really interested in what other people are reading - and I must say that I’ve found it hard to concentrate on reading fiction over the last couple of years, and so the pile of non-fiction books by my bedside table has grown steadily. I say ‘by’, as there is no room left on the table itself, so there are piles of books, piles on piles actually, neatly stacked but just waiting for me to come and ruffle them up. I can feel it. What’s gripping me this week is the utterly fabulous ‘ The Garden Awakening’ by Mary Reynolds. You may have heard of Mary - she describes herself as a ‘reformed’ landscape designer, and she now designs arks: acts of restorative kindness to the earth. Re-wilding before re-wilding was even a thing, she creates beauty by listening to the land. I’ll post more snippets from this book occasionally, and my thoughts on what she has written - this quote hits home, I feel. Many talk of our being custodians of the land, but it’s Mary’s approach that truly reminds us that “Gardens belong to nature, not the other way round. So do we.” Her calm, gentle, and soothing way of writing draws you in - I have to be honest and say that when I first looked at this book five years ago, I wondered whether I could really imagine myself making meditations upon the land. But the more I read on, the more I realise that, without really thinking, I have been following a similar practice. Walking the land - I beat the boundaries of every new landscape I visit, walking the whole boundary and setting an intention of bringing magic and atmosphere here, and then walking the land, slowly, methodically winding my way ever inwards, following an invisible labyrinth. It sounds slightly borderline-bonkers when I write it, and I’m pretty sure that I look a tiny bit borderline-bonkers as I pace around a garden slowly, having asked to wander off on my own and ‘get a feel’ for what’s happening. But that’s exactly what I’m doing - getting a feel for who and what has gone before, for everything that still inhabits this space, and ensuring that I do whatever I can to ensure that it always will belong to nature. Here’s to borderline-bonkers becoming mainstream. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jothompson.substack.com/subscribe