This month…
I’ve recently undertaken the task of clearing out my late parents’ house. It’s been an emotional and cathartic experience. Like many of their generation, my parents threw little away. There were so many family treasures, worthless to anyone else but of huge sentimental value to me. This includes some school exercise books from my kindergarten days. My mother had kept them in a box with other ‘handcrafted’ bits and bobs. As I flicked through the yellowing pages, one story stood out, about a golden eagle we had spotted during a holiday. It was a vivid and poignant reminder of the happy times my brother and I spent with our parents in Scotland. My father always encouraged us to observe our natural surroundings. I recall him pointing out ospreys, capercaillies, red squirrels and even adders. Indeed, those early ‘animal-spotting safaris’ still inspire our holidays today. Whenever we book a family break (usually in the UK), we make a list of the flora and fauna we might be lucky enough to glimpse.
So you can only imagine how excited I was when executive editor Vicky Carlisle shared the synopsis for Around the British Isles in 20 Species. The piece (p62) takes us on a wonderful tour of the UK via some of our most spectacular wildlife. It’s a terrific roadmap for anyone planning a great British staycation this year. Don’t forget the binoculars!
Elsewhere in the magazine, we have lots more natural wonders – from The Sky at Night presenter Dr Maggie Aderin-pocock on stellar spectacles to look out for (p58) to Nichola Tasker – custodian of the stones at Stonehenge – on celebrating summer solstice at the prehistoric monument (p186). Finally, we also join the legendary Raymond Blanc in the glorious gardens at Le Manoir aux Quat’saisons (p40). Our favourite French chef has just recovered from a nasty brush with coronavirus but his renewed joie de vivre is a rallying call for us all to get out and seize the summer!