From a room with a view

Celebrating six months of The Earthworm by taking a much-needed break

My view right now, out East over the Surrey Hills. Guest starring Remy the whippet

We all need a break, from time to time. No, we deserve it. A week, or two, or more if we can afford it, where we can press the pause button on the drama of our day-to-day lives. Hit the reset switch. Recharge our batteries. Put some fuel in the tank. You get the idea.

I’m fortunate enough to have already been on a couple of holidays this year. First to Barcelona, where I saw my father for the first time in years, introduced him to my son, and wrote about the city’s under-appreciated botanical hotspots. 

More recently, I travelled to Long Island, New York, to stay with some close (albeit geographically distant) friends. From there, I reflected on the modern obsession with native versus invasive plants, and mused on why we keep our houseplants cooped up indoors during the lighter, brighter summer months. 

The theme, as you may have spotted, is that on these so-called holidays, I was still thinking about The Earthworm, planning The Earthworm, writing and producing content for The Earthworm. I loved every second of those trips, but the reality is that I haven’t had a real break, a clean break, in… well, ages.

A woodland walk through the bracken and brambles

Next week marks a major milestone in the brief history of The Earthworm. On Monday, it will have been six months since I officially launched this newsletter, introducing myself, my garden, and my ethos to what was then a small retinue of subscribers, composed almost entirely of my friends and family (and most of whom were already acquainted with me, my garden and my ethos). 

Since then, The Earthworm has grown, and grown, and grown. And it has done so with a speed and momentum that I find pleasing, humbling, validating and, if I’m honest, a little overwhelming at times. However long you’ve been with me on this journey through the soil, I thank you. Special thanks, of course, go to anyone who has ever shared a post with a friend or, even better, opted to pay to receive this newsletter, all of which gives me the energy and financial means to continue doing what I’m doing. 

From next month, these paid subscribers are going to get the special treatment they deserve, with access to exclusive content and more besides. But more on that later. For now, if you hadn’t already guessed, I’m going to take a break. 

Only a short break, mind. I’m technically on holiday right now, but you know how I can’t resist sending you these digital postcards from my travels. For the rest of this week, I will be riding out yet another heatwave from a house in the Surrey Hills which I’m sharing with my wife’s extended family, near the obscenely quaint village of Shere.

As I type, if I close my eyes, the only sounds I can hear are the bleating of sheep, the rustling of the wind through the branches of a copper beech, and the happy squeals of playing children. If I open them again, I see a strip of lawn bordered by lavender, roses, catmint and lady’s mantle. Beyond this, the burgundy foliage of Cotinus and Physocarpus, and butterflies dancing around a mature buddleja and its mass of droopy lilac flowers. And then, as far as the eye can see, nothing but green trees and golden grassy fields. 

No cars. No houses. No signs of civilisation of any sort, beyond the immaculately presented garden and the occasional rumble of a train or plane.

My son, marching through the gardens, looking for ladybirds

So yes, a break. The Earthworm will be back on Tuesday 23rd August. Right now, I’m going to pour myself a cold glass of something tasty, and raise a quiet, private toast to six months of worming my way into your inbox. Thanks for your support, and see you soon. 

Cheers!

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Have you taken a break this year? Are you planning on doing so? And if so, what, where, how and why? I’d love to know, especially if it involves gardens, nature or wildlife. Go on, leave a comment or drop me an email…

Shere delights: self-sown Mexican fleabane in the local village. (Shere Delights also happens to be the name of the village’s excellent ice cream shop)