Under the Rose Growing up in Hampshire, I learned about the Hampshire Rose in primary school. I remember trying to draw it and getting it wrong. There was a correct arrangement of petals and gaps that I could never quite master. Somewhere there was supposed to be a petal where
The gooseberry bushes came with the cottage. There are about twenty five of them lining the fenced off section of the garden with their threatening thorns and generous intentions. First, I saw fruit, lots of fruit. More fruit than two people could possibly eat. Then, predictably, curiosity entered the chat.
The rhubarb patch was one of the first things my new neighbours warned me about, with amusement. Soon after I moved in, they gathered around me to share a photograph on a phone. The previous year’s rhubarb stood almost five feet tall, towering over the people holding it. It
I’ve been wondering what makes a weed a weed. Who decides? This week I made a cold infusion from cleavers, better known in the UK as sticky willy. Left overnight in water, it produced a surprisingly refreshing drink with delicate flavours of fresh peas and cucumber. Nettles have long
I have a honeysuckle growing outside my bathroom window. Maybe “growing” is too mild of a description. It has become an enormous presence, intertwined with a fuchsia and has advanced across the view so much that I can’t see out of the window at all. It flowers extravagantly and
I bought a medlar tree this week. I don’t have childhood memories of it aside from hearing about it in passing in old gardens or country estates. I have still never tasted one. Honestly, I bought it because I was curious. I’m just unappeasably interested in ancient flavours
I made a video for my little corner of the Gardenstead app last week, asking, “How can I own a tree?” I find it awe-inspiring that so many of the trees here are older than I am and will most likely still be here long after I am gone.
A month ago, we removed the wolfsbane from the front garden. Even writing that sentence feels slightly dramatic, as though I ought to have been wearing a cloak while thunder rolled overhead. In reality, I was mostly wearing gardening gloves and trying to stop the dog from enthusiastically “helping”. Dave
I think what interests me most about artificial intelligence is not whether it is entirely good or entirely dangerous, but the strange emotional territory it seems to prise open between those extremes. As is usual for me, I find myself noticing tensions and conflicting truths rather than arriving at conclusions.
Hello! Welcome to Outwith’s spring newsletter. You are very welcome. You will find conversational and seasonal chat here from Aberdeenshire, to keep you company as spring turns towards summer. We will bring you recipes, ideas for days out and walks, crafts and art projects, plus a deeper dive seasonal
Hello, welcome! You have arrived at Outwith’s first Spring newsletter. Our first ever newsletter, actually. Have a seat, grab a cup of your favourite brew and enjoy the seasonal images over a conversation. These images are simply here for people to enjoy. If you’d like to delve a