| Welcome to An Eclectic Journal of Curious Wonders I’ve always been curious. Not necessarily about any one particular thing, either. Wildlife, gardens, history, science, people, places, memories, films, forgotten things, peculiar things and occasionally things that probably shouldn’t happen at all have a habit of catching my attention. Sometimes it begins with something I notice while working. A plant flowering when it seemingly shouldn’t, an unfamiliar insect, a change in the weather, an old garden feature or something half-hidden beneath years of growth. At other times it might begin with a childhood memory, a photograph, a film I haven’t seen for forty years, something I once collected, somewhere I once lived, or simply a question that arrives from nowhere. And then there are the “what if?” questions. What if the world stopped working quite as we expected? What if something dismissed as myth turned out not to be? What if we looked again at something so familiar that we had stopped noticing it? And what happens when an apparently ordinary subject is followed just a little further than usual? That is what this Journal has gradually become. I am a working gardener, and gardening remains firmly among its roots. Plants, gardens, wildlife, insects, soil and the changing seasons are part of my everyday life, so naturally they appear frequently within these pages. But they now sit alongside history, memory, the natural world, curious discoveries, disappearing places, films, gaming, poetry, speculative ideas, strange stories and occasional journeys into considerably darker territory. There is no requirement for one subject to fit neatly beside the next. That is rather the point. This is An Eclectic Journal of Curious Wonders: a collection of things observed, remembered, questioned, investigated and occasionally imagined. Some articles are practical, some personal. Some look backwards, others look at the world around us now, and a few wander into worlds that never existed in the first place. The garden gate is still here. I simply stopped believing there was any particular reason to remain on one side of it. So, welcome to the Journal. Have a wander. You never quite know what we might find. |
Latest from the Journal …
South American Insects
Explore South America’s extraordinary insects in this five-part series, from leafcutter ants and brilliant butterflies to beetles, crickets and masters of camouflage.
If the Soil Turned Against You
What if the soil beneath our gardens became increasingly difficult to use? A speculative look at compaction, water, organic matter and why healthy soil may be the most valuable part of any garden.
Within Living Memory
A childhood in 1960s and 1970s Australia revisited through memory, family photographs and climate evidence — from suburban bushland and kangaroos to the changing Australian climate.
When the Pacific Changes the Weather
Discover how El Niño and La Niña influence Britain’s weather through atmospheric circulation, the jet stream and North Atlantic patterns, and why their effects remain uncertain.
North American Insects
Explore North America’s mantids, true bugs, dragonflies and insect predators, and the precise strategies they use to hunt, escape and maintain ecological balance.
The Ground Beneath the Garden
Discover how shade-loving ground-cover plants transform difficult garden spaces, protect soil and create beautiful, layered planting beneath trees and shrubs.
The Edge of Discovery
Explore the Loch Ness Monster in Case File 05, from famous sightings and photographs to sonar, hoaxes, plesiosaurs, giant eels and modern environmental DNA.
When the Pacific Changes the Weather
El Niño and La Niña are two sides of the vast ENSO system. Discover how the Pacific Ocean and atmosphere interact to influence weather patterns around the world.
Plants Worth Looking at Twice
Discover the quiet appeal of Epimedium, a woodland perennial whose delicate spring flowers, attractive foliage and gradual establishment reward patient gardeners.
The Other Side of the Flowerbed
A peaceful garden descends into hilarious chaos when a gardener arrives. Meet six extraordinary creatures in Episode 1 of The Other Side of the Flowerbed.
If Compost Became More Valuable Than Fertiliser
What if compost became more valuable than fertiliser? A speculative look at how gardens might change if green waste became a resource, soil health became a priority, and gardeners started keeping what they once threw away.
When Ivy Takes Over
A practical look at managing heavily overgrown ivy on garden trees, from cutting established stems to planning careful winter removal.
Living with a Mad Gardener
Introducing Living with a Mad Gardener, Suze’s wickedly humorous new blog about life with Rory, allotments, sustainability and everyday adventures.
When Castles Captured My Imagination
A personal journey back to the castles of childhood, from North Wales to ruined fortresses, and the imagination, history and adventure they inspired.
The Quiet Lives of Britain’s Birds
The Corn Bunting is an unassuming farmland bird whose decline reveals how field margins, seeds, insects and apparently ordinary countryside quietly support wildlife.
If the Garden Gnomes Came to Life
What if Britain’s garden gnomes suddenly came to life? A darkly comic tale of stolen tools, rebellious ornaments, missing sandwiches and gardeners discovering that compost heaps are not always safe places.
Compost: The Border Gardener’s Quietest and Most Important Tool
A border gardener’s look at why compost matters, how organic matter supports healthy soil, and how garden waste can ultimately return to the garden.
When Less Says More
Earthly Comforts is simplifying its website and introducing a fresh local advertising campaign, from window cards to neighbourhood handouts and print.
North American Insects
Explore North America’s grasshoppers, crickets, flies, hoverflies and native cockroaches, and how cycles of abundance and natural control shape ecosystems.
The Ground Beneath the Garden
Discover how sun-loving ground-cover plants can knit borders together, protect soil, reduce open spaces and create richer, more resilient planting.
There Is More Than One Way to Be a Gardener
A personal look at how gardeners develop different working styles, passions and skills, and why there is more than one way to be a gardener.
The World’s 50 Most Remarkable Tarantulas
Explore three remarkable tarantulas—the Goliath birdeater, Gooty sapphire ornamental and Socotra Island blue—and discover three very different ways of being a spider.
What Does a Gardener Think About While Gardening?
What does a gardener think about while working? A personal look at how gardens leave room for curiosity, memories, questions and wandering thoughts.
The Soil Hub Revisited
The first physical works at the Soil Hub take shape, with composting bays, leaf kraals and receiving areas built from reclaimed materials as our year-long trial begins.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Personality Testing
A personal reflection on workplace personality tests, their useful insights, their limitations, and the danger of allowing a label to define the whole person.
Plants Worth Looking at Twice
A reflective look at Sanguisorba, the graceful late-season perennial whose floating flowers bring movement, restraint and a different rhythm to the garden.
The Little Worlds I Never Forgot
A personal walk back through time exploring a lifelong fascination with model villages, miniature worlds and the memories they still hold.
The Quiet Lives of Britain’s Birds
The Yellowhammer brings a flash of gold to British farmland, revealing how hedgerows, seeds, insects and untidy field margins support far more wildlife than we often realise.
The Edge of Discovery
The Yeti has haunted Himalayan legend for generations, but could the Abominable Snowman really exist? Case File 04 investigates footprints, eyewitnesses, DNA, bears and the extraordinary history behind the Ghost of the Himalayas.
The Films of My Lifetime
The Films of My Lifetime begins in 1963, exploring the films, actors and childhood discoveries that shaped a lifelong love of cinema.
Within Living Memory
Is the traditional gardening calendar becoming less reliable? A working gardener reflects on changing seasons, wetter winters, hotter summers and why observation increasingly matters more than the date.
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