Be part of a new series of events using creative writing to connect communities to their environment, supported by Defra (Department of Food and Rural Affairs). See stalls and activities from Natural England, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Fera Science, on how we protect plants from disease. See Leeds Trinity University’s creative writing workshops (invitation only) to produce a collaborative poem. …
Peony Bee-ony
Hey guys, let’s check out those blousy crimson pom-poms Listen up flowers, arrange your petticoats; I can hear them coming Blimey, so many skirts; where’s the gold then? Steady now, take your time. There’s plenty for everyone. So, now the imagery has your attention, is it biologically correct? Well, the bees are not he-s, they are mostly she-s. And the …
Ebor Way 2022
This challenge motivated me massively last autumn 3 months into my chemotherapy, helping me raise funds for Pancreatic Research UK and feel good about myself. You can see photos in the gallery and summaries of each week’s walk here https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Celia-Knight5
London Marathon 2023
This is Ellie, my daughter Evelyn’s good friend, who will be one of her bridesmaids in August. On April 23rd Ellie will run her first marathon in London, raising awareness and funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK, because I have pancreatic cancer. I can tell you, it made me cry when Ellie told me she had a charity place. I’m writing …
Our rented Christmas tree
I thought I’d share some thoughts on renting a Christmas tree as this worked well for me this year. After 3 weeks hosting this lovely Norway spruce tree in our house, tomorrow I’ll return it to Rooted in Todmorden https://www.rooted-christmastrees.com to be put back in the ground for another year. I was so impressed when I saw this idea on TV …
Our Plants Our Future
This week I attended a conference, albeit online. 3 days of the British Society for Plant Pathology; Our plants Our Future in Birmingham. The first face to face meeting the BSPP had staged for 2 years and originally intended to celebrate the International Year of Plant Health 2020. I’m prompted to write this blog as an extension to the monthly …
National Plant Health Week 2021
This week is the UK’s National Plant Health Week. The purpose of a national week designation is to have a concentration of articles or events during a limited time to spark conversations, thoughts and hopefully actions. Twitter is alive already with tweets #PlantHealthWeek. Here are a few to show the range of organisations engaged. Defra (Dept for Food and Rural …
International Year of Plant Health – November/December 2020
Being a natural optimist, this final blog on my IYPH2020 will focus on Hope and I hope you’ll stick with it to the final paragraph – the video is worth watching. Against the backdrop of truly difficult times, I want to end this blog series on IYPH 2020 with some positive examples, all which make me feel good and give me strength …
International Year of Plant Health – October 2020
Fall: the American term for autumn is so much more apt. This month I want to explore a couple of ways that plants figure in this season, beyond pumpkins at Halloween. As we enter a second lockdown in the UK, I also suggest seeing autumn as the start of the new growing season might help our mental health too. Gardens helped a …