'...weather played ball and ravens danced in the air. Ponies and chough, hut circles and burial chambers. One step at a time.' Jackie Morris In February Jackie Morris and Tamsin Abbott walked with Clare Balding at St David's Head, a landscape Jackie is incredibly familiar with but only recently reunited with following her knee operation. They discuss this longed for reconnection to landscape and of course their collaboration, Wild Folk. If you missed tuning in, the programme is still currently available via BBC iPlayer... IMAGE: Tamsin Abbott and Jackie Morris at Tarr Steps Exmoor, October 2023, Davina Jelley of Seven Fables

Last we passed we spied scarlet elf-caps in this tidy copse amongst the ferns of winter they bloomed blood bright, a glade cut splinter sprouting neat from decaying elder limbs uniting acorn cups and Snow White's apple skins those spellbound peelings freckling the forest floor winking from the understory, perhaps numbering a score blooming out from the brash crisp as the woodpecker's cry secrets of Burgundy Chapel ruins so easy to wander by Scarlet Elf-Cap by Christopher Jelley of Seven Fables The ruins of Burgundy Chapel can be found near Minehead by following the wooded coast path, do seek them out if you are visiting Exmoor. Wilderness Dreaming by Tamsin Abbott Originally published in a Seven Fables newsletter March 2024 - subscribe here!

Who spun the blush into the morning sky Who taught the wren to both sing and fly Who tailored the suit for lord magpie It was I said the moon, coy and shy It was I said the moon, coy and shy Whose idea was it for the leaves to fall The river to spate, the summer to stall The teasels to snatch like the ravens call It was I said the moon overlooking us all It was I said the moon overlooking us all Who waits for the heron at the skimming pool Who schools the bee in the golden rules Who teaches the hare to box and duel It is I said the moon wise and cool It is I said the moon wise and cool Who convinced the owl to sing out the dusk The fox to hunt in bracken of rust The badger to truffle shrewd and robust It was I said the moon with true wanderlust It was I said the moon with true wanderlust And if the grounds swell and the airs boil asunder I shall pale from my throne at all those beauties squandered But whether I gibbous, wane, wax or wander I shall always be above spilling my wonder 'Badger Holds the Moon Aloft' Detail from original watercolour with gold leaf by Jackie Morris £4,750 Image 48.5x 29 cm Frame 63 x 43.5cm - free shipping within the UK & overseas Please do enquire info@sevenfables.co.uk 'Said the Moon' a poem by Christopher Jelley of Seven Fables Originally published in a Seven Fables newsletter February 2024 - subscribe here!

Peaceful words and golden beauty from the studio of Tamsin Abbott The swan maiden as afterlife guide has gained power in my life and work over the last few years.  I wrote the poem and then I needed to make the work for the poem. This is it. I still feel the gentle brush of the swan maiden’s breast feathers. I hope she will carry me when my time comes. My heart becomes so full with this... Earth blind, I see nothing, hear nothing, but I am not nothing. I am golden, suffused with light, a new being- scattered, complete I am labyrinth journeying into Earth . Symbols surround me, guide me. They guide me through mycelium, through root, to tree, through branch. The ravens call me. The ravens call me Heavenward. Like a breath I surface. I am one I am many. I am one I am many. Gathering. Dispersing. I hear the whispers of trees, the language of birds, the sighing of grasses, and then… Swan maiden Wind rushing through feathers. She catches me like moats of dust, droplets of dew on her breast, and flies me home. *THIS PIECE IS NOW SOLD VIEW TAMSIN'S WORK HERE

...tell me the names of the sea' The story of a painting, a song of the sea and a film by Seven Fables For almost twenty years, if not more, Jackie Morris has been creating dreamlike images for the Help Musicians Christmas card, this year is the story of the Fox and Hare and Great White Bear, and the painting is accompanied by a haunting melody written and performed by Kerry Andrew - You Are Wolf. Jackie asked Christopher, and myself, if we would make a film to capture the beauty and vibrancy of her work, and highlight Kerry's music. We naturally said yes - Jackie is a joy to work with and having the luxury of a ready-made soundtrack was a gift, so while staying at Northmoor House, we set up a temporary studio in the scullery where the colour and gold shone in the October light. Before you continue reading, listening, watching, we suggest that you light a candle or two, make yourself comfortable, relax and enjoy... Fox and Hare and Great White Bear A story by Jackie Morris In every image there are as many stories as there are people who look. Each begins with a curiosity. Who is the woman in blue? Does the drummer summon the fish with the rhythm of her music? Does the boat follow the fish as they wander the world’s winds, or do the fish follow the boat, drawn by the music? Where are they going? What are they leaving? The fox and the hare and the great white bear had seen this before. On days like this when the sea was a palette of colours; green and slate green and silver and blue, paynes grey and smalt, and glass green. They knew how the fish would rise when colours sang in the water, and they knew how each fish pulled the snow into the sky with their great fan tails, searching for dreams, carried a sliver of the old moon in their eyes, keeping the moon safe until she grew in her power to fulness again. They knew that on days like this it would seem as if the whole world were made of music and this would be where answers could be found. For a year they had been walking, together over the white, footfall after footfall, through snow, in new moon and full moon, and each of the moons with its own name, its own story. She carried her question to the edge, to ask the fish for an answer. “What,” she asked, “would have the power to call all of the birds to make a bridge of their wings to stretch across the universe?” And the fish answered, as always, with a story. It was said that he was born to the song of the nightingales, and their thrilling notes were the first music he heard. And so, from his birth, he understood the language of birds. And if some are born rich and some are born poor there are those who understand the nature of true wealth does not lie in gold, but somewhere more precious. As a babe he would lie in his cradle as his mother worked, watch the light in the leaves dance patterns across his crib and listen to the language of birds. When she worked the fields he was strapped to her back and would watch the wild geese, an autumn arrow across the sky. In spring he thrilled to the voices of oriels. And as he grew he began to help his mother, clearing the fields of stones, bending to plant rice, standing to watch the cranes dance to their own music, in the turning world. His father was often away, caring for sheep on the mountain pastures, but one day, home for a while, he took down a painted box from a high shelf. In the box, wrapped in golden silk, an intricately carved bamboo flute. He handed it to his son, who admired the object, intrigued, then gave it back to his father. And when his father raised the instrument to his lips and played the first note the boy knew he could never be a farmer. His life belonged to the flute, to music. He learned how to make his own instrument. He learned to play. Everywhere he went he carried the flute, every spare moment he practiced. And he made new flutes, from bamboo, from wood, from the bones of a swan. And with every new making the sound became richer, wilder, deeper. Now when he played the nightingales would come to listen, thread their music through his, thrilling and filling the starlight hours. When he went with his father to watch over the sheep it was said the wolves would gather to listen. There was a wild haunting ache to the young man’s music, which left within it space for the wild song of the world to enter, the voices of others, the river, the wind, the colours of butterflies and moths, wild flowers and always birdsong. It was said that his music could heal even the most broken of hearts or minds. People would gather to hear him play and it wasn’t long before musicians made pilgrimage to his door to request that he make them a flute. And so he began to make flutes for others. He would look at the person, listen closely to their colours, and know exactly how to make the best instrument to fit them perfectly. His fame spread, tales of a shepherd boy troubadour. By now he was a young man, restless in the world, spending most of his time in the mountains, charming the wolves, making laments powerful enough that the moon would stop in her tracks to listen. And this was how he came to the attention of the Emperor. The Emperor sent a summons. He wanted the boy to come and play to his daughter, struck down by a melancholy so deep she hardly ate, spending her days locked in a tall tower, refusing food, sleeping and sighing and wasting away. He offered wealth. The boy thanked him, but said he could not leave the mountains. He did not need money. The Emperor sent again, this time a command. The boy said he could not come as he was learning from the birds. The Emperor was angry. But he was also measured. He knew that a songbird in a cage does not sing as sweet as one who flies free. He commissioned a portrait of his beloved child, and sent this to the young man. The boy left the mountains, travelled over the sea, learned the music of waves, came to the Emperor’s door. Every night for seven nights he sat at the foot of the princess’ tower and played. In moonlight and starlight, as shooting stars fell he played. As the rain added a rhythm to his music he played. As the lights of the aurora danced in the sky, he played. Night birds came and added a chorus and the wind threaded through the leaves of the forest. His music became a current that was one with the river and on the seventh night the princess rose from her bed and went to the window. Notes from the flute lifted skyward, a simple, dark love song, out from the mind of the boy and into her heart. Did she fall in love from the first note that entered her dreaming mind? Probably. Was the Emperor pleased to witness the revival of his child? Yes. But....... she was betrothed to the King in the North, a treaty of great trade and power. And if that king was 60 years old, well, such was the ways of power. And if now she had fallen in love with this peasant musician, well, that had not been a part of his plan. On the eighth night there was silence. The boy had been exiled. Far away to the other side of the universe, where his music could never again reach the ears of the princess. But the Emperor, who understood wealth and the power of politics, failed to comprehend the power of music and wild magic. Far away the boy began to play. Each note summoned a bird. Each bird spread wide their wings, all the colours of a rainbow of feathers, blackbird and starling, thrush and oriel, eagle and wren, flamingo and crane, nightingale and owl, sparrow and finch, turtle dove and collared dove, gannet and heron, parrot and plover and curlew and pintail, songbird and hawk, sea bird and river bird, hummingbird and toucan. All the birds of the air sent someone, and together they made a bridge of their wings that spanned the universe, from the boy to the tower. On one side he began to walk, even as she stepped out of her window onto the wings of the dancing cranes. One wing, one step at a time, and still he played, lending the wings of the birds strength through his music, until they met at the apex of the arch, where they danced to the music of the spheres. The woman in blue thought for a while. She could hear, distant, yet clear, the music of a flute threading through the waves. She gathered the threads of the answer, thanked the fish, and began a new journey. In every story there are as many images as people who have ears to listen and hearts to hold it. If you are captivated by the story, song and imagery you may be delighted to know that limited edition prints are available to order directly from Seven Fables - the originals have recently made their swift fluid flight to an admirer and collector of Jackie's work in America. However, the prints that you see being delicately hand finished by Jackie with 'shell gold' in the film are available, marked as artist pronof, AP, and signed. Delivery is available throughout the UK and overseas - please do enquire info@sevenfables.co.uk or view via the link below THE JACKIE MORRIS PRINT COLLECTION The Christmas cards are for sale exclusively from the Help Musicians website HELP MUSICIANS 'We love music and want a world where musicians thrive.' Help Musicians is a charity for professional musicians of all genres, both in work and in retirement. They offer support at times of crisis, but also at times of opportunity, giving people the help they need at the crucial stages that could make or break their career. Kerry Andrew’s latest album was published on the 3rd of November and was funded in part by Help Musicians. Entitled 'hare // hunter // moth // ghost' it comprises eleven tracks about transformation, populated by queer ghosts and magicians, storm kelpies, shapeshifting hares and foxes, pansexual kings, iconic stag-men and vengeful wolf-girls. It features lyrics by Robert Macfarlane, guest vocals from Sam Lee and Ben See, with words by two wonderful writers, Nick Hayes and Kerri ní Dochartaigh. To discover more and purchase the album do head over to Bandcamp. BANDCAMP: KERRY ANDREW - YOU ARE WOLF

An atmospheric walk with Tamsin Abbott and Jackie Morris... Earlier this month we had the most fabulous, wet wet walk in the rain making plans for the launch event and exhibition of Wild Folk that we are to host in the summer of 2025. I wanted to show Tamsin Abbott and Jackie Morris the standing stone on our dear friend Jilly's farm as I felt it to be a fitting location for a reading and summer event to celebrate this exciting collaboration. We had gathered at Northmoor House once again, and it was such a joy to return, to be where Wild Folk was conceived a year earlier. To mark the anniversary, Unbound broadcast a live zoom from 'the kitchen' at Seven Fables with John Mitchinson, Jackie Morris and Tamsin Abbott in conversation, sharing the writing and illustrating process as they work towards publishing Wild Folk. The conversation was filmed with plans to make it available to Wild Folk supporters who were unable to tune in live. Do visit the Unbound website to discover more, the funding tipped at 200% that week which was also cause for celebration! Suffice to say, Jackie and Tamsin of course appreciated the setting, even the weather, with Jackie leaving the gift of a gilded labyrinth. The standing stone is quite unique for Exmoor due to its height, as many in the moorland landscape are so low lying, they can barely be spotted above the cotton grass. Despite the rain creatures were abound as we walked the landscape, a hare leapt from its warm form, a heron rose above the river, a fox crept along the tree line while in the distance a stag bellowed revealing himself on the horizon, all called by a little summoning perhaps? On our return to the farmhouse we warmed ourselves in Jilly's kitchen with delicious hot soup and chocolate cake before heading 'home' to Northmoor House via Tarr Steps, which I feel is always best visited on a rainy day. Jackie and Tamsin were thrilled with our proposed event and Seven Fables' newsletter subscribers will of course be the first to be notified of our plans for June 2025, and when tickets are made available, there is of course still much to pull together at this midpoint of the project. Thank you, Jilly, for making us all so welcome, we look forward to returning, and just to let you all know we did get a little sunshine during our stay at Northmoor!

Saturday 7th October 2023 A joyful, wonderful, smile filled, busy, busy day... Such a memorable day, thank you to the 'Fable Folk' who were able to join us to celebrate in the October sunshine, and those who sent well wishes from near and far. The bunting looked fabulous and certainly set the scene, one of colour, exuberance and creativity. It was lovely to see our customers connect with one another, sharing their appreciation of Seven Fables - we couldn't wish for a more vibrant community of customers whose on-going support is cause for celebration - thank you. Our thanks, and love to Jackie Morris who was kept busy in the kitchen, gilding labyrinth stones, signing books and creating a little magic with her own inimitable style. Our visitors certainly departed inspired, many with the unexpected gift of a gilded stone clasped tightly... 'An acorn fell to the ground, a seed full of hope and possibilities, it put out roots, then a shoot and leaves slowly unfurled. Twenty one years later it is a magnificent oak that is known as Seven Fables. Thank you for creating such a haven of joy, magic and inspiration with a hint of mischief. Congratulations.' FJ 'So beautiful, so magical, a wonderful day filled with love and creativity…thank you with the whole of my heart Seven Fables and Jackie Morris…' LLB 'To everyone at Seven Fables, I just wanted to say a big thank you for the warm welcome I received yesterday when I attended your 21st celebration, it meant a lot. I wish I could bottle the atmosphere that you have on these occasions because it is truly special, I am still feeling the warm afterglow. Wishing you all many more happy birthdays and thank you again.' LK We look forward to celebrating our 25th birthday with you in 2027! XXXXXXX

...Christopher Jelley I'm not sure why I decided it would be a good idea to build my own medium format camera from scratch, but last year, prior to our Northmoor artist gathering I began with a couple of cardboard boxes, a lens from a pair of Victorian binoculars and some greaseproof paper. This was proper 'Blue Peter' style scratch building, but from these initial tests I worked out what I actually needed to construct and what skills I would need to produce analogue photographs. A year on and it's good to think back to these initial experiments and the excitement of an image revealing itself, reversed and upside down on the makeshift paper viewing plate. The potential of creating something which would take me back to the very beginnings of photography was alluring. This was a process so removed from today's digital images it felt like new ground, new territory for me to explore. My initial idea was to investigate the wet plate collodion process, a technique pioneered in early photography by making a glass or metal plate light sensitive with silver nitrate. But the technology was only able to work whilst the plate was wet, which in practice is about twenty minutes. All the steps from pouring the collodion onto the glass and making the glass light sensitive, right through to developing and fixing, not to mention taking the actual photograph itself, needed to happen inside this window. It was obvious that, simple as the process was, the infrastructure needed beyond the camera was very evidently essential. It was also plain that I had none of the above not even a cupboard for a darkroom, I'd have to make the lot and skill up as I went along. So, the making would be problematic, the chemistry confusing, the processes confounding, and the photographs elusive. But now a year on, I have a tidy little folio of photos from those generous enough to sit for me, in the off chance that I might just capture a likeness. A week or so ago I took a picture of Catrina Davies, author of Home Sick and Once Upon a Ravens Nest. I suggested that if we were lucky then perhaps, one of the two photos we would try to capture may come out. Her reply was 'Why wouldn't they, what could go wrong?'. That stumped me for a moment as the answer is actually quite a lot! When I do manage to capture an image, it is even more precious for the jeopardy of this journey and the battered fractured pictures, with light leaks and corrosive grain, chemical faults and haunting ghostly faces are even more alluring to me than ever before. The camera I have made and the old analogue processes required seem to reach deeper into the subject somehow. But interestingly, if I stripped away all these aberrations and faults to achieve the perfect image then I may as well have just gone digital from the start. Just prior to this session with Catrina I took my camera and darkroom to Dartington Hall for the Byline Festival with Unbound. I was there for just one day of the three but able to capture images of Jay Griffiths, Martin Shaw and Tamsin Abbott pictured below, all with direct positive paper in the camera. This is similar in sensitivity to the wet plate process but much easier to handle in the field. It was the first proper outing for me and exciting to be more public and performative in some respects with the process. These direct positives prints are an essential step on the path to my real goal, the wet plate collodion process, and last week I was able to work with the eminent photographer Nicky Thompson investigating this very technique. Over the two day workshop we cleaned and sensitised glass plates in silver nitrate and then exposed them with her large format camera. We then developed and fixed the plates, the latter of these processes is the most enjoyable as the image reveals itself out of a smudgy cloud of chemicals outside the darkroom for all to see. This makes the reveal of the image a far more social event as all present lean in as the image to emerges. Day two was focused on my scratch built camera, and seeing whether it could actually work with wet plates (and the chemistry I'd bought). By the end of the day we had several plates by my camera which was no small feat, the final ones with my chemistry as well. My time with Nicky was brilliant - a truly unique experience, made all the more worthwhile since I can now apply these skills going forward. I will still be popping the direct positive paper in my slide boxes, as there is still much for me to achieve here, plus it's not as smelly or toxic as the collodion. We will be heading to our creative artist retreat again this autumn where I will be turning my hand to the collodion process in more depth and making more glass plates. But before then, as authors and artists visit Seven Fables I might ask them to sit for me, just for a short time, and perhaps, if I am lucky, catch an image of their soul. For the very first soul glimmers from Christopher's camera do take a read, peek here

- A life on Exmoor in an epoch of change' The Seven Fables' Walking Book Club with Catrina Davies - a wet, summer walk into the woods of Dulverton. I'll let writer James Canton introduce the book as readers local to Exmoor may recognise the 'good ol' country boy as Ralphie, Hedley Ralph Collard... 'Once Upon a Raven's Nest is a genuinely captivating tale of rural-lore - told through the thrilling narrative of one man's life; a good ol' country boy, a right character whose scraps and scrapes litter the pages. Chainsaws and tractors and torn love affairs fill the book, as Tommy's story is laid bare in a series of episodes and fractured snapshots carefully scattered within a timescale of environmental decline. There is a tough, brutal beauty here in Davies' depiction of the ways of the British countryside but love, and delight and the best of humanity, too.' It was a day of two events... In the morning visitors joined Catrina 'in the kitchen' at Seven Fables, many of whom were relations of Ralphie and already knew Catrina who first met him in 2014 while out walking when house sitting in Wales. She enjoyed the familiarity of his West Country accent and their common love for the outdoors and surfing, so Once Upon Raven's Nest grew naturally from their friendship. Ralph would frequently recount memorable episodes from throughout his life, and Catrina felt strongly that these unique anecdotes should be recorded. Rural life has altered dramatically during Ralph's lifetime - how land is managed, how people are employed, communities and villages subtly changed. Exmoor's landscape and wildlife may appear wild and untouched to the uninitiated, but it has of course been impacted. Some key species are now known to be extinct in the park. *These include iconic upland birds such as lapwing, and ring ouzel, butterflies such as pearl-bordered fritillary, and mammals such as water vole, while other species including curlew, merlin, and marsh fritillary are now in low numbers. *2013 In the afternoon our Walking Book Club headed into Burridge Woods. The rain formed a soft mist around us as we sat at the den, surrounded by the trees and bracken, and as the conversation and discussion evolved it transpired that we were of course in a wood that Ralph would have managed closely, even felled the logs we were sitting upon. It must be noted though that Once Upon a Raven's Nest is fiction, the title says it all - 'Once upon a time.' It is not a biography, or a bid to return to 'rosier' days - Ralph, hunts, shoots and poaches creating an interesting dynamic with animals that shifts with the course of time. A fellow bookseller described him as an Errol Flynn character referring to his sense of misadventure, oblivious to peril. I did not know Ralph personally, I have friends who worked alongside him, but whoever talks about him does so with a smile. Catrina has written a truly beautiful book, the first chapter weaves folklore and landscape so deftly it draws you in. Even if you do not know Exmoor or of course Ralph, I am certain that you will be engaged by her captivating writing and the West Country rhythm in which the recollections are told, and yes they may be embellished, it is a story after all, for how big, truly is a raven's nest?! Catrina is also a songwriter and musician, Cabbages and Kings was written in honour of Ralph, and when she sung it that day, I could see many were moved... Hedley Ralph Collard 1953 - 2021 The figure behind the tales and escapades of Thomas Hedley, the central figure in Once Upon a Raven's Nest... 'This is a rich, beautiful and deeply moving book. I read it in one sitting, then was sorry that I had not drawn it out for longer, as I enjoyed it so much.' George Monbiot Signed copies of Once Upon a Raven's Nest are available to purchase from Seven Fables, in store or via our website here Price £18.99 Delivery within the UK £4.00 Overseas £25 Signed paperback copies of Homesick - Why I Live in a Shed are also available. Christopher asked Catrina to sit for a portrait with his scratch built large format camera, he had two shots, one was totally black but here is the other... All images Seven Fables except for those of Ralphie, with thanks to his family and Quercus Publishing Discover further writing from Catrina Davies on the Dark Mountain website Notes* Exmoor Wildlife Research and Monitoring Framework 2014 - 2020

The Seven Fables' Walking Book Club with Katherine May Midsummer 2023 Enchantment is an invitation to rekindle a sense of awe and wonder, to add a little enchantment into the everyday, and so it was a delight, and only fitting that Katherine May joined our Fable Folk in the woods at Midsummer - a night known for myth, magic and playfulness. Katherine's writing grants permission to many to slow their pace of life, to seek delight and reassurance in everyday wonders from domestic settings to landscapes revealing unexpected spiritual, playful encounters - simple acts that can readdress frantic lifestyles. She has become adept at finding tranquility and beauty in landscapes that are viewed as edge lands, trapped by tide, river, train line and industrial buildings, Dungeness Beach being a prime example, illustrating that there is no need to climb the highest peak to seek awe. Seven Fables first met Katherine in Whitstable at her launch for Wintering on a suitably cold, blustery February night. Since then, it has gone on to be an international bestseller, topping the New York Times, Sunday Times and Der Spiegel bestseller lists, and was adapted as BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week, so it was wonderful that Katherine was able to return to talk about her latest book, Enchantment. Previously, when she visited, we shared a memorable evening, we even swum at Tarr Seps, this time however it was a gentle stroll through high bracken and dappled light to Oldberry Fort where we shared conversation and a colourful picnic. While staying in Exmoor, Katherine kindly took the time to sit for Christopher who took just one shot with his scratch built large format camera... 'If we wait passively to become enchanted, we could wait a long time. But seeking is a kind of work, I don’t mean heading off on wild road trips just to see the stars that are shining above your roof. I mean committing to a lifetime of engagement, to noticing the world around you, to actively looking for small distillations of beauty, to making time to contemplate and reflect.' Signed copies of Enchantment are available to purchase from Seven Fables, in store or via our website here Price £16.99 Delivery within the UK £4.00 Overseas £25 Signed copies of Wintering, and The Electricity of Every Living Thing are also available. Do visit Katherine's website where you may subscribe to her newsletter and also listen to her inspired Pod Casts - I particularly enjoyed hearing her conversation with Kerri ní Dochartaigh. Thank you to Katherine and our guests who joined us in the woods, entering into the spirit of the evening, and to the Exmoor Feasting Company who supplied the perfect Midsummer picnic, the many flavours and delectable colours were appreciated by all.

With Hannah Stowe on World Ocean Day Such a beautiful June evening celebrating the publication of Move Like Water by Hannah Stowe… The harbourside setting was perfect for Hannah’s debut, the supper colourful and delicious, the readings and conversation inspiring, and Watchet even treated us to one of its renowned sunsets. Our venue and hosts were the vibrant team at East Quay - a very serendipitous location as several aspects within Hannah's book link directly to Watchet. Her wonderful illustrations are painted on traditional handmade paper produced by Two Rivers whose workshop is in the studio and gallery complex. While Romantic Poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was inspired when walking the West Somerset coast and his infamous 'Ancient Mariner' set sale from here. Hannah met her own 'Ancient Mariner' while crewing for The Balaena, and writes tenderly of this less than likely friendship, cleverly focusing on the magnificent wandering albatross that bewitch her dreams. Hannah's writing and descriptions of being at sea are immersive, she captures a luminescent beauty, the sounds of the ocean - land smells that welcome you home. It is a joy to read how her home on the Pembrokeshire coast and her observations from tiny, studying rock pools, watching for the turning tide, the rhythmic flash of the lighthouse beam, seeped into her bones and drew her adventures further from shore. Thank you to Hannah, for joining us, we wish you well on your next voyage and that Move Like Water inspires many to take more care of our precious ocean and its creatures. While Hannah was staying in Exmoor Christopher took the opportunity to take her portrait with his scratch built large format camera. 'Exquisite in its intelligence and boundless in the fetch of its wave.' Jay Griffiths Signed copies of Move Like Water are available to purchase from Seven Fables, in store or via our website here Price £16.99 Delivery within the UK £4.00 Overseas £25 'The shelves are awash with sea books. But Stowe is different. She doesn't just watch and describe the sea; she's part of it. It surges inside her and crashes out onto the page. The book's drenched with salt water. It fizzes, clicks, booms and screams. Tremendous.' Charles Foster To discover how you can contribute to the health of our sea do visit World Ocean Day.Org

Time Away for Tales, Art, Play... Five decent working days on the St David's peninsula Head shots and sea knitting Cool april airs, keening and biting Sand martins twitch and flex the shore Over pebble rise and mer-skin lore Through ransom woods and bluebell swathe Beneath ‘the chapel of colouring in’ And a twin kestrel wave With hail and calm and white morning light Tall thunder rumbles and sleepy aura nights Gusting eaves and lichen rich branches Crab apple sprigs and over indulgent lunches Five days of decent positive drifting Druidstone grafting, always uplifting All the more special in this timeless place Over watched by standing stones and imbued with white cat grace We look forward to returning... Poem by Christopher Jelley Thank you to Jackie Morris for the photograph of Cristopher and I by the Maen Dewi standing stone All Images Copyright Seven Fables