News – Heather Comina

Happy Solstice!

The Winter Solstice has been a cause for celebration for millennia. A marking of the end of the dark days and the return of the light.

In the UK much of our ancient culture and traditions have been lost to history. Yet many of our seasonal festivities are rooted in that past. The Yule log, the decoration of homes with boughs of holly and scented fir. The communal coming together, songs and sharing of food. It is a time for stories, reflection, bonding, re-kindling a sense of hope for the coming season.

Whilst the world outside may seem dark in so many ways I am mindful of the fact that there is also light to be found if we look for it. There are good things, kind things, positive things. There are hopes and dreams waiting to burst forth in the renewed light of the year to come. Wherever you are, whomever you are with over the coming days I invite you set aside the lamenting of the woes and share instead something kind, however small. It is the small steps that start the great journeys.

In the coming season I look forward to taking the next steps of my Permaculture journey and sharing the highlights with you. Until then Happy Solstice!

Afternote – The image in this post is an encoded message written in Tree Font created by Katie Holten. If you need help decoding it then click here

Autumn Equinox – Hope and Gratitude

Today marks the Autumn Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. A turning point in time, when the days become shorter than the nights and the world around us begins to draw inwards preparing for the Winter ahead.

We are grateful for Nature’s bountiful harvest, our cupboards are full and the act of replenishing our winter stores is in full swing. There is much to be thankful for. In spite of the dry conditions the plants we have nurtured in our small garden have given up much to provide us with food for our table. It is a mast year and the trees in particular have yielded such a bounty of fruit that we can barely cope with the surplus. Yet nothing is wasted.

I am reminded of a quote from Robin Wall Kimmerer.

I store my meat in the belly of my brother

The food we could not eat, or store ourselves we have shared with our human friends and that which was left we shared with our wild friends (birds, squirrels, others) and with the soil beneath our feet ensuring that the hard won nutrients and energy are returned to the plants for future years.

In spite of all this bounty, as the days darken and the Summer colours fade it is easy to allow ourselves to fade a little too. Yet we remain hopeful. But what is hope? I would like to share with you a poem I wrote a year or two ago which explores this question.

What is Hope?

Is living in hope for a better tomorrow holding us back from doing all that we can today?

Is hoping too much for a better tomorrow making us judge our efforts today as too small?

Or is hope the tension which brings balance to this moment, helping us to make each day better than the last, with still enough energy for the next?

Heather Comina, October 2023

Images in Tree font created by the artist Katie Holten

I would like to think that hope is the tension bringing balance to this moment. I know that I am not alone in this and there are many others who share my world view and work tirelessly towards a future where we have regained our sense of belonging in this world, in harmony with the land and the Earth we call our home.

Thank you for sharing my journey. Happy Equinox!

Celebrating Permaculture

The Permaculture movement focusses on nurturing each other and the planet, creating a resilient future together. In that vein the UK Permaculture Association has recently launched its Permaculture Digest, comprising a range of articles and wisdom sharing nuggets written by the members, for the members.

Permaculture Ethics – Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share.
Courtesy of https://permacultureprinciples.com/ethics/

I am excited to have one of my articles “Healthy Soil Secrets” included in the first edition! Click here for a related post on my blog.

Healthy Soil Secrets – Microscope Images of Soil Food Web organisms

If you want to learn more about Permaculture and what the members are up to then head over to the Permaculture Website. There is so much on offer, from training courses, publications, networking and regular events – something for everyone.

Becoming a member is easy. If you would like to join the growing Permaculture family then simply click here.

The Signal Tree

I recently had the pleasure of joining some fellow poets and artists to read some of the poems and enjoy the artwork included in the latest Poets Trail anthology compiled by renowned local artist Linda Benton.

The theme of this anthology is Didcot Oaks and other notable trees. It is a celebration of the many oak (and other) trees that are scattered across the Didcot landscape and beyond. I was delighted that my poem – The Signal Tree – has been included. Linda has created a marvellous depiction of the tree which captures the essence of her being.

The Signal Tree painting – reproduced with kind permission of the artist Linda Benton

I first met the Signal Tree during the lockdown period of 2020. I found her, or rather she found me, on a walk through the local fields. The world seemed to slow down around her. I stood in awe. She was enormous, I could reach around but a fraction of her girth. I tried to imagine how long she had stood in that place, what she might have witnessed.

The Signal Tree – photo courtesy of Katherine Comina

Only later did I discover that she is a rare tree, possibly 200 years old, or more. A female Black Poplar of which there are only two to three thousand remaining in the UK. She is the source of inspiration for my novel – Generation 8 – my imagining of the story she might tell; the wisdom she might have to share.

The Signal Tree

In the corner of a field stands a tree.
It is nearing the close of its time gracing the verge of the meadow,
hosting many generations of short-lived things.
It is a tree of haphazard beauty, of riven bark and broken branches.
Twisting roots delve into the banks of what was once a tumbling brook,
now just a trickle running dry each summer.
Soon it will share one last winter with us before, with rotten trunk,
it succumbs to the roaring gusts of an easterly storm.
~
In the corner of a field stands a tree.
It is a signal tree standing watch over this place.
Like the generations of long-decayed ancestors,
holding testament to the transforming landscape,
casting shadows into memories, imprinting patterns in the very tissues of their wood.
~
In the corner of a field stands a tree.
It is the Signal Tree, waiting patiently to be found, to be seen.
Not seen with just the eyes but seen with all the senses.
Waiting to be known in ways long forgotten, to be known and understood.
Waiting to share the burden of its secrets, the millennia of memories passed from ancestor to clone, the patterns in their wood.
~
In the corner of a field stood a tree.
It was the last of a long family line,
each generation somehow casting forth a path into the future.
Spread not just by seed, but by clone, sucker, windthrow.
It was the daughter of an ancient tree,
not two hundred years alive, but one thousand years or more,
springing forth from the mother of her kind.
And yet, we should not lament the passing of this tree.
When in the darkness we stand, seemingly alone,
we should open our minds, our hearts, our senses
to all the wisdoms of our pasts, to the faintest whispers in the wood.

Do not give up; our hope is strong.
Heather Comina, 2022

The Signal Tree poem provides a linking thread woven through the unfolding tale of Generation 8. A tale of the local parish, the community (of people and other beings), the land. A tale of reconnection. A tale of hope for our future and that of the next generation.

Find out More…

Generation 8 discount code – closing soon!

If you are looking for a thoughtful and inspirational gift for a friend or loved one then I am still offering a supporter discount of 15% on my novel Generation 8.

Stories akin to the age old wisdom tales can be an effective current day means of communicating important ideas such as solutions to our climate and ecological crisis.

Generation 8 is my wisdom story mediated through a deep connection to nature, our sense of place and belonging, laying stepping stones towards a better future.

“…Generation 8 is a metaphor for hope and possibility once we open our eyes to the myriad ways for humans to connect with nature and to think long term in the interests of future generations. …And it’s a really good story, with lively, sympathetic characters who you will remember long after you’ve put the book down. Read it!“

Jane Davidson, author of ‘#Futuregen: Lessons from a Small Country’, Chelsea Green 2020

To claim your discount go to the Troubador online bookshop and enter the code Regener8 at the checkout page – Happy reading!

Promoting Generation 8 – local craft fair

This weekend I had the pleasure of joining local writers, artists and other creative craftspeople to show off our wares and share our thoughts with local residents from the Parish of East Hagbourne and beyond. St. Andrews Church provided a perfect backdrop for an exploration of life in our Parish through the ages. I very much enjoyed the chance to talk about the aspects of the local nature, and community which are embedded within Generation 8. Much tea and cake was consumed and I even sold a few copies of the book and some of my woodcraft too!

To order your discounted copy of Generation 8 just follow the link to the Troubador online shop and use the code REGENER8 at checkout –Happy Reading!

Green Book Launch

Art in its many forms be it paintings, poetry, songs or stories, has the power to evoke strong feelings and emotions; providing a link to memories which are often deeper and more sensual than the art itself, a gateway to deeper meaning.

No one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they never experienced.
Sir David Attenborough

When we have the chance to be immersed in nature we have the opportunity to capture our experiences, our sense of joy and wonder and transform them into new pictures, poems, stories – stories we can share with others, helping to strengthen their connection with nature, encouraging them to experience it for themselves.

This weekend I had the pleasure of joining local artist Linda Benton and some of the poets from The Poets Trail – Green Theme to share our stories and talk about how our experiences of the natural environment in our local village had inspired us and helped us to feel more connected.

Our friends from the local sustainability group, HUGS, were on hand to share information about local biodiversity projects and stimulate our senses and imaginations with their “What’s in the box?” exhibit featuring a wide range of natural objects. The descriptions we came up with were then transformed into poems by some of the resident poets – a real case of art in action!

Amidst the chatter and copious quantities of tea and cake we took turns to discuss the inspiration behind our work and read short passages. Below is an excerpt of the story I shared with the group about my novel – Generation 8.

In 2020, during lockdown, I had the chance to explore our local area and I challenged myself to learn about the trees I saw. One day I came across and amazing tree; at the time I didn’t know her name. Later I found out that she was a Black Poplar, a relatively rare tree. She was glorious with long straggly branches some of which were interwoven with ivy, others old and dying. Her enormous trunk with characteristic deeply grooved and riven bark, dotted here and there with little holes, homes to many tiny creatures. In her corner of the field she seemed to be standing watch, taking note of all that passed.

I felt connected to her in a way that is hard to explain. It was as if she had something to share, if I only I knew how to ask. I wondered what she might have witnessed in her lifetime of maybe 200 years. What story would she tell? I imagined it would be a story of our Parish, the wildlife, the people, our community, the land. How things had slowly altered over the passage of 7 human generations, steadily becoming less vibrant.

Generation 8 is my attempt to tell this story – an exploration of lost connections over the passage of 7 generations; an attempt to regain a sense of place and belonging; an imagined future more attuned to nature; a future where the next generation – Generation 8 – might thrive.

Generation 8 is available in paperback and e-book formats – follow the link below to purchase your copy https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/contemporary/generation-8/

Generation 8 – my new novel

“There are big days and small days…” (to quote Michael Morpurgo) The big days are often characterised by pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones and doing something completely new.

28th May 2023 will be a big day for me as it marks the publication of my first novel – Generation 8

When I mentioned to some of my friends that I was writing a book about the climate and ecological emergency they assumed that it would be non-fiction. Through my work with Climate Concepts on climate communication, I quickly became aware that people engage best with stories, stories which are relatable to their lives and experiences. I decided that a novel would serve me better.

The narrative around the climate and ecological emergency is typically one of doom and disaster suggesting that it is too late and that we as individuals are powerless to act. Whilst the situation is dire it is not without hope.

The biggest reason that we feel powerless is that we have lost the ability to see how our lives are connected to each other and to the wider community of life. We have little perspective on how our hectic everyday, consumption driven lives are impacting the world around us. The possible paths to a more connected, balanced, thriving future have been talked about for decades but they lie buried in academic literature and policy documents which are inaccessible to many people.

Generation 8 is my attempt to craft a story which I hope will be relatable and have cross generational appeal. A story which provides the reader with a unique perspective on humanity’s almost imperceptibly slow disconnection from the world. A story of hope and possibility exploring how we might learn to re-connect with who we are, where we belong and mend our relationship with mother Earth.

Generation 8 is available in paperback and e-book formats – click on the button below to purchase your copy

Order Your Copy

Please share this widely – the book is a story with a powerful message – a message I would like to share with as many people as possible.

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