Dear Julie, for inviting me to join your series '6 Questions' on Homecoming for which I feel a huge honour to be included with so many others, all of whom have either inspired or encouraged me to continue, my most humble thanks.
I hope you don’t mind Susie, I am borrowing words, only two, I promise. Because you say it better than I ever could.
There is a woman who lives on a hill called Le Paradis far far away, across an ocean. Sharing her life with such “alluring grace”, words spill from every story in beautiful watercolors and we cannot help but want to be part of the painting.
Julie ,this is the first time I have been here for your Reciprocity interviews, Susie is a perfect choice for Homecoming. Great questions!
Dearest Lor, knowing how you write, knowing that the soul of you wanders across a page as if you were walking one of the trails on a mountain, or watching the otters from your lakeside cabin with such awe and wonder I am honoured that you even notice mine. 'Borrow' two of them, you can have them! A gift to you from me.
I am delighted that they lured you to Julies Homecoming, where so many are already part of the painting. Thank you my dear friend, for every word you have written to me in support of my own with love! xx
Ahhhh, thank you! What joy, each of word of this. Homecoming indeed. And I love this so much Susie:
"What if the act of noticing — the light on leaves, the shift in seasons, the kindness in a stranger — could remind us we’re part of something larger, something beautiful? Homecoming is here to rekindle that sense of wonder and renew your strength."
Dear Stephanie, I agree whole heartedly with your quote too, especially sharing kindnesses to strangers, above all else this seems to be something that means so very much yet costs the giver so little. Thank you kindly for your wonderful comment and for reading.
Thank you both for sharing such a lovely interview. There are so many moments here I will return to. A sentiment that rang close to my heart:
"Writing about nature enhances the joy, the preciousness and fragility of all life forms, it is extraordinary, beguiling, terrifying too at times but whether it is astonishing in its detail or decaying around its edges, on days when obligations, worry and drudgery have paralysed me, it is always a balm."
These images are beautiful, and your words are poetic. How do you decide which moments in nature are worth capturing and sharing in your stories, Susie?
Thank you so very much for reading, I am thrilled you found the poetry in my replies to Julies questions, they were a delight to answer.
You ask how I decide which moment to capture and write about... this is an easy question to answer...
I write about what touches my heart and soul, a sound, a colour, a beam of light, a hare cleaning his whiskers in the morning dew, just like the words of Mary Oliver, implied at the beginning of these Homecoming reciprocal essays,
Oh Susie, this is such an evocative read and the accompanying images are beautiful. Your childhood after your move sounds delightful; what a gift for a six year old. Thank you for your kind mention of me. Thanks too Julie for these interviews.
Dear Michela you are so very welcome, you are a constant and huge inspiration to me with your glorious images and poetic wanderings. Thank you so much for reading this interview, it is an enormous and humbling honour to be here among so many incredibly talented nature lovers.
love the quiet gentleness of this, that smallness in nature, yet so much to offer too. And our lists -- of those we read here and in the wider world -- are so similar :) x
As always Jan, I wish we lived just a little closer to enjoy a day of chattering and tea and wanders, either here on my hill - though not this gruelling month - or your beautiful forest without the fatigue of travel... I don't think we would stop taking! 🙏🏼💛xxx
Susie and Julie, I'm a bit late in commenting here as I've been out of town and waiting to savor this. I can't tell you how wonderful it has been to peek into your past, Susie, to imagine you as a child discovering the untold joys of farm life and later, witnessing your discovery of your home in France. I'm totally enchanted. Honestly, there is such beauty in what you write, and you share your world with such generosity and honesty. Please never stop telling your stories. I love seeing what you see and feeling what you feel. I'll carry this one around with me for a long time, and I'm so grateful.
I am beginning to understand that no day is too late here dear Kendall, just to know you have returned and read generously what is written, no matter when is like a huge warm hug! One I know is given with love and the sort of joy only people who see life through similar eyes appreciate. Yours are especially so, thank you always my dear friend, your comment means the world to me. xx
I am wild and beguiled for Susie and her writing… It’s amazing how often that 1987 storm comes up. I was a baby and slept through most of it, but I’ve heard so, so many stories from people over the years. I think it had a lot of folks come into intimate contact with their smallness and their lack of any real control in quite profound ways. Sometimes when people talk about it I get the sense that they're trying to invoke the feeling it gave them.
A lovely interview. So grateful for Susie’s presence here, and the ways in which she tends the precious and the fragile 🌿
They called it the storm of the century when it happened, though I gather from friends and family that similar, if not worse have battered the UK since. I was 23 years old, alone in a huge mid-terrace house owned by a friend - 5 Upper Rock Gardens, I even remember the address - which was one row up from the seafront, from all windows I could see the English Channel the waves of which crashed up as far as the house, I wasn't sure if I would drown or be buried in rubble from falling chimneys and steeples, I just prayed and watched in terror. It was a truly unforgettable night for all who lived through its raw, unstoppable force. I think we wall felt, if not small, very insignificant in the great scheme of Mother Nature.
Bless you for reading, for your always beyond kind comments and support Chloe, I believe there isn't a soul in the world that understands the fragile and precious as tenderly as you do - I am deeply complimented - huge heart thanks. 🌻xx
Susie, believe it or not, tiny little world that it is, we have a friend who lives in a flat on Upper Rock Gardens, so I know exactly the street you mean. She's further up from the sea than you would have been I think, but still I can only imagine how powerful the whole thing must have felt from there. You were in quite the spot for it.
And, thank you for saying that. It means an extraordinary amount coming from a kindred spirit. Much love to you xx
Oh Chloe, what a tiny beautiful blue world this is! I truly hope your friend never has to know a night like that of The Great Storm. With love back on a day when all I wish for is a storm, perhaps not quite that violent but wind and rain sufficient to blow away this suffocating drought. xx
Susie, thank you for including me in your list, and with such other wonderful writers, I’m truly touched. It’s been such a gift to find our friendship here, woven through words, comments, and quiet messages, even without meeting in person. Reading more of your story in Derbyshire and Éire was a delight; I’d glimpsed some of it before, and here it unfurled further with such richness. Derbyshire has always been my favourite English county. I grew up nearby, and carry with me the bright, wind-swept memories of walking its hills and dales. Much love xx
Dear Emily, you are so very welcome and worthy of mentioning here, everywhere and anywhere else possible! I only hope, one day we can wander together, weave our words into a whole tapestry of friendship. One day... 🙏🏼
I too loved Derbyshire, still do, more so even than the county I grew up in. I found a wild freedom in those hills and dales that was less evident in the more rolling hills of Sussex. I loved the High Peaks especially, I miss them, even now, after all the years of wilderness I have known.
Thank you so much for always being here, for your endless encouragement and support - much much love back you xx
PS I have not forgotten the sheeps wool, I seem to have been socialising for a solid three weeks, the last guests have left this evening - I am so looking forward to being solitary and silent again.
Susie and Julie, What a grand interview. And this by Susie: "Every day something astounds me, is capable of captivating and astonishing me like an endless enchanting film" -- her words that astound me in every essay she writes on "A Hill and I". I'm a devoted subscriber.
Dearest Mary, every time I read a comment from you I have a lump in my throat that is so hard to swallow my eyes leak tears. I will never take for granted being complimented by someone as accomplished and perceptive, so artful in writing beautiful prose as you. Thank you from my heart, you never stop inspiring me. xx
In this linked in high tech world Mary, they become as important and precious as long time friends, here’s to connections across waves of both kinds.. xx
Dear Julie, for inviting me to join your series '6 Questions' on Homecoming for which I feel a huge honour to be included with so many others, all of whom have either inspired or encouraged me to continue, my most humble thanks.
It’s a pleasure and an honor to host your beautiful writing. 💚
I hope you don’t mind Susie, I am borrowing words, only two, I promise. Because you say it better than I ever could.
There is a woman who lives on a hill called Le Paradis far far away, across an ocean. Sharing her life with such “alluring grace”, words spill from every story in beautiful watercolors and we cannot help but want to be part of the painting.
Julie ,this is the first time I have been here for your Reciprocity interviews, Susie is a perfect choice for Homecoming. Great questions!
Dearest Lor, knowing how you write, knowing that the soul of you wanders across a page as if you were walking one of the trails on a mountain, or watching the otters from your lakeside cabin with such awe and wonder I am honoured that you even notice mine. 'Borrow' two of them, you can have them! A gift to you from me.
I am delighted that they lured you to Julies Homecoming, where so many are already part of the painting. Thank you my dear friend, for every word you have written to me in support of my own with love! xx
Welcome, Lor! I’m with you; I, too, “want to be part of the painting.” 💚
Julie you already are! 🙏🏼
Ahhhh, thank you! What joy, each of word of this. Homecoming indeed. And I love this so much Susie:
"What if the act of noticing — the light on leaves, the shift in seasons, the kindness in a stranger — could remind us we’re part of something larger, something beautiful? Homecoming is here to rekindle that sense of wonder and renew your strength."
Dear Stephanie, I agree whole heartedly with your quote too, especially sharing kindnesses to strangers, above all else this seems to be something that means so very much yet costs the giver so little. Thank you kindly for your wonderful comment and for reading.
Thanks for being here, Stephanie! 💚
Thank you both for sharing such a lovely interview. There are so many moments here I will return to. A sentiment that rang close to my heart:
"Writing about nature enhances the joy, the preciousness and fragility of all life forms, it is extraordinary, beguiling, terrifying too at times but whether it is astonishing in its detail or decaying around its edges, on days when obligations, worry and drudgery have paralysed me, it is always a balm."
Same! So glad you enjoyed it. 🍃💚
Mary thank you so much for reading, I a delighted you felt something tug at your heartstrings amongst my answers to Julie's wonderful questions!
These images are beautiful, and your words are poetic. How do you decide which moments in nature are worth capturing and sharing in your stories, Susie?
Thank you so very much for reading, I am thrilled you found the poetry in my replies to Julies questions, they were a delight to answer.
You ask how I decide which moment to capture and write about... this is an easy question to answer...
I write about what touches my heart and soul, a sound, a colour, a beam of light, a hare cleaning his whiskers in the morning dew, just like the words of Mary Oliver, implied at the beginning of these Homecoming reciprocal essays,
“Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”
🌿
💚💚💚
Ooo! That’s a great question!
Oh Susie, this is such an evocative read and the accompanying images are beautiful. Your childhood after your move sounds delightful; what a gift for a six year old. Thank you for your kind mention of me. Thanks too Julie for these interviews.
Dear Michela you are so very welcome, you are a constant and huge inspiration to me with your glorious images and poetic wanderings. Thank you so much for reading this interview, it is an enormous and humbling honour to be here among so many incredibly talented nature lovers.
You richly deserve it Susie. Thank you for your kind words ☺️
Michela, coming from you that is a hugely complimentary - thank you 🙏🏼
Glad you enjoyed it. I always enjoy learning more about you wonderful writers! 💚
love the quiet gentleness of this, that smallness in nature, yet so much to offer too. And our lists -- of those we read here and in the wider world -- are so similar :) x
As always Jan, I wish we lived just a little closer to enjoy a day of chattering and tea and wanders, either here on my hill - though not this gruelling month - or your beautiful forest without the fatigue of travel... I don't think we would stop taking! 🙏🏼💛xxx
Glad you enjoyed it, Jan. 💚
Susie and Julie, I'm a bit late in commenting here as I've been out of town and waiting to savor this. I can't tell you how wonderful it has been to peek into your past, Susie, to imagine you as a child discovering the untold joys of farm life and later, witnessing your discovery of your home in France. I'm totally enchanted. Honestly, there is such beauty in what you write, and you share your world with such generosity and honesty. Please never stop telling your stories. I love seeing what you see and feeling what you feel. I'll carry this one around with me for a long time, and I'm so grateful.
I am beginning to understand that no day is too late here dear Kendall, just to know you have returned and read generously what is written, no matter when is like a huge warm hug! One I know is given with love and the sort of joy only people who see life through similar eyes appreciate. Yours are especially so, thank you always my dear friend, your comment means the world to me. xx
I am wild and beguiled for Susie and her writing… It’s amazing how often that 1987 storm comes up. I was a baby and slept through most of it, but I’ve heard so, so many stories from people over the years. I think it had a lot of folks come into intimate contact with their smallness and their lack of any real control in quite profound ways. Sometimes when people talk about it I get the sense that they're trying to invoke the feeling it gave them.
A lovely interview. So grateful for Susie’s presence here, and the ways in which she tends the precious and the fragile 🌿
They called it the storm of the century when it happened, though I gather from friends and family that similar, if not worse have battered the UK since. I was 23 years old, alone in a huge mid-terrace house owned by a friend - 5 Upper Rock Gardens, I even remember the address - which was one row up from the seafront, from all windows I could see the English Channel the waves of which crashed up as far as the house, I wasn't sure if I would drown or be buried in rubble from falling chimneys and steeples, I just prayed and watched in terror. It was a truly unforgettable night for all who lived through its raw, unstoppable force. I think we wall felt, if not small, very insignificant in the great scheme of Mother Nature.
Bless you for reading, for your always beyond kind comments and support Chloe, I believe there isn't a soul in the world that understands the fragile and precious as tenderly as you do - I am deeply complimented - huge heart thanks. 🌻xx
Susie, believe it or not, tiny little world that it is, we have a friend who lives in a flat on Upper Rock Gardens, so I know exactly the street you mean. She's further up from the sea than you would have been I think, but still I can only imagine how powerful the whole thing must have felt from there. You were in quite the spot for it.
And, thank you for saying that. It means an extraordinary amount coming from a kindred spirit. Much love to you xx
Oh Chloe, what a tiny beautiful blue world this is! I truly hope your friend never has to know a night like that of The Great Storm. With love back on a day when all I wish for is a storm, perhaps not quite that violent but wind and rain sufficient to blow away this suffocating drought. xx
Weather does have a way of putting us in our place. Thanks for being here, Chloe.
It really does doesn't it!
Susie, thank you for including me in your list, and with such other wonderful writers, I’m truly touched. It’s been such a gift to find our friendship here, woven through words, comments, and quiet messages, even without meeting in person. Reading more of your story in Derbyshire and Éire was a delight; I’d glimpsed some of it before, and here it unfurled further with such richness. Derbyshire has always been my favourite English county. I grew up nearby, and carry with me the bright, wind-swept memories of walking its hills and dales. Much love xx
Dear Emily, you are so very welcome and worthy of mentioning here, everywhere and anywhere else possible! I only hope, one day we can wander together, weave our words into a whole tapestry of friendship. One day... 🙏🏼
I too loved Derbyshire, still do, more so even than the county I grew up in. I found a wild freedom in those hills and dales that was less evident in the more rolling hills of Sussex. I loved the High Peaks especially, I miss them, even now, after all the years of wilderness I have known.
Thank you so much for always being here, for your endless encouragement and support - much much love back you xx
PS I have not forgotten the sheeps wool, I seem to have been socialising for a solid three weeks, the last guests have left this evening - I am so looking forward to being solitary and silent again.
Glad you enjoyed it, Emily. Thanks for being here. 🌱🌱
Susie and Julie, What a grand interview. And this by Susie: "Every day something astounds me, is capable of captivating and astonishing me like an endless enchanting film" -- her words that astound me in every essay she writes on "A Hill and I". I'm a devoted subscriber.
Dearest Mary, every time I read a comment from you I have a lump in my throat that is so hard to swallow my eyes leak tears. I will never take for granted being complimented by someone as accomplished and perceptive, so artful in writing beautiful prose as you. Thank you from my heart, you never stop inspiring me. xx
Susie, the feeling and the tears that come are mutual: A connection that matters across the sea!
In this linked in high tech world Mary, they become as important and precious as long time friends, here’s to connections across waves of both kinds.. xx
I just love this! 🥰
Love this! Susie provides wonderful reminders of what really matters. 💚 Thanks for being here, Mary.