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See the British year afresh and experience a new way of connecting with nature - through the prism of Japan's seventy-two ancient microseasons.
Across seventy-two short chapters and twelve months, writer and nature lover Lev Parikian charts the changes that each of these ancient microseasons (of a just a few days each) bring to his local patch - garden, streets, park and wild cemetery.
From the birth of spring ( risshun) in early February to 'the greater cold' ( daikan) in late January, Lev draws our eye to the exquisite beauty of the outside world, day-to-day.
Instead of Japan's lotus blossom, praying mantis and bear, he watches bramble, woodlouse and urban fox; hawthorn, dragonfly and peregrine. But the seasonal rhythms - and the power of nature to reflect and enhance our mood - remain.
By turns reflective, witty and joyous, this is both a nature diary and a revelation of the beauty of the small and subtle changes of the everyday, allowing us to 'look, look again, look better'.
**It is perfect gift to read in real time across the British year.
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'A fresh new look at the microseasons of nature's calendar, seen through Lev Parikian's eyes - with his usual humour, attention to detail and beautifully written prose.'** Stephen Moss
'Buy this book. Plant it somewhere handy and whenever you're in need of a "spark of joy" pick it up and read a few pages. Its wit will make you smile. It will transport you to a wilder, gentler, more beautiful world.' Ann Pettifor
