THE idea of One Hundred Years of Solitude might have caught the imagination of Gabriel García Márquez, but, for most folk, in these days of Twitter (never used it), TikTok (never looked at it) and Instagram (finally gave in and began posting gardening snippets in 2021; @alantitchmarshmbe should you be curious) the prospect of solitude is remote. Whether through more traditional print and broadcast media or Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp and... oh, you name it, society in general now feels the need to be constantly connected to the activities and opinions of others. Except, that is, for gardeners and writers who are accustomed to and revel in working alone.
As I tap out these words in the loft of the barn just across the way from our house, I hear nothing more than the ticking of clocks (it's a weakness my wife has learned to tolerate). Not for me the accompaniment of music or the incessant chatter of the radio; I enjoy the sound of the birds, which can be heard through the open window, but the barn where I write, next to our wildlife pond, has become a space that I increasingly find brings me solace when the incessant babble of the wider world has drowned out peace of mind and what few original thoughts might have entered my head.
Denne historien er fra February 15, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra February 15, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Power games and the battle for beauty
The Government’s plan to cover the countryside in ugly pylons with seemingly no regard for aesthetics must be vigorously challenged
Mad as a box of frogs
With genes that bear an uncanny resemblance to our own, our amphibious frog friends have aided medical advances and captivated many cultures with their mystical powers, discovers Ian Morton
Follow the yellow brick road
\"IN the 100th year since the death of the man who saved the daffodil I from extinction, the RHS hopes to safeguard the bulb from the perils of a changing climate.
Picasso's mystery lady
A MYSTERIOUS woman has been discovered A under underneath Picasso's Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto (1901).
Centuries of starlight
ROYAL MUSEUMS GREENWICH has been awarded a £1.25 million grant from to transform the visitor experience at the Royal Observatory.
A sense of delight
The Aldourie estate, Inverness-shire The process of stitching together the architectural fabric of a Scottish estate has created an outstanding group of new and restored buildings, as John Goodall explains
Capital Roman legacy
THE remains of London's original Roman THE remains of London's original Roman development of No 85, Gracechurch Street, London EC3.
A leap in the dark
The primal play of light and shadow, whether in Leonardo's ever-so-subtle sfumato or Caravaggio's dramatic contrasts, has shaped Western art, as Michael Hall reveals
Beauty and the blimp
Inflammable airships may be gone, but a new hybrid aircraft, capable of delivering eco-friendly aviation, is set to take to the skies with a bang, finds Charles Harris
Three wishes for food and farming
Royal hedge planting, the terrible toll on Ukrainian farming and a maiden speech
