Cow Parsley and the Joy of Looking Closer

by Ian Stephens | May 21, 2026 | My Story, Nature & Everyday Adventures, Related articles

           Over the next few days our temperatures are set to rise, and with that comes one of my favourite seasonal spectacles along local footpaths and hedgerows. Cow parsley season. For many people it is simply the white blur that appears everywhere in late spring...

Early May and Everything Starts Moving

by Ian Stephens | May 1, 2026 | My Story, Nature & Everyday Adventures, Related articles

   Some days just build as they go on. This morning started simply enough, a look over the ceanothus and straight away there was plenty happening. Bees already hard at work, moving steadily from flower to flower, one in particular absolutely loaded with pollen and not...

Would you like to turn over a new leaf?

by Ian Stephens | Apr 10, 2026 | My Story, Nature & Everyday Adventures, Related articles

This morning’s walk got me thinking. Everywhere you look right now, things are bursting into life.Buds opening, leaves unfolding, that fresh spring green starting to take over. But how often do we actually stop and look at them properly? So today, I did exactly that....

Ten Days of Wings

by Ian Stephens | Apr 3, 2026 | Books, My Story, Nature & Everyday Adventures, Related articles

As I’ve started pulling together photos for my Year 3 book, I came across a run from last July that I’d completely forgotten about. What started as just another day with the camera quickly turned into something else… ten straight days of moths, butterflies and...

The Photos That Nearly Made It

by Ian Stephens | Mar 27, 2026 | My Story, Nature & Everyday Adventures, Related articles

Peak District moments that didn’t quite make the final cut After sharing my recent Peak District blog, I thought I’d do something a little different. Because as much as I carefully chose the final photos, there were plenty more that could easily have made it. In fact,...

A Week in the Peak District: Dovedale Walks, Lud’s Church and Spring Wildlife

by Ian Stephens | Mar 21, 2026 | My Story, Nature & Everyday Adventures, Related articles

A Week in the Peak District: Dovedale Walks, Lud’s Church and Spring Wildlife A week exploring the Peak District with gentle walks, Dovedale scenery, Lud’s Church, and plenty of wildlife moments along the way. From peaceful river reflections to powerful waterfalls,...