I used to overlook so much of the beauty of the countryside but my camera woke me up. Every day has its own sparkle and its own story, even if we sometimes have to look hard to find it. I’m inspired as much by the golden hour, moss and moonlight, as I am by unruly hair, tears and the wrinkles in a smile. Autumn, candlelit dinners and the birds get me going too.
I studied mindfulness for a while, but it is nature and photography that helps me catch that breath that reaches right up from the bottom of my lungs. I like to tell myself that I can, maybe, sometimes, by writing the best I can, get you to sigh deeper with me.
Some of the things I have written about are
frosted brambles, rosehips and other dowries
beach therapy…and the whole gorgeous, glistening caboodle
the vines, grape farming and the farmer
the walkers I meet, the conversations we have and their (usually friendly) dogs
the birds, their symphonies and how they tick
the reverie of dawn, the sparkle in the dew..
train travel
the beauty of community, altruism and generosity
meadows swishing with poppies
the untameable sea
conservation, climate change and soaring heat
the omnipotence of drought and hail storms
screaming cicadas
the guy who sleeps rough in the woods
vulnerability and how it helps us find love and hope
mindfulness classes and how it slowed me down
peace and a pinch of prose
This ‘bubble and squeak’ is mostly from observation in the countryside but I’m growing into fiction, with an environmental twist. I think they are calling it cli-fi.
What the camera has taught me is priceless. She is chief interpreter for all the beauty I discover outdoors. She is the last thing I pack when I travel and the first out of the rucksack. Like a life coach, the camera reminds me to look up, not stare down at my feet like I used to, to appreciate and be grateful for the tiny details. I love the ragged, frayed edges and the tinier details of wild open spaces, like the weightless, hollow wild rye husks, sail-like, catching the breeze or lost and forgotten feathers caught on thistles.
About Pipp
I live on a hill with a view of the vines, pines and a big sea, a short train ride from Barcelona. They have kindly adopted me here, though with my complexion I might as well have ‘English’ stamped on my forehead, whether I speak the lingo or not. I have three grown up children. One has just learned to fly, one is a voice talent and the other is a dog therapist, in a children’s hospital. We live with four therapy dogs along with all the chaos, fluff and dust that comes with them. Some of my stories are inevitably about the light (or fluff) they bring to my life too.
I get better perspective on things, walking through the fields of grapevines and woodlands near my home. As I go, so threads of hope weave themselves into stories, often stopping to jot down notes on top of an old stone wall.
Why read Vineyard Tales?
Writing brings me a sense of inner calm, contrasting with a world that seems to swirl in anger and retaliation. If I succeed in bringing a bit of countryside, nature or peace closer to you, maybe you know someone else who could do with some air too. Please share…I endeavour to write a story twice a month.🌿
From love to lichen and landscapes. My stories on SubStack are accompanied by my own pictures like these, mostly taken in Spain.
Sanctuary
My first book ‘Sanctuary’ came out in January 2024. To my delight it sold out in five months (though I did only print a hundred copies!) but I thought they would gather a bit of dust, and at least hang around until Christmas but they were ordered straight from their boxes. It is packed with nature photography inspired by dawn; glistening frost, dew, dragonfly wings, butterflies, sea-polished pebbles. The book is about the acceptance of change in our lives. Some readers view it as ‘selfcare’ and others have called it mindfulness.
I’m working on a second edition which will be available on Amazon hopefully in August 2025. When it’s ready I’ll put a link here. The second edition will be print-to-order, which is better for the environment. (Yes Amazon does one thing right!)
I thank you for your precious time. I hope I can honour it with some good stories for you. I won’t take a single one of you for granted. Readers are to be cherished.
🌿
