Podcast appearances and mentions of Adam Nicolson

It's Chelsea Flower Show in London this week, and at Rosebud we're celebrating - with this special episode recorded at one of the most beautiful gardens in the world: Sissinghurst Castle in Kent. At Sissinghurst Gyles meets the writer Adam Nicolson, grandson of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson (who famously conceived and designed the garden there) and his wife Sarah Raven, the plantswoman and entrepreneur, who is one of the most influential people in gardening today. Sarah's garden at Perch Hill in Sussex, and the business she runs from there, have been instrumental in introducing a new abundant, naturalistic and colourful style in gardening, and her story is fascinating.This is a brilliant conversation about the history of Sissinghurst and the Nicolson family, and about Sarah's childhood 'botanising' with her father, John Raven. It's also about finding wild tulips, the meaning of the word 'wharfinger' and the burden of inheritance. Adam Nicolson's latest book, which is brilliant, is called Bird School and is available here. Sarah Raven's website is inspirational for any gardener and is here. Her book, A Year Full of Pots, is also highly recommended. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's a rich, complex, and utterly rewarding natural world that co-exists alongside ours, and relies on our gardens for food and safety – the often surprising world of small garden birds.This week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange', Adam Nicolson shares insights from his new book, Bird School, which explores the secret life of these tiny avian visitors, so often unfurling right under our noses in our gardens and green spaces.In this episode, discover:The true reasons behind the dawn chorus, its unique sound and timingWhat inspired Adam to immerse himself in the world of small birdsHow birds perceive the world so intricately, in a way that we're yet to fully understandWhat we as gardeners can do to help protect our British bird speciesOrder Adam's new book, Bird School:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bird-School-Beginner-Adam-Nicolson/dp/000849083XFollow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/Salix gracilistyla ‘Mount Aso'https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salix-gracilistyla-mount-asoGoat willow hedginghttps://www.sarahraven.com/products/goat-willow-hedgingGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comShop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeuFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/Order Sarah's latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

If you're looking to support wild birds in your garden, the RSPB's upcoming Big Garden Birdwatch is an essential event for us all.Adam Nicolson and Emma Marsh, Executive Director of the RSPB, join Sarah in this week's bird-focused episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange' to discuss how to get involved in this weekend's annual bird count, how it came to be, and the many ways that gardeners can actively support and encourage more wild birds in our gardens and green spaces.In this episode, discover:The role that gardens and gardeners play in restoring a bustling wild bird population.What we all can do to provide natural sustenance, shelter and safety for birds with our choice of planting.How the Big Garden Birdwatch came to be, and how you can get involved this coming weekend.Verbena bonariensishttps://www.sarahraven.com/products/verbena-bonariensisLupinus ‘Masterpiece' (Westcountry series)https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lupinus-masterpieceEnglish Yew (Taxus baccata)https://www.sarahraven.com/products/english-yewRosa ‘Rambling Rector'https://www.sarahraven.com/products/rose-rambling-rectorFollow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/Join the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch: https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatchGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comShop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeuFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/Order Sarah's latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Biodiversity thrives on the presence of hedges, and autumn presents a wonderful time to get them planted, bringing a beautiful birdsong into your garden.Adam Nicolson joins Sarah for this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange', sharing his ever-bountiful knowledge on all things biodiversity, and which hedges are perfect protection for an enchanting ensemble of birds and butterflies.In this episode, discover:How maintaining hedges at a warbler-y phase helps songbirds in particularLeafy, thorny and nectar rich hedges to grow, like yew, hornbeam and privetHow to put hedges into the garden, and at what time in the season is idealProducts mentioned:English Yew (Taxus baccata)https://www.sarahraven.com/products/english-yewHornbeam Hedginghttps://www.sarahraven.com/products/hornbeam-hedgingWild Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)https://www.sarahraven.com/products/wild-privetClematis viticella 'Etoile Violette'https://www.sarahraven.com/products/clematis-viticella-etoile-violetteLonicera periclymenum 'Rhubarb and Custard'®https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lonicera-periclymenum-rhubarb-and-custardGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comShop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeuFollow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/Order Sarah's latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Seabirds face many challenges - avian flu, plastic pollution, overfishing and climate change have all had an impact - but despite all of this, these resilient birds are surviving and in some cases, thriving. Tom Heap and Helen Czerski explore all things seabird, from the urban kittiwakes of Tyneside to the sea cliffs of Shetland.They're joined by Adam Nicolson, the author of The Seabird's Cry. He's determined to recover the reputation of the puffin from the cute star of seaside mugs and tea towels to its rightful place as a brave and powerful navigator of the toughest ocean environments. Mike Dilger, resident nature expert on BBC TV's The One Show, reports from Shetland on the extraordinary colony of storm petrels that breed in the brickwork of Iron Age brochs. The kittiwakes that nest in the heart of Newcastle and Gateshead are the furthest inland colony in the world. Helen Wilson of Durham University discusses her research on the birds and their developing relationship with the people who live and work alongside them.Many of Britain's most dramatic seabird colonies breed on the most isolated islands of the west coast of Scotland. Film-maker and adventure leader Roland Arnison has spent the summer in a kayak, paddling from island to island, recording the sounds of thirty species of seabird. He tells Tom and Helen about his Call of the Loon expedition and his dramatic scrapes with riptides, hypothermia and the most predatory of Scottish seabirds- the great skua.Producer: Alasdair Cross Assistant Producer: Toby Field Researcher: Christina SinclairRare Earth is a BBC Audio Wales and West production in conjunction with the Open University

Wessel, Günther www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Studio 9

Wessel, Günther www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Studio 9

Wessel, Günther www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Studio 9

Wessel, Günther www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Studio 9

The UK's bird population are dearly beloved for their song, as much as their service in keeping slugs and snails at bay, so how can we best provide safe havens for them in our gardens?Adam Nicolson's next book, Bird School, sees him immersed in what's best for birds and their important role in our gardens, so joins us on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange' to share in his knowledge and journey so far.In this episode, discover:How to cater to different bird species' needs by picking the right range of food for themAbsolute cardinal sins for helping birds, from unhygienic feeders to unprotected bird bathsOrder Sarah's latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newestGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comShop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeuFollow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

The 4th of May marks a very special day at Perch Hill, particularly this year - it's 30 years since Sarah and Adam first arrived and started making history here.Perch Hill looks so vastly different to how it began in 1994, as it's taken shape over the decades, and in this week's ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange' Sarah & Adam share stories from their time here so far, the many phases that Perch Hill has seen, and how the garden in particular has developed.In this episode, learn:How Sarah discovered Perch Hill, and the charming experiences that endeared Adam to itThe state in which Sarah & Adam found the garden, and first steps towards bringing it to life in the way that we all know and love todayBalancing abundance with structure, and chaos with tidiness through a lens of biodiversityOrder Sarah's book - A Year Full of Flowers: https://bit.ly/2TWHJczOrder Sarah's new book - A Year Full of Veg: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/sarah-ravens-a-year-full-of-vegGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comShop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeuFollow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

Knepp plays host to one of the most breathtaking rewilding projects in Britain, and from it we can take such inspiration to channel into our own green spaces.Sharing the evolution of the project from its initial thousand species and how you can encourage biodiversity in your garden is Charlie Harpur - Knepp's Head Gardener joins Sarah this week alongside her husband, Adam Nicolson.In this episode, discover:How much or how little control you should impose on a garden that's being rewildedCharlie's work with Tom Stuart-Smith, Jekka McVicar and James HitchmoughKnepp's work on balancing what each plant provides, not allowing dominant species to run rampantWhy we at home should focus on succession throughout the yearFollow Charlie: https://www.instagram.com/charlie.harpur/https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-harpur/Knepp Rewilding Project: https://knepp.co.uk/rewilding/Order Sarah's book - A Year Full of Flowers: https://bit.ly/2TWHJczOrder Sarah's new book - A Year Full of Veg:https://www.sarahraven.com/products/sarah-ravens-a-year-full-of-vegGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comShop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeuFollow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

This time we are exploring the surprisingly sociological book, The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters. As usual we cover a lot of ground, from poetry, writing style, oral history, to the urban and the rural, the origins of violence/gangs. There even some reflections around masculinity and intimacy in war.

Listen to CapeTalk's John Maytham's weekly book reviews and share his passion for all things literary. From fiction to non-fiction, John reads and reviews a range of books that would sit well on your reading list. FICTION First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, The Algebra of Insignificance by Stephen Symons NON FICTION Life Between the Tides by Adam Nicolson.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Nicolson has been rehabilitating his farm in Sussex for many years now, and he discusses the difficulties and rewards of this, and the piece that he wrote about it for Plough's issue on repair. They go on to discuss the topics of some of Nicolson's books: Sissinghurst, the farm and garden owned by Nicolson's grandmother, Vita Sackville-West; Homer; the pre-Socratic philosophers; and sailing. 

Adam Nicolson tells of reversing the destructive agricultural damage done to his farm in the past.

On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with English author Adam Nicolson on greek mythology, real meaning of the oceans, travel, the grand question about philosophy, that what really matters more? to understand the higher things above you, or the material actualities, along with his new book How To Be: Life Lessons from the Early Greeks Adam is an English author who has written about history, landscape, great literature and the sea. He is noted for his books Sea Room, God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible, The Mighty Dead, and Life between the Tides. He is also the winner of the Somerset Maugham Award, the W. H. Heinemann Award, and the Ondaatje Prize.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

Adam Nicolson is the writer and author whose past books have explored immersive and at times weighty topics such as our understanding of the Bible and the work of great poets such as Coleridge and Wordsworth. He returns with a new book, How To Be: Life Lessons from the Early Greeks, which looks at not only the philosophy of the Ancient Greeks but also how the geography of the lands they came from helped shape their thinking. Joining Nicolson in conversation is the writer, academic and broadcaster, Shahidha Bari.  If you'd like to get access to all of our longer form interviews and members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events - Our member-only newsletter The Monthly Read, sent straight to your inbox ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more ... Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our gardens, humble as they may seem, are among the country's most important havens for biodiversity, and there are few greater champions for biodiversity than Dr Steve Head.Steve joins Sarah on this podcast episode alongside Adam Nicolson to share how the intermediate level of disturbance that we naturally give our gardens makes them so wonderful for wildlife.In this episode, discover:How Sarah met Steve, and the revelations that he continues to provide her about wildlife at Perch Hill and beyondThe various reasons that gardens are so good for cultivating biodiversityWhat you're doing for biodiversity when you dig up your ground, and how to know that you're digging too much or too littleThe inspiration that Steve derives from a long time heroine of his, Jennifer OwenWhy we should all care about insects, pollinators, and our impact on biodiversityGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comShop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeuFollow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

Adam Nicolson, author of many books on history, landscape, and great literature, discusses how the pushback that the Greek philosophers endured in their time compares with today's red states versus blue states, slavery's role in how the Greek philosophers were able to make a living, and how we can make philosophy relevant to our kids, given their reality. Adam's new book is How to Be: Life Lessons from the Early Greeks.

When we think of Western philosophers who pondered questions about the good life, we typically think of the classical era of Greece and the likes of Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. But my guest would say that the poets and philosophers who came out of the preceding period, Greece's Iron Age, also have something to say about the nature of existence.Adam Nicolson is the author of How to Be: Life Lessons from the Early Greeks. Today on the show, Adam takes us on a tour of Iron Age Greece and how these seafaring people set the stage for our modern sense of self. Adam makes the case that the early Greeks had what he calls a "harbor mindset," which lent them a mentality centered on fluidity and transience. We discuss how Odysseus exemplifies this harbor mindset, and how a group of lesser-known pre-Socratic philosophers defined life through a lens of change and contradiction. Adam then explains how a mystical guru named Pythagoras paved the way for Greek thinkers like Plato and Aristotle and the rise of cooperative civility.Resources Related to the PodcastAdam's previous appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #857 — Why Homer MattersAoM Podcast #337: What Homer's Odyssey Can Teach Us TodayThe philosophers of Miletus:AnaximenesThalesAnaximander

Life Lessons from the Early Greeks.

While our gaze often falls to flower beds for our appreciation of nature, when we set our sights to the skies, there's wonderful garden & woodland birds all around us.Having shared the lives and loves of sea birds in his award-winning book, Adam Nicolson's next literary adventure shares the avian wonders that you'll find closer to home.Join Sarah & Adam in this week's ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange' for a delightful foray into the species behind the songs that fill every joyful woodland walk.In this episode, discover:A charming app to enlighten your walks with bird information on-the-goThe sophistication of birds' alarm calls for dangers like foxes, crows and snakesWhat we stand to learn from birds about nurturing the natural world around usOur favourite species of bird to look out for in your own gardens and green spacesGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comShop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeuFollow Sarah: https://bit.ly/3jDTvBp

Dennis talks to Adam Nicolson, English historian. His new book is God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible. A Best of Prager Hour. Originally broadcast June 26, 2003.  Can you have fun without some sort of artificial stimulation? The answer, of course, is yes. But it's not as obvious as many might think. A Best of Prager Hour. Originally broadcast February 10, 2023  Issues raised include: how were you able to determine the lockdowns would cause harm so early on; should one use the pulpit to discuss politics; should you love your enemies. A Best of Prager Hour. Originally broadcast on February 24, 2023. Thanks for listening to the Daily Dennis Prager Podcast. To hear the entire three hours of my radio show as a podcast, commercial-free every single day, become a member of Pragertopia. You'll also get access to 15 years' worth of archives, as well as daily show prep. Subscribe today at Pragertopia dot com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wood is wonderful in the garden, and can be both beautiful and useful to create fencing, arches and posts in such a way that cares for the environment around us.If you're still using the likes of imported bamboo in your space and need inspiration for alternatives, Adam Nicolson joins Sarah once again on the podcast to share how locally grown, coppiced wood can be so fantastic for you and for the world.In this episode, discover:The near-zero environmental cost of using the wonderfully pliable birchWhich trees are the most useful for absorbing more carbon, and how to best treat themA fascinating history of why chestnut is so prevalent in this part of the worldHow to coppice wood, and the true impact of coppicing on carbon absorption from our treesGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comShop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu Follow Sarah: https://bit.ly/3jDTvBpFollow Arthur: https://bit.ly/3jxSKK5

2022 is finally drawing to a close, and as many begin their list of new year's resolutions we're making our own commitments at Perch Hill, especially around our exciting carbon and biodiversity research.Sarah Raven & Adam Nicolson share the findings, bring us some enlightening tips on how we can all reduce carbon emissions in our own gardens, pick out top garden-worthy plants to provide seeds for birds, and chat about how we're preparing for the exciting year ahead.In this episode, discover:Sarah's top plants to provide for pollinators & birds, and bring an uplifting buzz to your gardenThe eclectic agricultural mix that Adam scatters to encourage biodiversity among wildlifeNew thinking around the effects of methane in the atmosphereThe surprisingly drastic impact on reducing carbon that we can create in our own gardensWhy ill-kept bird feeders might actually be surprisingly harmfulOrder Sarah's book: https://bit.ly/2TWHJczOrder Arthur's book: https://bit.ly/3xOov7HGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comShop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu Follow Sarah: https://bit.ly/3jDTvBpFollow Arthur: https://bit.ly/3jxSKK5

Even though the legendary poet Homer wrote the Iliad and Odyssey thousands of years ago, my guest would say that these epic poems are just as relevant and significant today, and even represent a kind of scripture.His name is Adam Nicolson, and he's the author of Why Homer Matters. Today on the show, Adam makes the case that the Iliad is really the story of a collision between a more rooted, civilized way of life, represented by the character of Hector, and a nomadic, honor-bound gang ethos, represented by Achilles. We talk about how this collision birthed the character of Odysseus — who was both great warrior and subtle diplomat — and the whole Greek consciousness. And we discuss how that consciousness is also our consciousness, as we're still wrestling with the warring impulses, dramas and dilemmas, and big questions of human experience Homer gave life.Resources Related to the EpisodeRobert Fagles' translation of the Iliad and OdysseyAoM Article: Hector and Achilles: Two Paths to ManlinessAoM Podcast #337: What Homer's Odyssey Can Teach Us TodayAoM Article: 3 Lessons From Homer's OdysseyAoM Article: What Is Honor?

Actor, author, and film director Lake Bell joins AudioFile's Michele Cobb to learn more about Bell's intriguing audio-only title, INSIDE VOICE. Listen to hear how Lake developed the idea to explore the power of voice in this audiobook packed full of archival material, recordings of people on the street, and interviews with experts. Hear what surprised her about what she learned about voices, and what she hopes listeners get out of the work. Read AudioFile's review of the audiobook at audiofilemagazine.com. Published by Pushkin Industries. AudioFile's 2022 Best Nonfiction & Culture Audiobooks: BAD CITY by Paul Pringle, read by Robert Petkoff FEN, BOG & SWAMP by Annie Proulx, read by Gabra Zackman INSIDE VOICE by Lake Bell, read by Lake Bell et al. LIFE BETWEEN THE TIDES by Adam Nicolson, read by Leighton Pugh THE PHILOSOPHY OF MODERN SONG by Bob Dylan, read by Bob Dylan, Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Oscar Isaac, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Sissy Spacek, Alfre Woodard, Jeffrey Wright, Renée Zellweger RHYME'S ROOMS by Brad Leithauser, read by Kevin R. Free For the full list of 2022 Best Audiobooks, visit: audiofilemagazine.com Support for Behind the Mic comes from Oasis Audio, featuring the finest in specially curated novels including THE MAN WHO LAUGHS, Victor Hugo's 1869 biting arraignment of the aristocracy for their vices, crimes, and selfishness. Lavishly narrated by Simon Vance. Available everywhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If life is a journey on water, with our conscious mind above the waterline and our deep unconscious beneath, and if all the people in the world are drifting, surfing, drowning and sailing on that surface, shouldn't there be a person on a wooden chair in the sky above the beach watching over it all?Shouldn't there be a person?And a beach?The people along the sandAll turn and look one way.They turn their back on the land.They look at the sea all day.As long as it takes to passA ship keeps raising its hull;The wetter ground like glassReflects a standing gullThe land may vary more;But wherever the truth may be—The water comes ashore,And the people look at the sea.They cannot look out far.They cannot look in deep.But when was that ever a barTo any watch they keep?– Robert Frost“Calm yourself, Little One. There is always a person. There is always a beach.”I had an idea for the story, which by the way has been in my head for about 20 years now, and all it was to begin with was an image of a boy in a wheelchair flying a kite on a beach. And that picture was just as clear in my mind as it could be. And it wanted to be a story, but it wasn't a story, it was just a picture. As clear as clear as clear…– Stephen King, May 29, 2013The last time the Stones were out on the road, between 2005 and 2007, they took in more than half a billion dollars – the highest-grossing tour of all time. On Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janeiro, they played to more than a million people. Few spectacles in modern life are more sublimely ridiculous than the geriatric members of the Stones playing the opening strains of ‘Street Fighting Man.'– David Remnick, The New Yorker, Nov. 1, 2010Something of the sense of holiness on islands comes, I think, from this strange, elastic geography. Islands are made larger, paradoxically, by the scale of the sea that surrounds them. The element which might reduce them, which might be thought to besiege them, has the opposite effect. The sea elevates these few acres into something they would never be if hidden in the mass of the mainland. The sea makes islands significant…– Adam Nicolson, Sea RoomOn the edge of the water were a pair of waystones, their surfaces silver against the black of the sky; the black of the water. One stood upright, a finger pointing into the sky. The other lay flat, extending into the water like a short stone pier.No breath of wind disturbed the surface of the water. So as we climbed out onto the fallen stone the stars reflected themselves in double fashion; as above, so below. It was as if we were sitting amid a sea of stars.– Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind, p. 216This is the land of Narnia, said the Faun, where we are now; all that lies between the lamp-post and the great castle of Cair Paravel on the eastern sea. And you—you have come from the wild woods of the west?I—I got in through the wardrobe in the spare room, said Lucy.– C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobePennie and I have had the flu for more days than is supposed to be possible, and I have still not recovered my voice. There were days when I was not sure I dwelt in the land of the living.“The rain to the wind said,You push and I'll pelt.'They so smote the garden bedThat the flowers actually knelt,And lay lodged–though not dead.I know how the flowers felt.”― Robert FrostAroo,Roy H. WilliamsNOTE FROM INDY – Taking care of Pennie and Roy prohibited me from putting together a rabbit hole for you. Sorry.

For 20% off any Christmas order, be sure to use the special offer code ‘XMAS22MINI' before the 30th November at https://www.sarahraven.com/.The best part of Christmas might be the presents, but in close second is the mouth-watering prospect of an extravagant Christmas dinner.Rounding off the Christmas Mini Series of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange' with a smorgasbord of festive recipes, Sarah's joined for a hilarious food chat with two reputationally un-foodie people - husband Adam Nicolson and Arthur Parkinson.In this episode, discover:Arthur, Sarah and Adam's elaborate and utterly delicious dream Christmas mealsCream Falls: Adam's cholesterol-laden, indulgent recipe for a huge mince pie with double creamThe secret to a scrumptious Boeuf BourguignonA whole range of recipes to try at home, from simple, delicious Blinis to Sarah's extravagant coffee, meringue and pomegranate cakeGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comShop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu Follow Sarah: https://bit.ly/3jDTvBpFollow Arthur: https://bit.ly/3jxSKK5

There's a long road before we bring our favourite Dahlias to the catalogue, and having just returned from the Netherlands it's a lovely time to delve into how we pick the finest Dahlias we trial.Sarah's joined once again by her husband, writer Adam Nicolson, to share the journey, characteristics we're breeding for, and some stunning new varieties that we're preparing for the Spring 2024 catalogue.In this episode, discover:The long, arduous journey each Dahlia variety takes before it becomes a part of our catalogueAdam's delight at the process and the tender care on display from the breedersNew, stunning varieties that we've been trialling ready for release in a few years' timeOrder Sarah's book: https://bit.ly/2TWHJczOrder Arthur's book: https://bit.ly/3xOov7HShop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeuGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comFollow Sarah: https://bit.ly/3jDTvBpFollow Arthur: https://bit.ly/3jxSKK5View all products mentioned and find further advice from Sarah: https://bit.ly/3f2DFiH

Adam Nicolson went looking for tranquility and reflection when he built tide pools along Scotland's harsh coastline. He found plenty to reflect on, but things were not so peaceful in the pools. He discovered that to maintain harmony in the wild, species need to be at each others' throats. Guest: Adam Nicolson, author of "Life Between the Tides"

Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley This episode describes the complex phenomenon of self/non-self recognition in otherwise simple asexually reproducing animals, the anemones. Certain anemones are able to differentiate between their own clones and unrelated individuals in order to defend their territory. This research is featured in Adam Nicolson’s Life Between the Tides. About the host: Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine. The post The Essential Rhythm 6/26/22: Attack of the clones first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley This episode describes the complex phenomenon of self/non-self recognition in otherwise simple asexually reproducing animals, the anemones. Certain anemones are able to differentiate between their own clones and unrelated individuals in order to defend their territory. This research is featured in Adam Nicolson’s Life Between the Tides. About the host: Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine. The post The Essential Rhythm 6/26/22: Attack of the clones first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley This episode describes research completed in the Gulf of Maine in the 1980’s by Robin Hadlock Seeley, exploring the changes of smooth periwinkle shell shape in response to predation pressure from green crabs. The research was featured in Adam Nicolson’s book Life Between the Tides. About the host: Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine. The post The Essential Rhythm 6/12/22: Evolution in Action first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley This episode describes research completed in the Gulf of Maine in the 1980’s by Robin Hadlock Seeley, exploring the changes of smooth periwinkle shell shape in response to predation pressure from green crabs. The research was featured in Adam Nicolson’s book Life Between the Tides. About the host: Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine. The post The Essential Rhythm 6/12/22: Evolution in Action first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley This episode features insights from Adam Nicolson's Life Between the Tides and describes dynamics between common periwinkles and their predators, green crabs. About the host: Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine. The post The Essential Rhythm 5/29/22: Periwinkles and Predators first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley This episode features insights from Adam Nicolson's Life Between the Tides and describes dynamics between common periwinkles and their predators, green crabs. About the host: Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine. The post The Essential Rhythm 5/29/22: Periwinkles and Predators first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley This episode features insights from Adam Nicolson’s Life Between the Tides and describes the parallels between the nervous systems of shrimp and humans. Both animal lineages have fast reacting, non brain linked neural pathways that drive life saving behaviors (sometimes called a “startle response” or reflex). About the host: Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine. The post The Essential Rhythm 5/15/22: Shrimp have deep thoughts too first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley This episode features insights from Adam Nicolson’s Life Between the Tides and describes the parallels between the nervous systems of shrimp and humans. Both animal lineages have fast reacting, non brain linked neural pathways that drive life saving behaviors (sometimes called a “startle response” or reflex). About the host: Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine. The post The Essential Rhythm 5/15/22: Shrimp have deep thoughts too first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley This episode introduces the book Life Between the Tides by Adam Nicolson and highlights sand fleas, the organisms covered in the first chapter of the book. It also discusses protean flight, the adaptive anti predator behavior exhibited by sand fleas and many other prey animals. About the host: Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine. The post The Essential Rhythm 5/1/22: Sand Fleas and Good Books first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley This episode introduces the book Life Between the Tides by Adam Nicolson and highlights sand fleas, the organisms covered in the first chapter of the book. It also discusses protean flight, the adaptive anti predator behavior exhibited by sand fleas and many other prey animals. About the host: Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine. The post The Essential Rhythm 5/1/22: Sand Fleas and Good Books first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Adam Nicolson has been obsessed with the landscape we live in his entire life. Recently Adam has been staring into rockpools, trying to work out what might stare back. The journalist, broadcaster and poet has been writing books about how we interact with our environments since the 1980s and his newest tome The Sea is Not Made of Water: Life Between the Tides is no exception. In the book he wanders around the world to try and understand what the liminal space of the world's seas can tell us. He's also been captured by the way we think about that thin strip that isn't quite 'land' or 'ocean'.

Tilly Lloyd from Unity Books reviews The Sea Is Not Made of Water: Life Between the Tides by Adam Nicolson, published by HarperCollins. Few places are as familiar as the shore - and few as full of mystery and surprise. How do sandhoppers inherit an inbuilt compass from their parents? How do crabs understand the tides? How can the death of one winkle guarantee the lives of its companions? What does a prawn know? In The Sea is Not Made of Water, Adam Nicolson explores the natural wonders of the intertidal and our long human relationship with it. The physics and biology of the seas, the long history of the earth, and the stories we tell of those who have lived here: all interconnect in this zone where the philosopher, scientist and poet can meet and find meaning.

Adam Nicolson, VP of Product at AgileOne joins the Hiring University podcast to discuss new technology trends in the staffing industry, specifically the tools of today and the future that will allow suppliers, buyers, and candidates to access more relevant data and approve the overall supply chain experience.   Adam is a 20+ year staffing veteran who brings a wealth of experience, wisdom, and vision to this episode!  "We'll handle the strategy. You worry about the business!  If you can get the VMS to a place where it's super user intuitive and it's doing a lot of the manual work that you're doing today you've added huge value."      - Adam Nicholson

24 Mal literarische Bescherung: Wir empfehlen Bücher zum Verschenken. Heute: „Der Ruf des Seevogels“ von Adam Nicolson, eine faszinierende Sammlung von ornithologischen Porträts.Verschenkt von Stephanie von Oppenwww.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, LesartDirekter Link zur Audiodatei

von Oppen, Stephaniewww.deutschlandfunk.de, BüchermarktDirekter Link zur Audiodatei

We're breaking convention on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange' this week as Sarah steps aside from hosting duties - Arthur is joined by a fellow Perch Hill resident, Sarah's other half, and thoroughly accomplished writer, Adam Nicolson. In a conversation ranging from profound environmental issues to more absurd incidents like the ‘big sheep crisis', this episode is equal parts hilarious and inspiring to those of us looking to build a world of wondrous sea life. Adam describes life on Perch Hill, fascinating facts about the inhabitants of rock pools, and how we can help bring biodiversity back to our shores - all with the same passionate and eclectic vernacular that you'll find in his latest book: ‘The Sea Is Not Made of Water: Life Between the Tides'.In this episode, discover:Fascinating stories from the early days of Perch HillMarvellous creatures that can be found in rock poolsHow we can help nurture sealife with your very own rock poolsThe peculiar story behind Sarah & Arthur's ‘Big Sheep Crisis'View all products mentioned and find further advice from Sarah: https://bit.ly/3f2DFiHOrder Sarah's new book: https://bit.ly/2TWHJczOrder Arthur's new book: https://bit.ly/3xOov7HShop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeuGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comOrder Adam's book - ‘The Sea Is Not Made of Water: Life Between the Tides': https://www.amazon.co.uk/sea-not-made-water-Between/dp/000829478XFollow Sarah: https://bit.ly/3jDTvBpFollow Arthur: https://bit.ly/3jxSKK5

Relocation: Beyond A to B Unfurling co-host Elizabeth has moved house! And this life event has prompted a curiosity in us about “Relocation” and what we can learn from the natural world about this topic. In this episode, we touch on:The concept of “home”Possible drivers (and degrees of choice) for relocationHow relocation can play out in different systems Themes of instinct, trust, hope, stillness, legacy and contributionExamples from the natural world, including monarch butterflies, shearwaters, trees, bison, Tasmanian devils, and translocation programmesHolding different spaces and energies - from embracing slowness to acting now; from rooting ourselves in the local to understanding global realities; and triangulating self and wellbeing with collective identity and the natural worldWe hope you enjoy the episode - if you'd like to explore this and other topics further, you're very welcome to join our private Facebook group, 'Unfurling Podcast'. References (with hyperlinks): ~3: “Relocation”, Online Etymology Dictionary: 1746, in Scottish law, "renewal of a lease"~x: “Relocation”, Cambridge Dictionary: “the act of moving or moving something or someone from one place to another”~5: UK Stamp Duty tax~7: “Living on a Remote Island” by Sarah Boden (re. Eigg) in “On Nature: Unexpected Ramblings on the British Countryside”~12: “Hiraeth”~13: Monarch butterflies, National Geographic ~16: “Nature's Most Impressive Animal Migrations”, National Geographic Society~16: “Shearwater” (Chapter 7, featuring Catriona's Dad, Geoffrey Matthews) in “The Seabird's Cry” by Adam Nicolson~17: Skokholm~18: “Wandering: Notes and Sketches” by Hermann Hesse: “Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. He wants to be nothing except what he is. That is home. That is happiness.”~20: Migrating bison, Vincennes Trace~21: “Maria Island Tasmanian devils thriving at expense of other species”, ABC News Australia~24: Climate refugees: the world's forgotten victims ~26: Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill, UK~30: “What's for animal conservation translocation programmes: Soft- or hard-release?” (Video) by Journal of Applied Ecology ~30: “What is better for animal conservation translocation programmes: Soft- or hard-release? A phylogenetic meta-analytical approach” by Paloma S. Resende et al in Journal of Applied Ecology~31: Lindsey Chapman on Unfurling “Waiting and Patience” episode~33: “Stand in the Tragic Gap” by Parker Palmer: “If we want to live nonviolent lives, we must learn to stand in the tragic gap, faithfully holding the tension between reality and possibility.”~34: Benjamin Franklin: “All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.” ~35: “Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own” by U2: “A house doesn't make a home.”~36: “The Work that Reconnects” based on the teachings of Joanna Macy, who co-wrote “Active Hope” with Chris Robertson See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Every book is an island that exists only in the mind of its writer, and the hope of every writer is that you will visit their island and be glad you did. But in The Faraway Nearby, her book about how we make our lives out of stories, and how we are connected by empathy, narrative and imagination, Rebecca Solnit says, “The object we call a book is not the real book, but its potential, like a musical score or seed. It exists fully only in the act of being read. And its real home is inside the head of the reader, where the symphony resounds and the seed germinates. A book is a heart that only beats in the chest of another.” I think of books as islands, but Rebecca Solnit thinks of them as sheet music, or as seeds. I followed that trail of thought until I realized that she and I had simply discovered different metaphors to describe how books are literary portals of escape into alternate realities. Bored with my navel-gazing, I decided to search the 5,067 passages in the random quotes database at MondayMorningMemo.com to see how many other writers had spoken of islands. So I logged into the admin section, typed the word “island” into the search window, and was delighted to find that I had transcribed “island” passages from no fewer than a dozen of my favorite authors. “Something of the sense of holiness on islands comes, I think, from this strange, elastic geography. Islands are made larger, paradoxically, by the scale of the sea that surrounds them. The element which might reduce them, which might be thought to besiege them, has the opposite effect. The sea elevates these few acres into something they would never be if hidden in the mass of the mainland. The sea makes islands significant.” – Adam Nicolson, Sea Room From 1888 until his death in 1894, Robert Louis Stevenson lived in the South Seas. The diary of his island travels was published immediately after his death. “Few men who come to the islands leave them; they grow grey where they alighted; the palm shades and the trade-wind fans them till they die, perhaps cherishing to the last the fancy of a visit home, which is rarely made, more rarely enjoyed, and yet more rarely repeated. No part of the world exerts the same attractive power upon the visitor, and the task before me is to communicate to fireside travelers some sense of its seduction, and to describe the life, at sea and ashore, of many hundred thousand persons, some of our own blood and language, all our contemporaries, and yet as remote in thought and habit as Rob Roy or Barbarossa, the Apostles or the Caesars.” Three years later, Mary Kingsley spoke of her Travels in West Africa, an 1897 bestseller. “Once a hippopotamus and I were on an island together, and I wanted one of us to leave. I preferred it should be myself, but the hippo was close to my canoe, and looked like staying, so I made cautious and timorous advances to him and finally scratched him behind the ear with my umbrella and we parted on good terms. But with the crocodile it was different….” But 30 years before Robert Louis Stevenson or Mary Kingsley wrote about their islands, Mark Twain had a few words to say about the proposed US annexation of the Sandwich Islands. “When these islands were discovered the population was about 400,000, but the white man came and brought various complicated diseases, and education, and civilization, and all sorts of calamities, and consequently the population began to drop off with commendable activity. Forty years ago they were reduced to 200,000, and the educational and civilizing facilities being increased they dwindled down to 55,000, and it is proposed to send a few more missionaries and finish them. It isn't the education or civilization that has settled them; it is the imported diseases, and they have all got the consumption and other reliable distempers, and to speak figuratively, they are retiring from business pretty fast. When they pick up and leave we will

Award-winning author Adam Nicolson presents a rich, visual piece of writing that celebrates the real puffin that's there to be seen when you look past the looks

Towards the end of the 1790s, Coleridge and Wordsworth – then young, aspiring poets – lived in Somerset, dreaming of a world changed by poetry. Adam Nicolson spent a year living there so that he could fully explore the genesis of the poems that came from that place and which were to become some of the most famous in the English language. He talks to Georgina Godwin about his experience.

In this week’s books podcast, we’re getting Romantic. Sam is joined by the writer Adam Nicolson and the artist Tom Hammick to talk about their new book The Making of Poetry: Coleridge, Wordsworth and their Year of Marvels. In it, Adam describes how — inspired by Richard Holmes’s 'footsteps' approach — he attempted to imaginatively inhabit the worlds of Coleridge and Wordsworth in the crucial year in the late 1790s when they lived near each-other in the Quantocks in Somerset. That meant, for him, living in the same landscape, walking the same paths, reliving the struggles with lines of verse in manuscript. It’s a passionate attempt to fully understand the relationship between the two, and the influences that had their issue in Lyrical Ballads, 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', 'Kubla Khan' and the ‘Prelude'. The book also contains the woodcuts Tom made from fallen trees where they lived, and which form a complex commentary on Adam’s text and on the texts it traces. Sam asks them to expound on such highbrow issues as: who was the Daddy? Wasn’t Wordsworth a bit of a rotter? And: what about Dot? Presented by Sam Leith.

In this week’s books podcast, we’re getting Romantic. Sam is joined by the writer Adam Nicolson and the artist Tom Hammick to talk about their new book The Making of Poetry: Coleridge, Wordsworth and their Year of Marvels. In it, Adam describes how — inspired by Richard Holmes’s 'footsteps' approach — he attempted to imaginatively inhabit the worlds of Coleridge and Wordsworth in the crucial year in the late 1790s when they lived near each-other in the Quantocks in Somerset. That meant, for him, living in the same landscape, walking the same paths, reliving the struggles with lines of verse in manuscript. It’s a passionate attempt to fully understand the relationship between the two, and the influences that had their issue in Lyrical Ballads, 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', 'Kubla Khan' and the ‘Prelude'. The book also contains the woodcuts Tom made from fallen trees where they lived, and which form a complex commentary on Adam’s text and on the texts it traces. Sam asks them to expound on such highbrow issues as: who was the Daddy? Wasn’t Wordsworth a bit of a rotter? And: what about Dot? Spectator Books is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes of Spectator Books here (https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582) .

This week Emily and Becky take a break from the Isle of May. In their absence, award-winning author Adam Nicolson presents a rich, visual piece of writing that celebrates the real puffin that's there to be seen when you look past the looks.

Judy Murray talks about her family and their tennis story - and her subsequent projects from dancing the Viennese Waltz at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool, to heading the women's tennis coaching initiative She Rallies. Jamie Chadwick has just become the youngest British female racing driver to sign for a Formula 1 feeder series team. She explains how she got into the sport and became the first female and youngest racing driver to win a British GT championship. Wolfgang Puck has catered to the Oscars for 23 consecutive years. With the 35th anniversary of his flagship restaurant Spago this year, he recalls his culinary career. JP Devlin meets James Shepherd-Barron, the son of the inventor of the ATM, which celebrates it's 50th anniversary this week. The prize-winning author Adam Nicolson describes his childhood at Sissinghurst and how his visits to the Hebridean Islands sparked his fascination with seabirds. And the actress and singer Ute Lemper shares her Inheritance Tracks: Where Have All The Flowers Gone, performed by Marlene Dietrich, and The Rose performed by Bette Midler. Knowing the Score: My Family and Our Tennis Story is out now. Wolfgang Puck is hosting Spago pop-up at CUT at 45 Park Lane until 1st July. The Seabird's Cry, The Lives and Loves of Puffins, Gannets and Other Ocean Voyagers, is out now. Ute Lemper will be performing the album 9 Secrets at the Cadogan Hall on 15th September; and will also be touring her 'Last Tango in Berlin - The Best of Ute'. Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Eleanor Garland.

A quarter million Frenchmen vanished in World War I, leaving their families no clue whether they were still alive. During these anxious years, a lone man appeared on a Lyon railway platform without memory, possessions, or identification. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the strange story of Anthelme Mangin, whose enigmatic case attracted hundreds of desperate families. We'll also consider some further oddities of constitutional history and puzzle over an unpopular baseball victory. Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet -- on our Patreon page you can pledge any amount per episode, and all contributions are greatly appreciated. You can change or cancel your pledge at any time, and we've set up some rewards to help thank you for your support. You can also make a one-time donation via the Donate button in the sidebar of the Futility Closet website. Sources for our feature on Anthelme Mangin: Jean-Yves Le Naour, The Living Unknown Soldier, 2005. Martha Hanna, "The Tidal Wave of War," European History Quarterly 38:1 (January 2008), 93-100. Stefan Goebel, "Review: Beyond Discourse? Bodies and Memories of Two World Wars," Journal of Contemporary History 42:2 (April 2007), 377-385. Carole Blair, V. William Balthrop, and Neil Michel, "The Arguments of the Tombs of the Unknown: Relationality and National Legitimation," Argumentation 25:4 (November 2011), 449-468. "Unknown Soldier Claimed as Own by 15 Families," Reading [Pa.] Eagle, March 19, 1926. Minott Saunders, "Two Mothers Battle for Memoryless War Veteran," Ottawa Citizen, June 30, 1928. "French Derelict Is Unidentified," Eugene [Ore.] Register-Guard, July 2, 1928. Adam Nicolson, "A Living Ghost From the Trenches Whose Plight Confused a Nation Riven by Grief," Telegraph, Jan. 16, 2005. Listener mail: Hershey Community Archives, in particular the history of the Hershey bar. Wikipedia, Titles of Nobility Amendment (accessed Feb. 19, 2016). This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Keith Noto. You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on iTunes or via the RSS feed at http://feedpress.me/futilitycloset.Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode. If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!

Adam Nicolson discusses his research into his forthcoming book about Wordsworth's and Coleridge's year in Somerset. He used documents in The National Archives which relate to the Home Office's surveillance of the poets in August 1797. Some suspected they might be agents for a French invasion.This podcast was recorded live as part of the Writer of the month series, which broadens awareness of historical records and their uses for writers. Writer of the month is sponsored by HistoryToday.Adam Nicolson has worked as a journalist and columnist on the Sunday Times, the Sunday Telegraph and the Daily Telegraph and writes regularly for National Geographic Magazine and Granta, where he is a contributing editor.

To mark the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, a series of essays about Napoleon Bonaparte. When the writer Adam Nicolson was a teenager he lived with his father who was writing about Napoleon and 1812. What was it like?

Adam Nicolson has the privilege, and the burden, of an extraordinary inheritance: Sissinghurst, that quintessentially English house and garden created by his grandparents Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West. In his own right, he's the author of a series of highly esteemed history books and television series, about the making of the King James Bible, about the English gentry, and most recently about 17th-century writers. But it's that Sissinghurst connection which fascinates us all: growing up with bohemian writers and artists, there must have been music going on there all the time? Not at all - Adam reveals that his family were musical philistines. His father hated music because it moved him, and made him emotional ? so for an Englishman of that generation and class it was deeply suspect. It's only in middle age that Adam is discovering music, and he admits cheerfully that his musical taste is 'dreadful'. He also talks about walking 6000 miles round Europe, about his love for the Hebrides, and about his disastrous 'open' marriage. Adam and his wife had a deal ? they were allowed to have two affairs a year, as long as they were abroad. This too was the legacy of Sissinghurst, and a father who urged him to have as many affairs as possible. What followed was predictable, and messy, but with a happy ending - as Adam's choice of music reveals. A light-hearted programme, which includes music by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Eric Whitacre, Prokofiev, Roberta Flack, and a reading by Alec Guinness of T.S.Eliot's 'Little Gidding'.

Your brain is hardwired to notice the exception, the incongruity, the discrepancy, the disturbance, that thing – no matter how small – that doesn't belong.    “Something of the sense of holiness on islands comes, I think, from this strange, elastic geography. Islands are made larger, paradoxically, by the scale of the sea that surrounds them. The element which might reduce them, which might be thought to besiege them, has the opposite effect. The sea elevates these few acres into something they would never be if hidden in the mass of the mainland. The sea makes islands significant.” – Adam Nicolson, Sea Room   “The sea makes islands significant,” is just another way of saying “Normalcy makes the aberration exceptional,” or “Boredom makes the surprising delightful,” or “Mundanity makes the punch line funny.”   The pattern makes the gap noticeable. Discoveries are made when people do something wrong. Discoveries are made when people do something new. Discoveries are made when people do something surprising. Discoveries are made when people do something different.   Mistakes often lead to discoveries. This is why so many discoveries are made by accident. Discovery… is the signature… of Adventure.   Adventure begins when we break a pattern, when we do something wrong, new, surprising or different. This insight has profound implications in advertising, public speaking, political campaigns and the arts, but these are not the focus of our attention today. Our thoughts are turned toward you.   If you choose to take a wildly different route to work tomorrow, it will be less efficient that the route you normally take.   But you will also see new scenery.   If you took that different route to work tomorrow, you'd have to leave home earlier or risk being late. Leaving earlier would alter your schedule, disrupt your routine, break your pattern. And we wouldn't want to do that.   Would we?   As long as we're talking about things we're not going to do, let's plan not to stop somewhere along this new route to investigate something we notice. We couldn't possibly make time for that.   Could we?   Adventure begins when you do something new, surprising or different.   Anxious anticipation, nervous trepidation, heart palpitation and a tingling sensation. We don't want those.   Do we?   If you take the long way to work tomorrow and stop to investigate something you notice, send me an email about it. Address that email to Adventure@WizardAcademy.org   One thing leads to another. There's really no telling where this might lead.   Roy H. Williams

In collaboration with TATE ETC. Adam Nicolson will bring Van Dyck to life with a focus on his relationship with one special patron: the Pembrokes of Wilton House.

This week I didn't feel like writing about advertising or business or leadership or anything else an ambitious soul might find useful. So if you're in a vibrating hurry with far too much to do, right here would be the place to stop reading. The DELETE button is sitting there, twitching, anxious for you to bang it. There's nothing in today's note that would do a busy person like you any good. Unless, of course, you're in a major, world-class bigtime really extreme hurry. Then you should by all means keep reading. Would you like to have a secret retreat from the buzzing noise of daily life in the 21st century? Are you prepared to take a journey that will move your mind to another place, another time? Today I'm going to tell you about four non-fiction books and not one of them has a plot. But don't let that fool you. Sea Room, by Adam Nicolson. True to my custom, I opened this book to a random page (141) and began to read: ” …Something of the sense of holiness on islands comes, I think, from this strange, elastic geography. Islands are made larger, paradoxically, by the scale of the sea that surrounds them. The element which might reduce them, which might be thought to besiege them, has the opposite effect. The sea elevates these few acres into something they would never be if hidden in the mass of the mainland. The sea makes islands significant.” Impressed, I turned to chapter one where I was greeted, “For the last twenty years I have owned some islands. They are called the Shiants: one definite, softened syllable, 'the Shant Isles', like a sea shanty but with the 'y' trimmed away. The rest of the world thinks there is nothing much to them. Even on a map of the Hebrides the tip of your little finger would blot them out…” I bought hard-to-find copies for several of my friends. The Island at the Center of the World, by Russell Shorto. My partner Jeffrey Eisenberg shares my taste in books, so when I told him this book was “the epic story of Dutch Manhattan and the forgotten colony that shaped America,” he wasn't worried. Read it anyway. Later Jeff called me to say, “I think it may be one of the most interesting books I've ever read. Definitely the best-written history book. Almost reads like a novel.” But then again Jeff is strange. Might there be a chance that you, too, are Jeff's and my brand of crazy? Travels with Charley, by John Steinbeck. In 1961, a year prior to winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, John Steinbeck bought a camper and set out with his dog, Charley, to see America through the windshield of a pickup truck. This book is the story of that 3-month journey. Most people associate Steinbeck with Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, or East of Eden. Worthy books, to be sure. But this, his odd collection of experiences and observations is, I think, my favorite Steinbeck of them all. Travels with Charley is a celebration of the Ordinary, the disjointed thoughts and notes of a highly accomplished man looking quietly at the world around him. It is perhaps the most underlined, dog-eared, footnoted book I own. In tribute to Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, we're going to publish – in a 380-page book – all the essays we received in response to the challenge I issued 5 weeks ago. This book will have an ISBN number and a barcode and will be registered with the Library of Congress – the works. It will be called People Stories: Inside the Outside, and a free copy of it will be the special “gift of initiation” I promised to send everyone who dared to join our bleary-eyed fraternity. When the book arrives from the printer, (hopefully by late April,) it will be released with considerable fanfare during a huge party at Wizard Academy's Tuscan Hall. Following the party, it will be made available for sale at major online booksellers. Details when we know them. Stay tuned. This Noble Land, by James Michener. On October 8,...