A Hermit in January

A Hermit in January

I’ve had a busy month and yet, I feel I have also been rather secluded and almost hermit-like. I think we forget that, as mammals, we are naturally predisposed to taking it slower during these cold, dark months. Anyway, Imbolc has been and gone and I’ve already seen lots of snowdrops and even an entire roundabout in York festooned with bright yellow daffodils! Up until a couple of weeks ago, the weeping willow residing opposite me still had last season’s leaves clinging on whilst its whiplike branches were starting to develop buds. I’ve never seen that before; old semi-desiccated leaves and new knobbly buds on the same tree.

This January, I successfully transferred onto a PhD proper at York St John University which means I can now start teaching seminars and modules and can work towards a Higher Education teaching qualification. A couple of days after my transfer, I also started a new role at the University of York in Research Ethics for Social Sciences. During my first day at my new job, I was nervous, anxious and overwhelmed, but was luckily sitting next to a window and could hear the most beautiful, piercing bird song that went on intermittently for hours. My bird app identified the tune as coming from a song thrush and I later caught sight of them sitting atop a fir tree and singing with unrelenting gusto and energy.

So, lots of things have been going on and I haven’t been interacting with the plant world as much as I should like. I do, however, have a series of Rootstock workshops coming up soon where we will explore the YSJ campus plants, bask in their folklore and share in their agency and vitality. I’m looking forward to becoming more grounded again, hugging a few trees, and remembering to stop and intra-act a while with the more-than-human world 🌿