Back to basics

I’m now making headway writing my next book, in which I will explore our evolving relationship with soil, and meet people who live and work closely with it. I’ve already been to watch a sandcastle building contest, attended a ploughing match, and soon will visit a construction site, to see how a new road is created.

But last weekend, I went back to basics and in Essex, and met a Christian naturist, with whom I talked as we walked through some native woodland. He made the point that we are all born naked, and in many parts of the world, people spend much of their lives naked. It struck me that the more we wrap ourselves in clothes, the more we isolate ourselves from the natural world, of which of course we are a part.

There is something grounding about being naked in the outdoors. The feeling of vulnerability somehow brings you closer to nature. Of course the clue was in the word naturist, which like soil has a number of interpretations, some good and some bad. I think that next year, when I am fine tuning the book ready for my publisher, I might return to that Essex wood to seek a stronger connection with nature.