In the summer of 2008, Kenneth Steven moved house and, in doing so, left behind his beloved little patch of garden. This small square of ground behind his home for years provided a place of solitude, contemplation, observance and simple relaxation - a place for the mind to wander as the seasons pass.

Kenneth’s reflections, inspired by his garden, have been compiled into a collection of short, enlightening essays full of wonder at the variety, beauty, determination and sheer audacity of nature in a confined place. Each of these deeply spiritual writings is accompanied by one of Kenneth’s best-loved poems, each complimenting and contextualising the other and making the known world new in this handsome hardback volume.

“Kenneth Steven has written a paradoxical and beautiful book: gentle and fierce, local and global, metaphysical and tactile.” Robert Macfarlane

“Questioning, delicate, wise and full of love.” Jay Griffiths

“I find myself dipping very naturally into the poems, which have great freshness and honesty, often amounting to a striking purity and a real grasp of the physical essence of things. They’re full of arresting phrases and images, and they’re full of heart.” Graham Swift

Kenneth Steven is a popular poet, novelist, children’s author and broadcaster. His previous collections of poetry, also for St Andrew Press, include Iona, Wild Horses, Columba and Salt and Light. In 2006, his BBC Radio 4 documentary on the island of St Kilda won him a prestigious Sony Award.