'All the charm, wonder, eccentricity and vigour of country life is here in these pages, and told with such engaging directness, detail and colour . . . Bliss' - STEPHEN FRY

'A writer whose pages you turn and then turn back immediately to re-read, relish and get by heart' - SUSAN HILL, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Ronald Blythe lived at the end of an overgrown farm track deep in the rolling countryside of the Stour Valley, on the Suffolk–Essex border. His home, Bottengoms Farm, a sturdy yeoman’s house once owned by the artist John Nash, became the place from which he spent nearly half a century recording the slow turn of the agricultural year, the church seasons and the gentle rhythms of village life in his much-loved rural diaries.

Beginning with snow on New Year’s Day and ending with Christmas carols sung in the village church, Next to Nature invites readers into a simple life, richly and thoughtfully lived. With his characteristic gentle wit and sharp observation, Blythe reflects on faith, literature, art, history and the enduring relationship between people and the landscape.

A warm celebration of one of our greatest nature writers, this is an unforgettable ode to the English countryside and the beauty found in paying close attention to the world just outside our door.