Belinda Ashton
NATURE WRITING | PROJECT INNOVATION | DISPLAYS & EXHIBITS
We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.
MARCEL PROUST
Thank you for visiting my website, where I share my work offerings and experience, as well as my love of nature, poetry, and the hope that, through deepening our awareness and appreciation of the natural world, we can bring beauty, peacefulness, and simplicity into our lives.
Over the years, I have been inspired and motivated by a few words that I keep with me and which I read long ago, by Vietnamese monk Thích Nhất Hạnh, that said, “If we want peace, we need to be peace; peace is a practice, not a hope.” And through my writing, I explore the concept of living a peaceful life in harmony with the wider living world and then deeper thoughts of how peace comes from within and from the small decisions we make each day to consciously honour that desire for peace.
Among my offerings, I curate awareness displays and projects focusing on conceptual artworks within a broader environmental narrative. I have recently completed my first novel, Small Gifts for my Granddaughter, a story inspired by poetry, nature, and the beautiful English countryside.
Poetry, words, and soulful images that touch on the wonders of wild nature and the deeply restorative landscapes of wild places...
A poignant and thoughtful exploration of how noticing small moments and looking more deeply at the world around us can profoundly impact our lives. Richard’s character in particular was very moving...
E.C.
feedback
MY NOVEL
Small Gifts for my Granddaughter
Reaching among the books, Rachel Shaw, a cultural writer living in London, removes a slim collection of anecdotal poems written by a grandfather, Richard Carraway, for his beloved granddaughter...
Profoundly moved by Richard’s gentle words and the quiet essence of his life - living on an estuary, close to the land - Rachel draws upon her courage and sets out to meet him. The time spent at his cottage leaves a deep imprint that inspires reflection on her life and a chance to redefine the vision for her way forward. And for Richard, a quietly charismatic yet reclusive man, agreeing to Rachel’s visit would unknowingly touch his life as well.
The narrative is essentially a story about two people who discover the gift of a kindred connection that, in the way of life’s deeper enchantments, changes both their lives.
Please feel free to send me your email address if you would like to receive a notice when the digital version of my book becomes available.
‘the mist settling on the marshes, that morning of your return, and the wild geese calling over the waters and across the hills...’
It is in the delicate balancing of all that we have achieved in our modern world with the deeper spiritual dimensions of reverence for the earth that we move eloquently and sensitively towards the wholeness of our lives.
Soulful words & images...
I so enjoy bringing my experience and aesthetic considerations to a project to enhance the visual and narrative storytelling. Through my consulting work, I offer creative design, layout, and writing, as well as project curation with the vision of creating beautiful, thought-provoking publications, exhibits, and awareness displays.
...and a hope that you are guided along these trails, touched by the timeless solitude of this ancient land...
Reimagining
a new way of being
I have seen in my own life that living as simply as possible and being mindful of my material impacts adds a significant depth to my life that resonates with the knowledge that I am both caring and cognisant of the wider living world around me.
In a world where we can be anything, let's be kind...
Through my work as a nature consultant, I have come to realise that acts of kindness and compassion have a profound impact, and their effects linger long after kind words or gestures have been made, much like seeds scattered gently by the wind... we can never imagine or predict where the seeds will settle or whose lives they will touch.
There is a kindness that dwells deep down in things; it presides everywhere, often in the places we least expect... Something deep in the human soul seems to depend on the presence of kindness; something instinctive in us expects it, and once we sense it we are able to trust and open ourselves.
JOHN O'DONOHUE
A kind word or small gesture of caring can go a long way towards making our world a gentler place
© Copyright Belinda Ashton 2026