'...venturing together, as we have always done, following the calls as the wild geese fly'
Amazon Kindle edition
Limited edition paperback
As the Wild Geese Fly
A story of personal transformation touched by poetry, music, and a deep love of nature and the English countryside.
'It was an ordinary afternoon, like any other. Then, in a moment, reaching among the books, Rachel removes a slim collection of poems that will have a lasting influence on her life...'
'As the Wild Geese Fly' touches on a few days in the life of a young London-based cultural writer, Rachel Shaw, as she sets off on a pathway of inner change after discovering a book of poems written by a quiet, reflective man, Richard Carraway, for his granddaughter. Deeply inspired by Richard’s words and the example of his life – living close to the land and pursuing a simple lifestyle in harmony with nature – Rachel’s life is forever changed through the experience of meeting him.
'Over the years, and having worked in urban wildlife and wilderness conservation, I have seen that it is through our emotional connections with nature that we are motivated to protect it, and I hope this small story will encourage deeper reflection on the natural world and our ever-changing place in it.' ​
Belinda 2025
Excerpt from
the story
‘…yesterday, quite by chance, I came across one of the entrants, a little book by someone called Becky Carraway. She's self-published a collection of anecdotal poems written by her grandfather, Richard, and it’s… well, it’s charming, overflowing with touching memories and with his love for her. I think he lives near an estuary on the west coast, and from his spiritual connection to the land, which he writes about so sensitively in his poems, he sounds enigmatic… just different in some way. I can’t really articulate this sense I have of him.’
RACHEL SHAW
And in this solitude of wild places, where the song of the wind has its own meaning and the dawn robin has its own place within the unspoken way of things, one’s deeper self settles, no longer alone.
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...
Eleanor C.
Excerpt from
the story
‘When we were together on the river, he was very much leading the way – he has a natural assuredness, which I picked up instantly. And yet, throughout the experience, I was minutely fine-tuned to something else – something sad that seemed to be there all the time, resting below the surface. And it had such an effect on me, drawing my emotions right to the fore...’
RACHEL SHAW
My story was written as one of my nature offerings.
Copies of the limited edition paperback are available through the Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire in the UK.
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