In a world where the pace of life often pulls us away from our surroundings, John Miller’s book, What's in a Year: A Countryman's Tale Through The Seasons, serves as a powerful reminder to slow down and reconnect with the natural world.
Chronicling his observations across the seasons, John invites readers to experience the beauty, resilience, and fragility of nature as he has. Through his thoughtful and personal reflections, he captures a unique blend of environmental awareness and personal philosophy, drawing on his lifelong connection to the countryside.
In this exclusive Q&A, John shares his inspiration behind What's in a Year, his insights on conservation, and how even small acts can deepen our relationship with the world around us. Whether you're a seasoned naturalist or simply curious about the environment, his words offer a compelling perspective on the importance of observing, preserving, and celebrating nature.
What inspired you to write "What's in a Year," and how did the idea of chronicling the seasons come about?
When speaking with people, even close friends, it became clear they have so little understanding of how the environment is changing around us. We have become disconnected from the beauty and brutality of nature. I cannot believe anyone still eats farmed salmon, and I can't wrap my head around how someone can eat meat while distancing themselves from its provenance and the conditions under which the animal died, yet still raise an eyebrow at me, considering me a Neanderthal for shooting a pigeon.
Nature humbles and grounds you, constantly reminding you that it's bigger and always more important than anything else.
In some ways I feel Global warming (as important as it is) has hijacked environmental discussions, leaving little oxygen to question “What happened to our sparrows?”
Nature is not a two-week holiday in the sun it is every single day of the year, hence the idea of chronicling the seasons.
Your book is a journey through the seasons, capturing the nuances of nature. How do you approach observing and documenting these natural changes?
One of the attributes of being a naturalist, I talk about in the book is the importance of the powers of observation. We marvel at an artist’s ability to connect say landscape, eyes, brain, colours, and brush on canvas. We then value that very artist’s imagery and ability by paying for it to be hung on our wall. We happily outsourced our own skills or delegated our own inabilities to someone else and that’s OK. But when it comes to nature, I don’t think we should do that. We owe it to the planet to understand and observe and being good for our mental health, we owe it to ourselves.
The wonderful point of nature identification is it can be a direct hit, (I recognise that) a process of elimination, or a deep forensic discovery. Education (books) and experience in equal measures complement each other. A great example was this morning when I went to check on the house martin chicks, which are about to fledge any day now. All was quiet, but also there was no sound of any martins or swallows feeding in the skies. Then I heard the distant alarm calls of swallows and martins high in the sky. All the small birds were keeping their heads down in the bushes and all the martins and swallows were flying high, mobbing a bird of prey, warning everyone to watch out and saying you can’t catch us, we know you are here. There was a hobby about, and there sure enough wheeling over the house, I could just make out its reddish-brown legs. Experience told me and education informed me. What I witnessed was behaviour. Even without formal identification, I knew the bird of prey was a hobby by a process of elimination.
I am excited to see a hobby, they are unusual and that excitement translates into a desire to write down my observation. Now unlike the artist who may have the subject in front of them, or rough sketches or photographs, I have to put myself back to that moment standing outside the house looking up into the sky.
You’ve mentioned growing up with a strong connection to the countryside. How has your early life influenced the themes and stories in your book?
In a single word completely. It seems weird now but with no mobile phone, no ipad , no Internet, You Tube, Tik Tok, not even television, I roamed the countryside with a gun and a fishing rod. If it was raining I read books and drew pictures of birds and fish. My parents encouraged my painting, which probably helped my powers of observation, but the real connection with nature was relating something in a book to real life. I think that’s why bird egg collecting was so popular in those days.
You could see a wonderful amazing exquisite egg, with tiny squirls and scratches in a book on a colour plate, and then find the same treasure in real life, yourself, and hold it in your hands. Remember this was before the explosion of easy-access digital cameras, which has replaced my thieving youth! This is why educating children about nature is so important.
In "What's in a Year," you blend personal reflection with detailed observation. How do you balance your narrative between personal experiences and the scientific aspects of nature writing?
I am not a scientist, and my book is simply what I observe, it is not meant to be a scientific reference or a textbook. That said I do think we should draw on science, to make more informed and educated policy decisions on the environment. As a society becoming more disconnected from nature and without the blessed lifetime of experiences I have witnessed there is a danger environmental decisions are based on social media hunches and the simplified ‘good’ politics of assumptions and trends. I am trying to invite people to look for themselves.
The book touches on various aspects of nature conservation. What do you hope readers will take away regarding their own relationship with nature?
If we talked about having a relationship with nature on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the most advanced, then even if I help push some people to be a number one, I will be happy. There are so many simple things we can do regarding conservation without being excessive. I would probably start with three themes.
a) Don’t be put off conservation by some of the extreme and radical views.
b) Begin by asking about the provenance of your food.
c) Think about your immediate garden or community, something relevant, so you can make a difference and most of all enjoy!
You've shared many insights on gardening, cooking, and fieldsports. How do these activities contribute to your understanding and appreciation of the natural world?
My appreciation of the natural world has evolved. In my former corporate life gardening, cooking, and fieldsports were pleasant distractions, a ‘holiday’ a work-life balance thing. They served a purpose, but now my appreciation is more about serving them. Today gardening is how I now serve nature – (we have had 37 nests this year, with 20 individual species in the garden). I am happiest cooking when I am in tune with the seasons and just go and see what is available to pick and dig in the kitchen garden. And of course, fieldsports are and should only ever be about when you are among nature, indeed part of part of nature, an apex predator. Your senses are alive in fieldsports which tunes you into the nature around you. It is about appreciation and respect. When fishing for salmon you are ’reading’ the water, looking for small boils in the surface water, signifying a boulder on the riverbed where salmon may lie. And when stalking roe deer, it is all about the directions of the wind and the contours of the land, trees, and hedges to conceal you the predator
What was one of the most surprising or memorable moments you experienced while writing this book?
Writing is cathartic and you get into an intense excitability as your brain rushes your thoughts before you can unjumble them and find the words – I love that. When you get it right there is an intense satisfaction of preserving that fleeting moment in life, preserving ‘the now’ providing the ability to share it with people you may never meet.
The book features a strong emphasis on the changing environment and conservation. How do you see the role of individuals in contributing to nature conservation efforts?
Find something you love and the more you learn and understand its lifecycle the greater the rewards, and beyond that how you can help it. It could be a creature, a plant or even a whole landscape. There are so many conservation organisations, perhaps too many, so we present a fragmented approach and all compete for the same pot of money. As an individual you can probably bring the most benefit and feel the most reward, by concentrating on a smaller local organisation.
Your book is deeply personal and reflective. Can you share what writing "What's in a Year" has taught you about your own relationship with nature?
Humility, awe, and humbleness.
Partly because somehow in this life, I have been blessed to have this inherent love with nature, a gratitude I feel I need to share.
Where can readers connect with you online to learn more about your work, and what’s the best way for them to engage with the themes discussed in your book?
This is my debut book, and up until a year ago, I was immersed in a corporate life, which left little brain capacity to look a little further out of the window. So, to answer your question, not a lot. However, you will see some writing from me in the country writing portal ‘Scribehound’. Scribehound explores and expresses the beauty and complexities of rural living, offering a supportive environment that celebrates country writing and its diverse narratives.
In addition you may read my blogs on my company’s website www.mygardenspade.com and connect with me on Instagram: @JohnMiller_AuthorWiltshire
Any genre can include nature. Think how beautifully Thomas Hardy incorporated the flora and fauna of the Wessex landscape. We seem to have lost that in recent years.
As John Miller so eloquently reminds us, nature is not just something we pass by but a part of our daily lives, an ever-present teacher offering insights and grounding us in ways we often overlook.
His debut book, What's In A Year: A Countryman's Tale Through the Seasons, promises to be a journey through these quiet, powerful lessons, encouraging readers to rediscover the beauty and wisdom found in every season. We cannot wait for its release and are thrilled to see how What's In A Year will inspire a renewed appreciation for the natural world, leaving readers with a deeper, more thoughtful connection to the environment around them.
PUBLICATION DATE: DECEMBER 2024
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