Well its been an interesting week or so. We've confirmed the dates for our creative writing short break 'Conversations with Nature' which will be held at the Cromarty Training Centre in the Old Brewery, Cromarty, from September 11-14th. Its a great venue in a beautiful town with lots of access to lovely coastal and forest areas. Here's a bit more info...

Conversations With Nature: A Creative Writing Weekend

An opportunity to form a deeper connection with nature using sensory awareness, empathy and creative writing to engage with beautiful environments in the North of Scotland. Entering a two-way conversation as with a friend, we will listen, look, feel and respond with care, opening to a deeper appreciation of nature’s voices both without and within. No previous creative writing experience is necessary. This weekend break will most suit those seeking a more contemplative or heartfelt relationship with the natural world. The programme will include both gentle group activities and time for solitary reflection. There will also be time for some beautiful walks and a spot of wildlife watching. If we are lucky we may even see the famous bottlenose dolphins which are resident in this area.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I've also recently set up a Wild at Heart business page on facebook. If you're a facebook user, would like to find out more about us and receive news and events updates, come and find us there. Just search for Wild at Heart, making sure to select the 'pages' tab.

In other news, the Forres Transition Town group, in which we are involved, has been awarded £184,000 from the Climate Challenge Fund. This is fantastic news for the group and we are all really excited. The funding will be used to help our local community become more resilient to climate change and peak oil. I'm on the steering group and we have lots of plans developing including an allotment project, farmer's market and going 'plastic bag free'. You can find out more about transition towns at www.transitiontowns.org

That's all for now.

Stay wild,

Deborah

Well November is surely upon us now and the autumn colours are just stunning. Reds, golds and yellows line the roads and gladden the woods where I walk my dog, Poppy. Its so beautiful in fact that while driving I find myself frequently distracted from the road ahead. Autumn should come with a health warning! In terms of wildlife there's still lots to see at this time of year. There are loads of geese around now and we're starting to see lots of interesting ducks arriving as well. The dolphins are still around too, I saw two fishing at the mouth of the River Spey by the WDCS wildlife centre yesterday.

Here at Wild at Heart its also been a busy week. I'm working hard on next year's brochure and its looking very exciting so far. I've just confirmed the dates for our yoga weekend in September and am now working on our creative writing weekend and Speyside Way walking holiday. I'm also writing up our pages for ResponsibleTravel.com - have a look for us there soon. I attended a good conference earlier this week, held by the Cairngorms National Park Authority. It was all about green tourism and very inspiring. It was good to see how committed Scotland is to becoming a 'leading sustainable tourism destination' and I met some interesting people too.

Last night was a bit of a party as the wonderful centre manager at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society's wildlife centre in Spey Bay is leaving us to marry her fiance in California. Hannah's been a great asset to the wildlife centre and a great friend as well. I'll miss her both personally and professionally. Very best wishes to her as she embarks on her Californian adventure. Now we welcome in Alice Mayne as the new centre manager. I'm sure she's going to do a great job and I'm looking forward to continuing our close relationship with the centre.

That's it for now. More soon. Deb, Wild at Heart Eco-Holidays.