Ready for the weather
with Hannah McDonald
This post contains affiliate links
Winter is giving autumn its marching orders, as Storm Arwen sweeps across the UK, and the air turns chill. The temptation might be to crank up the heating or huddle indoors by the fire, but we’ve all heard that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing, and whether or not that’s a trueism capable of universal application, it’s interesting to consider our attitudes to getting out and about when things turn inclement. From her home in the Netherlands, Hannah McDonald is of the opinion that the Dutch are distinctly better at this than the British, and we discuss national attitudes to the weather, the landscape, and the work/life balance while tracing her career from London to Amsterdam.
Hannah’s characteristic illustrations draw heavily upon individual objects that conjur a mood and encapsulate a sense of homeliness and connection to the seasons. I quiz her about the mechanics of stippling, and the number of pen nibs she gets through, while we wonder about ways in which to recycle old pen cases. En route, we enlist the help of Lulu Peddar to read the poem ‘Sudden Shower’ by John Clare, the nineteenth century ‘peasant poet’, whose connection to the natural world was second to none.
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Gardens, weeds and words podcast, S03E04 show notes
A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing.
These notes may contain affiliate links.
Garden soundtrack
The last days of autumn, winter blowing in on the back of Storm Arwen.
Coping with post-COP26 despair and overwhelm.
Reading: ‘A Sudden Shower’, by John Clare 3:22
in Selected Poems of John Clare, edited by Jonathan Bate, published by Faber, 2004
https://amzn.to/3E9DQDl
Read by Lulu Peddar
Interview with Hannah McDonald, Illustrator 6:47
I chat to Hannah about her nature inspired illustration practice from her home and studio in Amsterdam, how life there compares to life in London, and whether the Dutch or the English are better at coping with what the weather has to throw at them. Work/life balance, slow living, and having a garden room on the Dutch equivalent of an allotment are all covered, together with how Hannah decides exactly what to draw, and the character of her own particular lines and dots.
We get through all of this without mentioning Hygge once, though we're deeply in cosy, homely territory throughout, while always bearing in mind the importance of our connection to the natural world outside, both for our own mental health, and that of the planet. I hope you enjoy listening!
***
Thank you to Hannah McDonald for giving up her time to talk to me about her creative nature-inspired practice.
You can find Hannah on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/hannah.mcdonald.illustration/
Or on her website: https://www.hannahmcdonald.co/
And bouquets of gratitude due to Lulu Peddar for providing the reading from John Clare's poetry. I particularly loved the bit about “patted on my hat” – thanks Lulu, please come again!
I’m ever appreciative of all my listeners for your continued support and reviews, I really do appreciate them. You can support the podcast by buying its producer a virtual cup of coffee for three quid, at https://ko-fi.com/andrewtimothyOB. Proceeds will go towards equipment, software and the monthly podcast hosting fees.
website: gardensweedsandwords.com
email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com
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Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB
You can hear find the podcast trailer and the first four episodes here, either on iTunes or on Switcher.
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Hello! I’m Andrew, gardener, writer, photographer, and owner of a too-loud laugh, and I’m so pleased you’ve found your way to Gardens, weeds & words. You can read a more in-depth profile of me on the About page, or by clicking this image.
