A family of yellow-tailed black-cockatoos have been a steady presence over the last few weeks. Mum, dad and a baby, it seems. The baby is often whining – in its loud, creaky way – for something. Is it food, is it just attention, who knows?

We see them sailing overhead, with languid wingbeats, long tails trailing out behind. And I began to wonder why do many parrots have such long tails? Are they rudders, counter-weights, helpful for staying airborne? Please leave any suggestion you might have in the comments below, otherwise I might have to write a blog post about it one day!

I also went for a walk in some nearby forest that was burnt last September and is now in full regeneration mode. It was therapeutic to see all the lush green, and have waves of moths and butterflies fly up from my feet at each step. Also lots of birds!

Thank you to everyone who has ordered a copy of Take this Book for a Walk, my new interactive nature journaling book. I’m thrilled that there’s so much excitement about this book, even before it’s launched.

As a completely self-funded self-publisher, every print run of a new book is a leap into the unknown. Your support and enthusiasm has made this leap a little less scary! In particular, a big thanks to the Dubbo School of Distance Education for seeing the potential of this book, and making it part of next semester’s curriculum.

The first print copies of Take this Book for a Walk will be arriving this week (Woohoo!) from the printer in Melbourne, and I’ll be posting your orders as soon as I can.

Take this Book for a Walk is only available from my online shop.

So wherever you are, I hope you’re keeping well and finding that you have whatever you need to get through each day. Remember that nature is a great comfort and healer, and for many of us it’s not too far away.