For reasons I have yet to fully understand, my wife recently bought me a copy of Marie Kondo's book The life changing magic of tidying up.  In it, Ms Kondo encourages you only to keep those things that spark joy.  It's quite a radical and eccentric approach that forces you to look at all of your stuff and discard/recycle anything that doesn't give you joy.  

I'll leave you guessing as to whether applying her philosophy has changed my life.  Most of us would think it's worth taking some time to notice the things that bring us joy.  In his excellent book, The Moth Snowstorm, Mike McCarthy talks of the joy that nature brings and sorrow that its loss imparts.

I hope, therefore, that this weekend, you are one of the half a million people that will find joy in watching birds in your garden for an hour and take part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch.  I promise you that it's a lot more fun than tidying up.

And, if you feel sorrow for the loss of abundance of wildlife and want more joy in your life, do something about it: help provide habitat for widllife in your garden, think about what impact your lifestyle has on the planet or write to your local politician to defend the laws that defend nature.

May the birds spark joy in you this weekend...