Richard Mabey Talk, 16 March

Went along to see my favourite nature writer this evening and got him to sign a copy of his new volume A Brush With Nature, a collection of his columns for BBC Wildlife magazine.

He gave a fascinating talk, full of his conviction that nature should not be seen as some remote object for scientific research, but a phenomenon which enters into human lives and informs our culture. He also made some observations about the fashionable and highly negative strand of environmentalism exemplified by George Monbiot and how this is proving counter-productive for the green movement as a whole.

Mabey said that his aim was to build a bridge between two seemingly contradictory positions; that nature is being destroyed and that nature is resilient. The former is true from his wider reading, but the latter is also true from his own observations and his personal response to natural phenomena. Although he may become depressed at the fate of the common swift, whose numbers have declined remarkably in recent years, his spirits are raised by actually seeing the birds, experiencing them directly.

Mabey also gave an insight into how his writing has evolved. He realised that an early description of a barn owl 'winnowing the grass' had been totally inappropriate - not true to the spirit of the bird. This made him look more critically at his use of metaphor. He resolved to avoid making his writing 'pretty' just for the sake of it.

He answered several questions from the audience - including my own about how he approaches the writing of a monthly column and the inevitable deadlines - with great patience and humour.

Richard Mabey has inspired me throughout my adult life, and it was a humbling experience to see and talk to the man in the flesh.