An overly nerdish description of the taxonomy I use to classify my various notes.
Sidelines
Stuff I write when I ought to be writing other stuff.
On the rocks
What I saw sitting on my favourite rock.
Grampus
A thrilling encounter on one of my favourite walks along the north Anglesey coast.
Sitting on a rock with a brew, gazing out to sea
There are important elements of writing that feel like skiving.
Winter emigrants—for the time being
Swallows aren’t summer migrants; they’re winter emigrants.
A healthy assortment of raptors
A walk on the Moor.
Stanage Edge
A walk in Derbyshire.
A lesson in paying attention
Engaging with a Renaissance masterpiece.
My unplanned archives
Collections of informally documented stuff have become my archives of sorts.
Descent into violins
The best essayists use seemingly trivial, original examples to illustrate recurring themes of personal importance.
Converting my notes into a chapter
How I used my note-making system to research and write a chapter of my Darwin book.
Lady Amherst’s pheasant
A rare bird visits our garden.