From the time that John Constable made its waterways and rural landscapes famous, the Stour Valley in East Anglia has been a haunt for artists, writers, poets, musicians and gardeners. Ronald Blythe perpetuates this rich artistic heritage from an ancient farmhouse, with its three-acre naturalistic garden, that has been a gathering place for literary and artistic friends for almost seventy years. Stour Seasons is the tenth collection of his Word From Wormingford columns that have appeared on the back page of the Church Times for over 20 years. Britain’s greatest living rural writer observes in rich detail the gifts that each season of the year brings and in doing so, evokes a world of beauty, friendship and wonder at the simple pleasures that make everyday life the miracle that it is.

Ronald Blythe is one of the UK’s greatest living writers. His work, which has won countless awards, includes Akenfield, a Penguin 20th Century Classic. He was awarded the Royal Society of Literature’s prestigious Benson Medal. He lives near Colchester.