This beautifully packaged book is the successor to Caroline Quentin's first illustrated memoir 'Drawn to the Garden'. Both titles feature her conversational style of writing with her own drawings and watercolours. 

I found it a delightful, intimate read, as if receiving a letter from a friend. You can clearly hear Caroline's voice in her musings and memories. There's humour here and her occasionally quirky take on aspects of life. There are anecdotes from her childhood (her prize for doing well in art at school was a book called 'Engineering Workshop Practice: Vol I'!!); her acting career, on stage and screen; and lots of literary quotes too, which I very much enjoyed. She also revealed that she lived for a while in Suffolk, by the sea at Walberswick.

She explains the difference between rooks and crows and how Van Gogh most likely got it wrong when he named his painting 'Wheatfield with Crows'. Apparently, she says, the number of birds in the scene indicate that they are likely to be rooks (they congregate while crows are solitary birds and eat carion, while rooks feed on wheat).

She shares her dislike of the grey squirrel through a personal mishap and gives tips on how to keep them away from the bird table. And she explains how to make cow parsley last longer in a vase.

The book is thematically structured following the colours of the rainbow and, as she invites us to reconnect with nature to counter the distractions and busyness of modern life, she shares recipes, fascinating facts and gardening tips. She also encourages us to dabble with a paintbrush or pick up a pencil as she has done, to enjoy the relaxation it affords in seeking to capture the beauty of flora and fauna.

She concludes the book seeking to bring hope, just as the rainbow signifies, and lists some of the positive changes in our environment we can celebrate.

It's a lovely book which was a real tonic to read.