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Media Pack“

“ what a wonderful magazine Naomi AldortAuthor of Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves: Transforming parent-child relationships from reaction and struggle to freedom, power and joy

Distributed through Comag & INK to

Over 600 stockists

including WH Smiths

also available in digital formats

For all advertising contact us on 01454 838 667 or email [email protected]

““

a natural approach to family lifeAbout JUNO

Just wanted to say – JUNO is fantastic. What a unique, wonderfully crafted magazine with original and interesting articles and a strong sense of the sustainable and natural world in which we live...

Sue WorkerDirector, Giggle Giggle Ltd

JUNO is a natural parenting magazine that inspires and supports families through its range of features, columns and artwork. Established in 2003, it is published six times a year. The editorial is broad, covering all aspects of family life for all ages. JUNO is loved by many readers for its articles that share personal experiences and reflections, and for the beautiful and striking images and illustrations from a range of artists.

JUNO offers fresh perspectives in this fast-paced technological world, creating a non-judgemental community for those who are keen to follow “a natural approach to family life”. There are columns on home-education, empowered birth, teens and nutrition; interviews, craft and recipe ideas and a mix of features that can help readers make informed choices as they journey through the challenges of parenting.


1. Organic Hand Cream – Rather Lovely

This is a fantastic hand cream! It’s light and soft to apply and my skin felt silky afterwards. My hands work hard, so I’m always looking out for creams that make a difference – and this one does. I tried the Herbal blend, which has a pleasant lavender fragrance that lingers. Made in the UK.

£10 for 30mlwww.ratherlovely.co.uk

2. Calendula and Comfrey Rescue Salve – purepotions

This is part of the purepotions First Aid Range, which also includes Tea Tree, Lavender and Arnica Rescue Salves. I found the Calendula and Comfrey Salve excellent for helping sore, dry skin heal on my face and hands. The serrations around the lid make the tin easy to handle, and I only needed a little of the balm to see improvement. It’s suitable for use on babies and children.

£4.65 for 15mlwww.purepotions.co.uk

3. Facial Puff Sponge, French Green Clay – The Konjac Sponge Co

These sponges are made from the root of the Amorphophallus konjac plant, which is native to Asia, and a range has been developed containing different clays or plant derivatives for different types of skin. I like that this is a natural vegetable product and that it is easy to use and versatile – you just wet it with water to soften it. After I used it my skin felt smoother and softer and gently cleansed. The sponges are biodegradable and are suitable for vegans.

£8.99www.konjacspongecompany.com

4. Liquid Soap – Fair Squared

This is a thick, moisturising soap. I tested the almond variety, which is made with Fairtrade olive and almond oils from Palestine, and I liked the scent and that it did not dry out my skin. Fair Squared’s unique formulations are made in Germany from natural ingredients to strict labelling requirements, and all the products are suitable for vegans.

£8.95 for 250mlwww.fair-squared.co.uk

5. Clean as a Bean Shampoo and Conditioner – Good Bubble

My daughter and I have really enjoyed using this shampoo and conditioner. We tried the variety with dragon fruit extract, and the smell is fantastic but not overpowering. We both found that our hair was really soft and easy to comb through afterwards, and because we didn’t need to use much of either product both bottles have lasted well. Suitable for vegans.

£3.69 for 250mlwww.goodbubble.co.uk 6. Dubble Trubble 2 in 1 Shampoo and Body Wash – Daniel Galvin Jr

All my family have enjoyed using this. We found it worked well on both body and hair, which impressed us, as it can be difficult to find a product that is equally successful as a shampoo and as a body wash. It comes in a range of fruity varieties, all made with botanical extracts and natural and organic ingredients. The products are available at mainstream supermarkets, with money from sales donated to The Prince’s Trust. £3 for 200mlwww.danielgalvinjunior.com

7. Cocoa & Almond Body Butter – Akamuti

Akamuti uses organic cocoa butter community traded with producers in Uganda to create this pure and simple product. It’s a solid moisturiser, but it easily softened on my fingers and applied smoothly, leaving my skin silky and non-greasy. The sweet almond oil combines with the cocoa butter to create a light nutty-chocolately smell.

from £6 for 50mlwww.akamuti.co.uk

8. Bloom and Blossom Rejuvenating Facial Spritz – Mia Mama

Lady’s mantle extract, aloe vera and lime essential oil make this a very refreshing facial spritz. I kept it on my desk and enjoyed using it when I could feel myself flagging. I really liked the zesty scent and I could feel it moisturising my face. It is suitable for use when pregnant, and the horsetail leaf extract helps to increase collagen production.

£15 for 100mlwww.mia-mama.co.uk

9. Cleansing Bodywash – Mia & Dom

Essential oils of bergamot and lavender are combined in this clean, fresh, all-over body wash, which is ideal for baby hair and skin – and adults can use it too! I found it very gentle but effective. The Mia & Dom website has a full list of product ingredients, together with their qualities.

£12.99 for 200mlmiadomskincare.com

Natural Bodycare

Reviews by Saffia Farr1 2 3

4 5 6

87 9

If you love

natural products why not try Friendly Soap,

this season’s subscription gift?

62 JUNO

This lovely picture book is a very clever reflection on what we mean by

the light of Christmas. Otto picks up an old Christmas card that has been washed up on the beach and is fascinated by the message wishing him “light in the midst of winter”. He sets out to look for the lights that his friends tell him are in the north, and on the way he meets a range of amazing, fantastical creatures. Eventually Otto meets an old man sitting by a fire, who helps him realise that the friendships he has made on

his journey are the “light that drives away darkness”. “Friends gather

together to share food and company and create bright memories… you have

already experienced Christmas.” A really beautiful, mystical way to appreciate what

we can all gain from the festive season.

This is a heart-warming story about a little boy called Noi who lives with his father, a fisherman. One day his father goes out fishing and does not return, so Noi steps out across the sea, which has now frozen, to find him. Noi finds the boat, but not his father, and is alone and afraid. But then his old friend the storm whale finds him and pushes the boat to safety and Noi’s father. The illustrations beautifully depict the cold and darkness of the sea in winter, and I loved this tale of bravery and friendship.

This beautiful book shows how a tiny seed can turn into a huge tree. Each page describes the progression of the seed in gentle rhyming verse. I love the simplicity of this, and also how the illustrations show so well the tree developing over the years, including the roots under the ground. Animals and birds come and make their homes in and around the tree, and we see how it changes through the seasons and how, in autumn, the seeds blow away in the wind, ready to begin the cycle again. At the end of the book is the full poem and information about the sycamore tree.

books for children • winter Reviews by Saffia Farr and Zion Lights

This is a very powerful story, at times traumatic reading, covering the themes of death, loss of a loved one and mental health. 12-year-old Henrietta is our narrator, lonely, confused and frightened by her mother’s illness following the death of her older brother. Arriving in a new home, Henrietta explores and gets to know adults who support her and help her piece together what might be going on around her. Life spirals into chaos for Henrietta as her baby sister is given to another family, her mother is removed for horrifying “cures” suggested by the dogmatic Dr Hardy, and it’s suggested that Henrietta herself might be hallucinating. I very much felt the tension build as this story reached its climax, and I was unsettled to remember what was done to those with mental health issues in not-so-distant times past. For this story, however, there is a happy ending, and so much to become engrossed in: friendship, bravery, loss, survival, and the healing power of love and nature.

The Secret of Nightingale Wood by Lucy Strange, Chicken House

This is a lovely story about a young girl, Maysun, who sets out on a journey to bring peace to people in the wake of environmental

crisis. The language is rich and descriptive, and the story is enjoyable, although the ending of the book is left ambiguous. This book would suit independent readers, and I would have enjoyed it as a young reader who devoured all fantasy books that came her way. ZL

Maysun and the Wingfish by Alison Lock, Mother’s Milk Books

Pablo and His Chair by Delphine Perret, Princeton Architectural Press

Such a fun book! Pablo is not happy about being given a

chair for his birthday. “So you’ll sit still for once,” he is told. Angry, he takes the chair to his room, but then he discovers how he can balance on it. Here starts a career as an acrobat. Pablo travels the world with his chair, becoming more and more famous for his performances in theatres, living a chic life. Then one day he walks home with his chair, places it at the space laid for him at the table, and for the first time sits on the chair and rests. A wonderful story about making the most of life and coming home to acceptance.

It Starts with a Seed: Watch a Tiny Seed Grow into a Wildlife Wonderland by Laura Knowles, illustrations by Jennie Webber, Words & Pictures

It was such nostalgia for me to read this book because as a child I enjoyed my mother’s copies of her Little Grey Rabbit books. These are simple tales of Grey Rabbit and her woodland friends Hare, Moldy Warp the Mole, Squirrel and Fuzzypeg the Hedgehog. In this story, Grey Rabbit, Squirrel and Hare are upset to find that Rat has been into their house and

eaten all their food while they were out skating. While he is asleep, they tie a knot in his tail so that he won’t forget his wickedness, and then frighten him away by banging on the door with tongs and saucepan lids! The day ends with all the friends arriving with a picnic, having heard the news. Simple, happy times.

Little Grey Rabbit: Squirrel Goes Skating by Alison Uttley, pictures by Margaret Tempest, Templar Publishing

The Storm Whale in Winter by Benji Davies, Simon & Schuster

I love the illustrations in this retelling of the Russian story of Babushka. The purple hues and vibrant colours bring warmth to the whole book. Babushka is visited by three travellers who encourage her to come with them to visit “the newborn king”. Babushka, who works all day to ensure her house is spotless, replies “What… without washing the dishes?” But Babushka has a dream, and the next day she wishes to visit the baby. With no star to guide her by day, she starts to walk and realises that for the first time in her life she is not busy with work. She has time to stand and listen. In this version Babushka does not visit the child, but walks the world giving gifts, her heart shining with the Light of Love.

Babushka by Dawn Casey, illustrated by Amanda Hall, Lion Hudson

Otto and the Secret Light of Christmas by Nora and Pirkko-Liisa Surojegin, Floris Books

WINTER TALES

How can something so small turn into a tree, which is such an incredibly BIG thing to be?

72 JUNO JUNO 73

1. Haflinger Slipper BootsWhen I first put these slippers on, my feet started to gently warm, as if resting on a hot water bottle! They are very comfortable and keep my feet at a perfect temperature. They are nice and long with plenty of give, so that the slippers moulded to my feet. The cuffs grip my ankles and make the slippers feel sturdy. I also really like the robust soles, as I will walk outside to the washing line in them a lot! The slippers are made in Germany with a pure boiled wool upper and a knitted cuff. The soles are dipped into natural latex to provide a non-slip finish. The slippers are available in a range of colours and sizes, including for children. SF£22.50 to £39.50 www.salago.co.uk

2. Cute Carrot, NanchenThis little carrot is a gorgeous baby toy. It has a high-grade steel rattle bell inside, the facial features are hand painted, and the body and hat are made from soft organic terry towelling. It’s filled with 100% pure new wool from organic farms and is handmade in a small factory in Germany. It’s the perfect size for little hands to grasp and I like that there are different bits a baby could enjoy – grasping the tapered base or fiddling with the tufts on the top of the hat. Should the doll have an accident, Nanchen offers a doll doctor service to repair your toy. 18cm tall. SF £15 www.amysattic.co.uk

3. Winter Wonderland Pop-Out, Petit CollageWe enjoyed putting together these pop-out figures. They are made from really chunky card so they have an attractive solidity; their thickness also makes them easier to pop out, as they don’t bend. My 8-year-old daughter found them easy to assemble, matching up simple coding such as H1. However, she had to ensure she pushed the pieces together firmly to enable them to stand straight. She really enjoyed arranging the figures into scenes, using the base of the box. The boys thought them “cool” and liked the vibrant colours. Younger children could also play with and rearrange the characters due to their sturdiness, and the figures can be taken apart and kept for future years, fitting snugly back into the box. Made from recycled paper and printed with vegetable inks. SF£8.99 www.bigjigstoys.co.uk

4. Fairy Garden Play Set with GnomesMy 8-year-old daughter was very attracted to this set; opening it was exciting, as each element was individually wrapped. She also loved the handwritten cards with quirky information about gnomes. The set includes three gnomes – which are smoothly carved shapes with hand-sewn felt hats – a little wooden table, fairy steps, a soft crocheted rug, mini-bunting, willow poles, a hand-sewn tipi, an almond-shell swing with twine to hang it from a branch and – my favourite piece – a willow firepit with orange wool. My daughter enjoyed setting up scenes, and I found the gnomes particularly appealing in their tall hats. So much care has gone into making and packaging this set, and it can be made to order with a choice of fabric. SF£25 littleloquat.com

5. Grow Do It, Formidable Vegetable Sound SystemThis is a fun album written for children. Permaculturist and musician Charlie Mgee and his talented band create songs about growing and eating vegetables and why that is so fantastic. The lyrics are really clever, as well as being fun and a little bit crazy. The jazz/funk/big band-style music is addictive because it has such a strong beat, and singing along to the words you realise you are learning something too – ever sung a recipe for kimchi? The CD comes with a lyrics booklet containing information about each topic. Formidable Vegetable Sound System often tour the UK festivals. If you get a chance to see them perform, I recommend you do! SFAvailable in digital and CD format, from £10.46 formidablevegetable.com.au

6. Charm Stone Necklace KitIn this set are four pieces of soapstone with holes drilled. Using the three grades of sandpaper provided, you shape and smooth each stone as desired. You can oil them if you choose and there are four leather thongs to hang them on. I think this would make a great family present or a present for teens, because we all enjoyed making a pendant, my two boys aged 10 and 13 included. One of them said it was therapeutic, and we were proud to wear what we’d made. SF£14.99 www.myriadonline.co.uk

7. Mini Body Oils Gift Set, WeledaI have really enjoyed trying this set of oils, experimenting with what I can best use each for. The set features five 10ml bottles, each in a box and displayed in an attractive drawer. There is Wild Rose oil to nourish and protect skin; calming Lavender oil; Pomegranate oil, which is naturally antioxidative, regenerating mature skin; Sea Buckthorn, which has an amazing citrus smell and helps restore skin; and Arnica massage oil, which I find helpful to use after exercising or on sore muscles. This would make an excellent gift to introduce someone to the range of beautiful oils Weleda produces. SF£15.95 www.weleda.co.uk

8. Ecoffee CupI was really shocked to learn that each year over 100 billion disposable cups end up in landfill, and that nearly all takeaway cups marked as recyclable are in fact almost impossible to recycle. This is because the paper is fused with polyethylene to make the cup waterproof, and the materials can only be separated out at a specialised recycling facility – of which there are just two in the UK. The Ecoffee Cup seems to offer a solution to this problem. Made from renewable bamboo fibre, it comes in a range of bright designs, is dishwasher-safe, holds 400ml of liquid, and can be crushed and added to the compost heap at the end of its life. The cup did a good job of keeping my drink hot, and the lid seals well and doesn’t leak with normal use. JH£9.95 www.earthwisegirls.co.uk

9. Raja Zola Toy Ring Sling, Osha SlingsThe Raja Zola ring sling is a beautiful carrier made of 50% cotton and 50% hemp. It’s incredibly soft, which is probably why my daughter likes to carry it around with her to use as a neck scarf, a headscarf or a dress, and of course to carry her precious teddy bear in. The sling is a vibrant, deep gold-brown colour, with a black pattern, which is perfect for this time of year as the outside world is becoming darker and less vibrant. The sling is easy to fasten around my daughter and to adjust, even when she is wearing an outdoor coat, and she is able to do this herself now, which makes her feel even more happy to use it. The Raja Zola has already become a treasured possession in our household, and I expect it will be used for many years to come. ZL£45 www.oschaslings.com

Natural Gifts1 2 3

4 5 6

87 9

Reviews by Saffia Farr, Zion Lights and Jess Hazel

62 JUNO JUNO 63


a natural approach to family lifeAudienceOur target audience is AB12 females between the ages of 25and 44 with two or more children. They have sufficient incometo enable them to make natural and environmentally consciouslifestyle choices. Our readers believe the way in which we shopcan make a huge difference to our world. They purchase natural,organic and ethically produced products for themselves and theirfamilies which include food, clothing, toys, cleaning products andtoiletries. They are also deeply interested in alternative schooling,birthing support, physical and spiritual wellbeing and holistictherapies.

Each printed issue is treasured, retained and revisited. The copiesare often shared between friends and generations, further expanding the readership. JUNO has become a respected source of parenting information, especially for the more socially and environmentally responsible reader. thanks so much for such a great magazine.

I think it’s just getting better and better

“

“For all advertising contact us on 01454 838 667 or email [email protected]


a natural approach to family lifeCirculation

JUNO is available by subscription worldwide, in selected branches of WH Smiths and in many independent UK stockists such as organic food outlets and baby equipment and clothes shops. It is also widely distributed to retailers by INK. Current readership is approximately 25,000. JUNO is also available in digital format, available on the App Store and through isubscribe and exact editions.

JUNO is published six times a year

Issue Copy Deadline Publication DateEarly Spring 2017 2 January 2017 1 February 2017 Spring 2017 3 March 2017 1 April 2017Summer 2017 24 April 2017 1 June 2017Late Summer 2017 30 June 2017 1 August 2017Autumn 2017 1 September 2017 1 October 2017Winter 2017 20 October 2017 1 December 2017

Winter InspirationOur ideas on what to make, try and do this winter...

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...to try

River

ford

Learn about the Danish concept of ‘Hygge’. The Art of Hygge by Johnny Jackson and Elias Larsen, published by Summersdale, has plenty of inspiration, recipes, ideas and suggestions to help make your life a little bit more ‘hyggelig’.

...to try

Get crafty with your Christmas wrapping, and

reuse things from around your house. See our

ideas on pages 55–57.

...to make

...to do

Enjoy a JUNO reader offer price of £11.99 including

postage & packing (rrp £16.99) by telephoning

Macmillan Direct on 01256 302 699 and quoting the

reference GLR EA4.

Experiment with different porridge recipes and toppings. Find inspiration like this Oat-Rye Porridge with Lingonberries from The Scandi Kitchen by Brontë Aurell, photography by Peter Cassidy, published by Ryland Peters & Small.

After years of living a city life, and feeling the effects of a lost connection with my rural roots, I went back to live in the country to work with trees. There was no big plan. One of the more romantic ideas was to plant a musical woodland – maple and rosewood for guitars, spruce for violins, and so on. It was a short-lived idea dreamed up in a Spanish city where trees in their pollarded contortions were a decorative backdrop to city life.

That was nearly 20 years ago, and although the musical arboretum was the first and the most misguided of many ideas, it raised the question early on as to what my place could be in the countryside after so long a displacement.

Green woodworking

My way back along this natural path started with green woodwork, which at the time was beginning its slow renaissance inspired by the late Bill Hogarth and led by Mike Abbott, Hal Wynne-Jones and others.

Unlike with modern carpentry, the starting point with green woodwork is the tree itself and not a stack of timber in a DIY store. As I learned the names of our native trees and their properties, their stories and their management, about coppicing, pollarding, the underwood and the wildwood, the countryside slowly started to become more familiar. A new world began to unfold and a walk in the woods was never the same again.

Working the wood green, rather than dry, enables you to follow the grain, mirroring the natural curves of the tree.

It retains that link with what it was as a tree right through to what it will become. Before the wood dries it is easier to shape with hand tools and will bend more easily after steaming, a quality that is particularly useful when building yurts. Working with what you find growing in your local woods rather than what has been imported and industry graded teaches you a new way of seeing. You learn to use the knots, the awkward bends of the wood, the spirals caused by honeysuckle on a hazel rod, for example; your eye learns a new greenwood language.

My first yurt, made from hazel and ash poles foraged from the hedgerows and local woods, followed some months after these discoveries and became, without my ever intending it, the first of many. I lived in it for a year and people started asking me to make others.

The yurts we make at Yurtworks are from wood that has grown locally, and while some machines are used in the process, they are made principally by hand, with the marks of the hand tools left on the wood. They are made from ash (the Norse Tree of Life), and although they have some modern components so that they work well in our climate, they retain the spirit of their Mongolian and Kyrgyz counterparts.

when you share a space so closely you have to be organised, respect each other and work

Yurt livingHow can yurts help connect us to the Earth, and why do they

make such appealing living spaces? Tim Hutton describes his journey of discovery

It was a murky sort of evening; a clouded sky and

spitting rain. I’d left my 4-month-old daughter for the

first time, with my husband, so that I could travel

across the city to meet a new mother called Elaine. Her

plea had awakened a strong feeling deep inside

me, a need for one mother to connect to

another, for one thriving baby to help to

heal another, and I was set on what I

felt I had to do.

My daughter was born a few

weeks ‘early’ but she barely lost

any weight within the first few

weeks and quickly shot up

the centiles on the chart, all

through being fed exclusively

on breast-milk. I was happy

as could be, proud and full

of energy as a new mum.

I was also amazed at

the power of breast-

milk, which I had read

about but not fully

appreciated before

experiencing it

myself. This positive

energy is what led

me to join the Human

Milk 4 Human Babies

group on Facebook.

I didn’t think too

much about donating

milk in the beginning,

except that I knew

Zion Lights discovered that

sharing her breast-milk benefited

her as much as it did the family

she was helping

T h e M i l k

o f H u m a n

K i n d n e s s

22 Juno

I first read about Polly Higgins in

Resurgence and Permaculture. I was

inspired by her ideas and solutions to

our environmental problems: create

a law of ecocide, make damaging the

environment a crime, ensure heads

of states and corporations are legally

bound to put the welfare of people

children? Do we want to be life-affirming

or life-destroying? We have to move

away from the assumption that we own

the Earth, that we can use resources as

we wish. Parents will understand this.

Parents don’t own their children, but

they have a duty to care for them. This

is about stewardship and trusteeship;

we should all be stewards of the Earth.”The proposal is that the Law of Ecocide

be ratified by the United Nations and

become the fifth international crime

against peace, alongside crimes

against humanity, war crimes, crimes

of aggression and genocide. This

would make it an international law

that all would have to adhere to. Polly

has spent years researching the law

and setting out detailed proposals

on how to make a law of Ecocide

workable. She explains: “There are

two aspects. On one side of the coin

is the right to life, on the other side

is the governance of those rights, so

we make it a crime to take away that

right to life. There are two aspects

to ecocide: environmental ecocide,

whereby actions are damaging the

Earth and ecosystems, and cultural

ecocide, whereby people’s right to

life is affected. Both are illustrated by

the Athabasca Tar Sands in Canada,

where massive areas of peatland and wetlands are being destroyed to

expose the tar sands, and the First

Nations Indigenous communities are

threatened by rising levels of toxins in

their fish and water.”Reading about ecocide, I feel

confused. Surely there are existing

laws, including human rights laws,

to stop such damaging practices?

The reality is that there are not. Polly

explains: “The problem is a causal link,

proving that what is happening to you

is as the result of the industrial process.

With the Law of Ecocide, all you need

to do is provide a contaminated soil

sample and that proves the damage to

the Earth. A law of ecocide would also

stop the problem at source – instead of

doing something that causes pollution or

a loss of ecosystems and then paying a

fine, companies would stop the polluting

activity in the first place, because it would

be a crime, for which individuals would be

liable.”

“Can this really be done?” I ask hesitantly.

“Yes. History shows that such change

of direction has been achieved. William

Wilberforce is an inspiration in how he

brought about the prohibition of slavery

– rather than owners promising to treat

slaves better, Wilberforce said no, they

should not be slaves at all. And due to

public pressure, laws were enacted that

prohibited slavery. We need to do this

with environmental destruction. At the

moment, all we have are compromise

laws, limitations on what companies can

do. The problem is that if they exceed

their limitations they just pay the fine

and carry on, and this does not solve the

problem of the irreversible destruction of

our environment, which is leading to loss

of ecosystems, plants and wildlife and to

climate change.”The clever thing about Polly’s work

is that she is bringing businesses on

board. She doesn’t say that profit is a

problem, but that profit at the expense of

our Earth is a problem. She again uses

the example of the abolition of slavery

– businesses fought against the idea,

saying they could not operate without

slaves; but they innovated and found

new ways. Likewise with the Law of

Ecocide, if we stop channelling pension

funds into financing destructive projects,

that money could be used to fund green

energy and innovative solutions to our

resources issues. Polly says: “It’s a

complete switch; the first principle is that

we are life-affirming, we will do no harm.

We have the right not to be polluted,

the right to the freedom of a healthy

environment – that is our starting point.”But this is trying to change the whole

paradigm of how global business thinks

and operates; changing the perspective

of what is important, or unimportant, in

the pursuit of profit. Although a simple

premise, in practice this is a massive

shift. I ask Polly if she ever feels overwhelmed. She smiles. “I have done.

And when I have I’ve shouted to the

skies ‘Help me!’ and help has always

come.”

we have to move away from the assumption that we own the Earth, that we can use

resources as we wishTalking to Polly is inspiring. Reading her

books Eradicating Ecocide and Earth Is

Our Business, I felt overwhelmed by the

enormity of such a paradigm shift and

helpless about what I could do against

the power forces of global corporations

and country leaders. But Polly is not

focusing so much on the end goal as

Saffia Farr talks to lawyer Polly Higgins, who asks us all

to “pollinate” and leave a positive legacy for our children

Ecocide:the fifth crime against peace

Polly Higgins’ proposed definition for ecocide:

the extensive damage to, destruction of or loss of

ecosystem(s) of a given territory, whether by human

agency or by other causes, to such an extent that peaceful

enjoyment by the inhabitants of that territory has been or

will be severely diminished.

and planet above profit and therefore change the assumption that the Earth is a resource to exploit to a duty to protect our planet which overrides all else. If this is done, then all the problems we are grappling with will be solved, at

source. Instead of clearing up pollution, time, human energy and resources

could be put into green, creative solutions to sustainable life. Put like

this, I say to Polly, it all seems so simple. So why

hasn’t it happened?“It has to be when civilisations are

ready. We reach tipping points; we

say ‘no more’. We reached that with

genocide, with slavery, with apartheid.

Now I believe we are reaching it with

ecocide. This is a legacy issue: what

sort of Earth do we want to leave our


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JUNO 61

he best day of my life” is a phrase uttered by more and more fathers who are present at the birth of their child. Gone are the days of men nipping down the pub while their partners were being mishandled by the local hospital. In an unprecedented attitude shift,

more dads are becoming involved with the birth and everything that

follows. With this shift come dads who are developing better bonds

with their children and reaping the rewards.I have a 16-month-old boy called Orin and I can honestly say that

his birth was not the best day of my life. I had just spent three

days helping my partner give birth to him, dancing and talking

her through every single contraction. I felt relief and elation that

I’d helped get her through this great trial. I felt an overwhelming

closeness to her because we’d succeeded by being in perfect

synchronicity. I felt in awe of Nature and my partner’s ability to

cope with three days of labour. The fact that my son had just been

born felt completely incidental. I felt a love for him and a need to care for him, but the all-

consuming desire that my partner was feeling just didn’t manifest

itself in me. I wasn’t worried, as I knew that the father–baby

bond was different from the mother–baby bond, but I was a little

shocked at how different it actually was. It seemed effortless for

my partner: the hormones that breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact

and babywearing make coursed around their two bodies and bonded them extremely quickly. Nature’s way of ensuring a mother’s love for her child is very powerful, and it was beautiful to see it unfold. I had to work quite a bit harder at bonding with Orin. I carried him

a lot and had plenty of skin-to-skin contact, and this really helped,

but it was the time spent actively connecting with him that had the

greatest effect. Getting down to his eye level and reading his cues

accurately meant that I could have ‘conversations’ with him. He’d

let me know when he was overwhelmed and overstimulated, and

I’d respond; he’d let me know when he wanted a calm interaction,

or when he wanted to get giddy. I’ve used the word ‘awe’ already,

but it really was awe-inspiring being able to communicate with a

preverbal baby so effectively. Reading another human’s needs

and wants through body language alone was a primal and

extremely emotional experience. It needed constant effort. On the days I had to sculpt for a few

hours or had to handle the admin side of our business, I could

feel that the bond had slipped when I tried to reconnect to Orin. It

took until he was 3 months old for me to feel comfortable with our

connection, to finally feel that spark every time I looked at him.

After that, everything went really well, and the bond didn’t weaken

as quickly when I was away. Orin also seemed to accept being

on his own with me. I could tell that he still needed an almost

constant connection to his mum, but for short periods being with

just his dad was fine.

However, when Orin started to learn about object permanence,

things started to change again. This developmental leap meant

that he instinctively needed his mum a lot more, and I had to up

the effort yet again. I’ll be honest: at times it was hard from an

ego point of view. When only his mum would do, I felt helpless

and useless to her. My whole goal as a dad was to be a second

mother, and I felt I was failing. Luckily I’ve always been one for

trying to understand the science or theory behind things, and so

knowing that it was natural for Orin to act in this way gave me

quite a lot of solace and helped me cope.I may have made it sound as though I find being a dad exceptionally difficult – but I don’t. Knowing what to do and having

a keen sense of Orin’s needs comes very instinctually to me. I

think that feeling my way through the bonding process was just

very different from how I envisaged it, how it was portrayed in

literature and how it seemed to be for my partner. When Orin

reached 16 months old, he started to realise that he is a separate

entity from his mum. I was prepared for this stage and thought

that our bond might loosen again. It didn’t – in fact, it has grown

and flourished quite beautifully. Orin is now very happy being

with me, whereas before he seemed to be just OK with it. He

even requests to stay with me sometimes, and he always crawls

in between my partner and me when we go to bed, rather than

staying on his mum’s side like he used to. I cannot describe – and I’m sure I don’t need to, as any parent will probably have experienced it – the feeling that wells up inside me when he runs to me shouting, “Daddy!”

We believe in full-term breastfeeding and so we’re leaving Orin to self-wean. This

means that from time to time he still nurses for comfort, but again

this doesn’t seem to affect his desire to be with me. Our bond

has suddenly become effortless. The feeling of closeness that

babywearing, co-sleeping and skin to skin brings has certainly

helped get us this far in our relationship, but I think, looking

back, that it’s the being present that really cements any kind of

fatherly bond. Having authentic, two-way communication with

Orin. Listening and reacting to his needs. Providing consistent but

gentle limits and boundaries. Being attentive and ‘in the moment’

when I’m with him. I’ve found that these are the key things in our

relationship. It’s not surprising really, as these are also the key

things in my relationship with my partner (except the setting of

limits and boundaries, obviously!). •

it was the time spent actually connecting with Orin that bonded us

Robert Neith Nicholson is a 34-year-old artist. He leads a nomadic life, travelling the UK creating large-scale wood sculptures with his partner, Kim Neith Thompson, and their 16-month-old boy, Orin. Having never wanted children as a young man, Robert has found himself addicted to the maelstrom that is being a parent.

A Dad’s BondRobert Neith Nicholson shares how he has found his way to connect with his baby son

“T

28 JUNO

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