I looked up. Saw two buzzards sailing,
Swinging in ring,
Dancing on wing,
Circling,
High up, high up.

Some people can paint a picture using words, some can tell a story using pictures – so it’s a real treat when you get a bit of both.

Between Land and Light is a collaboration between our life member and regular photographic contributor Peter Smith and famed Haworth artist Hilary Roper.

Hilary is probably best known for her children’s books, Surtsey the Cat, Sashka the Snow Princess and All the Creatures of the Frozen North and Macfaddion’s Finest Hour, while Peter is a winner of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and renowned in his home town Preston. 

And Between Land and Light is a dramatic look at nature, through Peter’s photographs and Hilary’s paintings and words. I read the lines on the buzzard, above, and imagined I was out on Red Moss in Bolton, looking up at that giant bird of prey that lives on our doorsteps.

Every page of this book really does shake out memories and feelings of joy, a love of nature – twite, corn bunting and bearded reedling share pages with more common starling, sparrow and swallow. Nightjars, which returned to Lancashire this year, stare out of the pages but are surrounded by the colourful swirls created by Hilary. All of her landscapes are awash with shades, some welcoming and some foreboding.

It’s always a pleasure when Peter arrives in the office with his latest photographs of the amazing wildlife of our diverse region.

This book captures his skills and passions, and Hilary’s love for colour and life. It would make a wonderful Christmas present for anyone who likes to immerse themselves in nature, while curled on the sofa on a winter’s evening.

Between Land and Light is available from here for £25.