It is a rare mind that can present ideas that are so varied yet so familiar, and all with a gentleness that beguiles.

By chance an American friend, and narrow boat lover, suggested this podcast. I've been listening for some months, and feel blessed to be indulged with a rare experience of transportation out of my own world and into still waters, towpaths, swans, ducks, magpies, trees, hedgerows, birdsong, grazing sheep and where English countryside, with backing noises off, is described in lyrical terms. A soft, gentle voice leads you out of yourself and onto the narrow boat Erica, where the seasons rhythms are explored. Richard Goode, our cicerone, interlaces the natural world he descibes with extracts and mentions from a rich seam of literature and cultural references he has gathered and wishes to share. Each podcast has the same comforting structure that listeners settle into to enjoy something completely different from last time, or as far as I can tell from any other time. It is a rare mind that can present ideas that are so varied yet so familiar, and all with a gentleness that beguiles.
I thoroughly commend NOSW podcasts for late evening, or any old time at all, listening. I learn something of interest every podcast, and always feel better for tuning in before I turn in.