On their very first date, Tim asked Betsy to climb a tree with him. Of course she agreed, even though it seemed to her an eccentric thing to do. But she was smitten with the barefoot English lecturer who climbed trees and scribbled notes and sketched leaves in journals. Tim was amazed at the short artist who followed him through the branches.

Years later, they moved across the globe and settled in the Middle East with their slightly untamed children. Tim filled several notebooks as he catalogued the nature they encountered around the world. Betsy picked up her paintbrushes again, and they began creating educational materials together as Thistles and Biscuits.


Tim’s infectious love of nature (and especially of trees) has been perfectly complemented by Betsy’s stunning artwork to create The Field Journals. Tim and Betsy want these letters to provide your home with an enriching interdisciplinary study of nature, culture, art, and science. 

They believe deeply that there is so much to gain from slowing down and observing nature, fostering curiosity and wonder, and seeing how different creatures live. The Field Journals intends to extend beyond describing aspects of nature in order to inspire lifelong learning about and care for the world around us.