A deliciously glamorous escape to the snowy setting of a luxury Swiss chalet hotel where 1920s faded English aristocracy meets 1950s Hollywood starlet decadence.
Maribou-trimmed silk pajamas and well-stocked libraries with crackling fires abound in this absolute joy of an episode with author Daisy Buchanan.
Listen in as Daisy imagines herself preparing for a Grand Ball, with all the pleasure of a day spent wrapped in enormous fluffy white towels and none of the anxiety. She also romps through an array of subjects with Katherine, from her newfound love of reiki to the quest for calm in the neurodivergent brain and why she is so drawn to reading about the strangeness of large families.
The most wonderfully realised escape to indulge in at any time.
Links from the episode:
Daisy’s Instagram Daisy’s books Mortification edited by Robin Robertson The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard Invitation to the Waltz by Rosamond Lehmann The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson Laurie Colwin’s books - Home Cooking, More Home Cooking, Happy All the Time, Family Happiness
Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US Follow Katherine on Instagram Visit Katherine’s Website
Production Credits
Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong Producer - Alice Lloyd Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Poorna Bell’s New Zealand vista
21/02/2026 | 1h
Floor to ceiling windows overlooking a temperate blue ocean off the coast of New Zealand is where this week’s guest, journalist and author Poorna Bell, dreams of rest and retreat.
Since the death of her husband in 2015, Poorna has become well-versed in making the most of the everyday. As a result this is a conversation filled with the joy of small things. From relishing the prospect of unstructured days, to finding unquantified pleasure in movement. From an appreciation of the smell of toast to being able to say no to picnics. And why she never wants to receive another present again. Ever.
Links from the episode:
Poorna’s Substack As I Was Saying
Poorna’s website
Poorna’s Instagram
Banana Yoshimoto’s novel Kitchen
Lucy M. Boston’s The Children of Green Knowe
Lottie Hazell’s novel Piglet
Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US Follow Katherine on Instagram Visit Katherine’s Website
Production Credits
Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong Producer - Alice Lloyd Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Emma Gannon’s year of desert rest
14/02/2026 | 59 mins.
Prolific author of nine books and writer behind the Substack phenomenon The Hyphen, Emma Gannon takes us away for a whole year to her imaginary retreat in Palm Springs, where she plans to indulge almost solely in her number one favourite pastime - reading.
Revealing the extent to which she craves alone time, she tells Katherine about her very real experience of burnout, how she went from someone who lived to work to appreciating downtime and why she relates to The Hermit in Tarot.
An inspiring listen that challenges our ideas of ‘the right way’ to live and embraces the concept of letting go.
Links in the show:
Emma’s Substack The Hyphen Emma’s website Emma’s Instagram A link to buy her books including A Year of Nothing
Find Emma’s conversation with Elizabeth Gilbert about memoir here Max Richter’s track On the Nature of Daylight
Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US Follow Katherine on Instagram Visit Katherine’s Website
Production Credits
Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong Producer - Alice Lloyd Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mike Sowden’s island of curiosity
07/02/2026 | 1h 2 mins.
Settling in amongst the sparkling sea views and scented coniferous trees of Corfu, writer Mike Sowden tells Katherine why he is ditching the concept of escape to run towards places and people with enthusiasm and curiosity.
Conjuring up a beautiful stay on the island so beloved by author Gerald Durrell, where people are still viscerally connected to the changing seasons, Mike and Katherine find creativity in discomfort, stories from failed adventures and a shared desire to get out into the world more and embrace the randomness of life.
Links from the episode:
Mike’s Everything is Amazing newsletter on Substack
Where Good Ideas Come From by Stephen Johnson
Journey into Cyprus by Colin Thubron
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Surfacing by Kathleen Jamie
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (and link to website all about her)
Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US Follow Katherine on Instagram Visit Katherine’s Website
Production Credits
Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong Producer - Alice Lloyd Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Season One Interlude
31/01/2026 | 8 mins.
Katherine explains why we are heeding our own advice and taking a tiny break this week. She also previews some exciting, listener-led bonus content that will be coming your way next season. We’ll be back next week with another wonderful guest for you. Meanwhile take care everyone.
Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US Follow Katherine on Instagram Visit Katherine’s Website
Production Credits
Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong Producer - Alice Lloyd Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Where would you go to rest and retreat, in good times and bad?Katherine May, author of Wintering and Enchantment, asks her guests to share their idea of a perfect sanctuary. Drawing on memory, inspiration and imagination, she explores the things we seek out when we need to restore our joy, hope and energy. It begins with a forest clearing. What will we find there? A log cabin or a grand hotel? What cherished object or talisman would you bring? And what single work of art, be it a book, record, film or something else, would provide you with enough sustenance to see you through the darkness and remind you of the good times? In a series of frank, thoughtful and deeply personal conversations, The Clearing will explore the cultural, social and spiritual mindset needed to survive difficult times. Katherine's Links:Visit The Clearing website https://katherine-may.co.uk/the-clearing-podcast to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad freeBuy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s Website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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