The author turns to the real winters of 2009 and 2010. In their extremity they redefined all the seasons for her. Nature asserted itself and renewed the environment for the imagination. This book also includes the 'asked for' and commissioned poems, and the "Guardian" spreads Clarke has written during her time as National Poet of Wales.

The European winters of 2009 and 2010 serve as inspiration for the evocative poems in this collection that anxiously yet joyfully unite the seasons and creatures of the planet. The extremity of those record-setting winters in the UK redefined all seasons for the poet, and her notion that nature asserted itself and renewed the environment for the imagination is conveyed in poems such as "Polar," in which a polar bear rug transforms personal and ecological longing into a creative act. The compilation presents commissioned pieces written during the author's time as National Poet of Wales, including poems for Haiti and Guardian features for Christmas and Valentine's Day.