For weeks, I rested, truly grateful after a month of 'persistent' coughing. Lockdown brought a silence akin to prayer in the woodlands. Clear air blessed my grateful lungs. A tall, ash tree, also battered and buffeted by life's dramas, like a miracle, recuperated - the giant lacerations along its trunk healing up, leaving only scars. But, with winter, came feverous debates. Body politics entwined with state politics. Sovereignty over our own bodies came into question. The huge, rotting grin is the mask that we have had to wear to hide our losses. The coolness of the sunny British summer in 2020 was replaced by raging fires and tremendous loss, abroad and at home, over winter. Through this piece of textile art, I bear witness to the polarisation of these extremes in the hope that we can come together again to honour the natural world, live in harmony with all beings and realign ourselves with pure hearts and true spirit."