'A Water-Based School'

 

The canal at Hebden Bridge 

Once is never enough for a canal, I reckon;
You need to go back and see it again,
And sail it again, and smell it again, and
Touch it again; canals run through our veins
Like they stroll through this country
Like blood through our veins.

The canal tells you stories
The canal sings you songs
They hang in that space
Between memory and water

by Ian McMillan

(click here for the full poem) 

Not much pleases me more than cycling beside a canal on our tandem. Going under bridges is sometimes a bit scary, but I put all my faith in my 'captain' and he always keeps his 'stoker' safe and we haven't fallen in yet.. 

There is so much observe and learn as you travel along a tow path. As Ian McMillan says in his poem 'a canal is a lesson, a water-based school.' We are lucky here in West Yorkshire to have several canals to explore, so click here and find out more.

Writing prompts:

• If you could cycle along your local towpaths on the back of a tandem, who would you choose to be your 'captain'? Write about him, or her, and why you would choose them.
• Write about a time you have walked beside a canal. How did it make you feel? Describe the experience using all your senses. 
• Canals or rivers - which do you prefer? Write about a waterway that you love and explain why.
  

Be Astonished

 

Cullernose Point near Howick.

"Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.."

Mary Oliver

I have a fascination with rocks and that's one of the many reasons I love the Northumberland coast. Walk along the coastal path near Craster or Seahouses and you can see rocks that were laid down in the early part of the Carboniferous Period, between about 360 and 328 million years ago. I find it mind-boggling to discover the many fossils of sea creatures who lived at that time when this part of the country had clear, warm, shallow seas.

It was easy last week, while on holiday in Northumberland, to 'pay attention' on our walks and cycle rides and see something 'astonishing'. We were out in nature, by the sea, wind blowing, waves crashing on to the rocks, and with nothing much to concern us except 'living a life.'

Click here to read the rest of Mary  Oliver's poem 'Sometimes'.' Click here to read more about the geology of this part of the world. 

Writing prompts:

• What have you paid attention to today? What has astonished you? Tell about it in your writing.
• Write, using all your senses, about a time when you enjoyed being at the coast.

Clean It Up!

 

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"We are all born happy. Life gets us dirty along the way, but we can clean it up."
Isabel Allende 

 

Have you done any Spring cleaning yet? We had some carpets cleaned this week, and we're about to repaint our hall and bedroom. The longer days and a bit more sunshine might have motivated you to fling open the windows, let in some fresh air and blow away the cobwebs. Psychologists tell us that Spring cleaning can be good for our mental health. Click here to find out why.

Keep Britain Tidy is organising 'The Great British Spring Clean 2024'. Click here to find out more and learn how you can join in. 

Writing prompts:

• Write for a few minutes about how life has 'got you dirty along the way.' Have you been able to 'clean it up', as Isabel Allende suggests?
• Do you enjoy cleaning? Write about the effect is has on you - physically and mentally, good or bad.
• Describe your feelings now that Spring is arriving and the days are getting longer. Are you motivated to try something new?
  

International Women's Day 2024

 Let's Fly Together

Let's flap our wings and fly together,

Break the chains of patriarchy forever.

We stand united, hand in hand,

No longer silent, we take a stand.

 We need more women in leadership roles,

Their ideas, their vision, and their goals.

We own our bodies, we own our minds,

We leave oppression far behind.

We lift each other up, we amplify our voice,

We fight for our rights and our choice,

Together we'll reach the highest of heights,

And achieve our goals with all our might.

 Let's build a world where love conquers hate,

And create a future we'll all celebrate.

Not just a dream, but a reality to see,

Where women are truly, completely, free.
 
Ayesha Islam

Based in Sahiwal in Pakistan, poet Ayesha Islam uses the power of poetry to encourage her readers to #EmbraceEquity, penning an inspiring poem for IWD.

Titled Let's Fly Together, Ayesha's poem explores themes of women's solidarity, empowerment, leadership, and equality - all of which align with the values and mission of IWD. 

Click here to read more about International Women's Day March 8th, 2024.

Writing prompts:

• Have you ever felt discriminated against because of your gender? Set a timer and write about the experience for six minutes. 
• Imagine if men and women switched for a day. Click here to watch a video that explores gender equality, then write about how it would be if you switched with someone for a day.
  
• Is there a woman who has inspired you ? Write about her.
  

Dance to the Music

 The Dance
By Paul Laurence Dunbar

    Heel and toe, heel and toe,
    That is the song we sing;
    Turn to your partner and curtsey low,
    Balance and forward and swing.
    Corners are draughty and meadows are white,
    This is the game for a winter's night.

    Hands around, hands around,
    Trip it, and not too slow;
    Clear is the fiddle and sweet its sound,
    Keep the girls' cheeks aglow.
    Still let your movements be dainty and light,
    This is the game for a winter's night.

    Back to back, back to back,
    Turn to your place again;
    Never let lightness nor nimbleness lack,
    Either in maidens or men.
    Time hasteth ever, beware of its flight,
    Oh, what a game for a winter's night!

    Slower now, slower now,
    Softer the music sighs;
    Look, there are beads on your partner's brow
    Though there be light in her eyes.
    Lead her away and her grace requite,
    So goes the game on a winter's night.

 

 *****

"Whatever music you beat on your drum there is somebody who can dance to it."

Chinua Achebe

I love to dance with my husband. In the past we've bopped along to many a great soul classic, but more recently have enjoyed a more sedate waltz, or slow foxtrot. We've been having ballroom dancing lessons some quite some time, I'm not sure we are any better now than we were at the beginning. However, we enjoy it and there's something very special and intimate about dancing with the person you love. 

Click here for some great Motown dance tracks.

Writing prompts:

• Dance around your living room (alone or with a friend) then describe how it felt.
• What music do you 'beat on your drum'? Write about it.  
• Who is the person that dances, or has danced, to your music? Set a timer for six minutes and write about them. 
• What's your favourite kind of music? Write about how it makes you feel - emotionally and physically.
  

 

 

Signs of Spring

 

 “Snowdrops (Consolation)”

A small bird twitters on a leafless spray,
Across the snow-waste breaks a gleam of gold:
What token can I give my friend to-day
But February blossoms, pure and cold?
Frail gifts from Nature’s half-reluctant hand…
I see the signs of spring about the land…
These chill snowdrops, fresh from wintry bowers,
Are the forerunners of a world of flowers.

~Sarah Doudney,  c.1881

The snowdrops outside our house were limp and forlorn today in the early morning frost, but soon perked up as the sun broke through. Click here to read more about these resilient winter superstars. 

Type 'snowdrops' into the search box on this blog to find more poems and writing prompts about these delicate, but tough little flowers.

Like them, we all need a little bit of sunshine to warm our hearts and revive us when we're bending under the weight of anxiety or sadness. 

Writing prompts:

• Write about a time when you have felt 'limp and forlorn'. What has helped to revive you?
• Go for a walk and notice the signs of forthcoming Spring all around. How do these make you feel? Write about your walk using all your senses. 
• Do you look forward to 'a world of flowers' in the coming months? Write about your favourite flower.
  

Calling All Senophiles

  

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Winter Moon

Brightly the moon like a jewel is beaming,
White in the east, o’er a lone landscape gleaming,
Over the meadows and over the snow,
Glimmering, shimmering, silvery glow.

Low in the east, when the gloaming is ending,
Slowly this white winter moon is ascending.
Looming so large and appearing so nigh,
Satellite framed by a star-spangled sky.

High in the sky with soft radiance teeming,
Nigh to the time when men, women are dreaming,
Weird is her splendour on valley and hill,
Cold is her gleam upon river and rill.

Brightly the moon like a jewel is shining,
White in the west she is slowly declining,
Beautiful moon! Which beams gorgeous and grand
Over the homes of our own Native Land.

– Charles Nevers Holmes

The moon is at its fullest and most beautiful tonight. Known as the Snow Moon because February was (and still is in some places) a time of heavy snow, it also has several other names. Click here to find out more.

Folklore and myths about full moons abound, but there does seem to be evidence that the current Snow Moon can affect your sleep pattern. Click here to read more.

Click here for quotes about the moon.

Writing prompts:

• If you can, go outside this evening and observe the Snow Moon, then return to the warmth, sit down and write for six minutes about whatever comes into your head.
• It's been a long time since we had really deep snow. Write about a memory you have of snow, using all your senses to describe that time.
• Are you a good sleeper? Do you think your sleeping pattern may have been altered by the moon's phases? Write about your experience of sleep.