Walking with Dinosaurs

I'm Glad I'm Living Now, Not Then!
 
When earth was yet a little child
Dinosaurs lived free and wild.
Some as big as spacious homes,
Some as small as tiny gnomes.
A few had wings to fly the skies
With giant beaks and searching eyes.
Harbouring murder in their breasts
They stole the fledglings from their nests.
One giant breed lived deep within
Dark waters with its kindly kin.
Still others wandered mean and bold
And ate each other, I've been told.
I know what might or must have been-
I'm glad I'm living now, not then!

Lillian M. Fisher

It's not every day you meet a dinosaur on the streets of Brighouse, but we did last Sunday. It was called Freya and was rather mischievous, much to the delight of our grandchildren. Not all those youngsters watching were quite so happy, however. One little boy was so terrified he had to be carried away screaming by his mum. 

 I'm not sure what kind of dinosaur we met. Suggestions in the comments below please.

Writing prompts:

• Write about something, or someone you have come across unexpectedly while out and about in your locality.
• Are you glad that you're living now and not in some previous age? In your writing explore what's good or bad about living now and how it might have been to live in a different age. 
• Did anything terrify you as a child: Father Christmas, clowns, dogs? If so, set a timer for six minutes and write about it.
  

Here Be Dragons!

Belinda paled, and she cried, Help! Help!
But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.

But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.

The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,
He fired two bullets but they didn’t hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.

From 'The Tale of Custard the Dragon' by Ogden Nash
Copyright Linell Nash Smith and Isabel Nash Eberstadt 

When it came to the crunch it turned out that Custard was not such a coward after all. Click here to read the whole of 'The Tale of Custard the Dragon.'

One of my favourite 'dragon' stories to read to my grandchildren in 'There's No Such Thing As A Dragon', by Jack Kent. Click here to listen to the story.

Click here to read more about dragons.

Click here to read more about the phrase 'Here be dragons'.

Click here to listen to Peter, Paul and Mary's rather sad tale of 'Puff the Magic Dragon'. 

Read Ogden Nash's poem again and then use these writing prompts:

• We shouldn't always judge by appearances. The poem initially portrays Custard as a coward, constantly asking for a safe cage, while Belinda and her other pets (Ink, Blink, and Mustard) are depicted as brave. However, this perception is challenged when danger arises. Write about how you think others judge your appearance and what, perhaps, you are concealing.
• True bravery can be unexpected. When the pirate attacks, Custard, not the other "brave" pets, confronts and defeats the pirate, saving everyone. This reveals that true courage can be found in those who are not outwardly boastful or aggressive. Write about an occasion when you, or someone else, has been unexpectedly brave.
  
• The poem also highlights the theme of self-confidence, suggesting that true strength comes from believing in oneself and one's abilities, even if others underestimate you. Write about a time when others have underestimated you.
  
• Write down all the reasons you could believe in yourself and your abilities.

 

Moonbathing

 

 

Photo by Pedro Lastra on Unsplash

Full Moon

One night as Dick lay fast asleep,
     Into his drowsy eyes
A great still light began to creep
     From out the silent skies.
It was the lovely moon's, for when
     He raised his dreamy head,
Her surge of silver filled the pane
     And streamed across his bed.
So, for a while, each gazed at each-
     Dick and the solemn moon-
Till, climbing slowly on her way,
     She vanished, and was gone.

Walter de la Mare

 

Tomorrow, July 10, at 22.09, will be the best time to see the next full moon. The waxing Gibbous moon has been clearly visible in the night sky these past few days. Let's hope the sky is tomorrow so that you can you can gear yourself up for a bit of moonbathing. "Fans of the practice believe that harnessing the moon’s lunar energy brings the body's systems into harmony and promotes healing and wellness." You'll need to arm yourself with some Himalayan bath salts, frankincense and rose tea! Click here to learn how to take a simple moon bath. You may want to chill out to Santana's song 'Full Moon' while doing so. 

It's the light of the Buck Moon that will soothe you tomorrow. The fascinating Royal Museums Greenwich website tells us, "Male deer, which shed their antlers every year, begin to regrow them in July, hence the Native American name for July's full moon. Some refer to this moon as the thunder moon, due to the summer storms in this month. Other names include the hay moon, after the July hay harvest."

Writing prompts:

• What do you need to 'shed' right now. Write about all the things you don't need and want to let go of at this time of the full moon.
• The Buck Moon provides an opportunity to start again and grow something new. Write about what qualities, ideas, or schemes you want to grow in the coming weeks.
  

Bluebird

https://unsplash.com/@bgauzere
 

L'oiseau bleu

 
The lake lay blue below the hill.
O'er it, as I looked, there flew
Across the waters, cold and still,
A bird whose wings were palest blue.

The sky above was blue at last,
The sky beneath me blue in blue.
A moment, ere the bird had passed,
It caught his image as he flew.

 

by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge

 

This year was the first time BBC Radio 3 presented a classical music set at Glastonbury. Click here if you would like to listen. Towards the end of the set presenter Georgia Mann plays two sublime 'bluebird tracks'. 

 

The first, Charles Villiers Stanford's 'The Blue Bird' (8 Partsongs Op.119), is a setting of the poem above. As Georgia says, it is 'dreamy, ethereal summer music'. Click here to listen. 

 

Pianist and composer Alexis Ffrench says his piece 'Bluebird': "is an expression of love and hope. I wanted to write something that expressed a certain innocence and purity. There's so much trauma around us right now, and I wanted to share a moment of calm, beauty and consolation; there isn't enough of that in the world." Click  here to listen.

Click here to find a moment of calm.

 

There are many songs written about bluebirds. Click here listen to Paul McCartney and Wings singing 'Bluebird' and here to listen to Emmylou Harris's 'If You Were a Bluebird'. 

 

With its theme of searching for the elusive bluebird of happiness, the play "The Blue Bird", by Maurice Maeterlinck was the inspiration for the naming of Donald Campbell's cars and hydroplanes. Child actress Shirley Temple starred in a rather bizarre, 1940 film version of the play. If you're interested, click here. (Apologies for having to skip through advertisements).

 

The bluebird is traditionally a symbol of happiness, hope and renewal; it is thought to be a messenger of joy and positive change. Remember Vera Lynn's WW11 song: "There'll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover tomorrow, just you wait and see." Or course we don't have bluebirds in the UK, but the symbolism is there. 

Writing prompts:

• Choose a clear, sunny day. Go outside, taking a pen and paper with you. Look up at the clear blue sky for a couple of minutes, then write whatever comes to mind.
• Listen to the pieces by Stanford and Ffrench (by clicking on the links above). As you listen, describe, in your writing, the pictures in your mind's eye.
• Click here to read about the psychology of the colour blue, then write about what the colour means to you. 
• Is there a bird, other than the bluebird, that for you symbolises joy and positivity? Describe that bird in your writing.
  

The Red Dress

“Stitching the world back together one stitch at a time” -  

Isla Macleod (Kirstie's sister)

I had the privilege recently of seeing The Red Dress on display at Oakwell Hall in Birstall. Created by British artist Kirstie Macleod, the Red Dress is the result of a 14-year journey (2009-2023). The 380 contributors, from 51 countries, stitched their personal and cultural stories into 87 silk panels.

Some used embroidery styles passed down for generations; others stitched reflections on trauma, resilience and healing. Viewing the dress and learning about it was an incredibly moving experience. There was a powerful energy contained within those silk panels.

Many women's voices were there, including those of Rwandan widows whose embroidery signified moving "from darkness to light" after their experiences in the genocide. Kosovan women stitched their messages in words, rather than symbols: "Better one winter in your own country than a hundred Springs away."

Click here to listen to artist Kirstie Macleod talk about the dress and what it means to her and the significance of choosing the colour red. Click here to listen to UK embroiderers talking about their contributions to the project. 

Thanks to my good friend Sharon Lingwood  for making me aware of this amazing project and accompanying me on my visit. 

Don't forget to click on the links and please do share your thoughts and writing and comments.

Writing prompts: 

• If you were to stitch something into one of the dress panels, what would it be? Write about it and especially its significance.
• Think about the colour red then write about whatever springs to mind.
• Do you feel connected to other people across the world? How would it be to have no borders or boundaries?
  
• Have you ever taken part in a collaborative project? If so, describe it in your writing.
• What are the therapeutic benefits for you of creative activities such as stitching or writing?
  

The Healing Power of Gardens

"If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden."  

Frances Hodgson Burnett ('The Secret Garden')

 

I recently enjoyed visiting the garden of Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd, at Gresgath Hall in Caton, Lancashire. 

 

Despite the showery weather, I found the garden an absolute joy and a place where it was easy to lose oneself, be calm, still and completely in the moment. 

 

There were terraces, a lake, a small bog garden, a wild garden, extensive kitchen garden, a bluebell wood, the millennium wood, the rhododendron hillside, herbaceous borders, and a serpentine walk. There were many different plants, shrubs and trees, including ferns, acers, lilacs, azaleas and magnolias. 

 

The gardens are situated in a valley carved over time by Artle Beck, a tributary of the River Lune.

 

Listen here to the sound of the beck. 

 

Click here to read what Monty Don has to say about the healing power of gardens.

Writing prompts:

• Listen again to the water flowing and this time close your eyes and imagine you are there. See the garden in your mind's eye and describe it in your writing, using all your senses, and explaining how you feel.
• Write about your own experience of how gardens can heal.
  

Don't forget to click on the hyperlinks. 

Share your thoughts in the comments box below. 

'Solitude's Haven'

The Shepherd’s Hut

is olive green outside,

on wheels

by our lake, camouflaged

like a twitcher’s hide

for watching heron, swan

and morning flash of kingfisher blue.

 (extract) by Jonathan Bate 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shepherds-Hut-Jonathan-Bate/dp/1783524294

The poet was inspired by his shepherd's hut, which he said was 'meant as solitude's haven' and ours certainly has been this week, being next to the sea, hidden away behind trees and overlooking the beach at Moat Farm, Aldingham.

This is a peaceful, tranquil spot, so it's hard to imagine what went on here some 900 years ago. Standing precariously on a cliff just behind our hut are the remains of a once impressive motte and bailey castle. Michael Le Fleming built this castle sometime between 1107 and 1111, after King Henry I had granted him  land that became the manor of Aldingham - known as 'Muchland', or 'Michael's Land'.

 

artist's impression of a motte and bailey castle

Click here and here to read more about this ancient monument and here to learn about Michael le Fleming and Muchland.

Legend has it that Aldingham itself was once much bigger, with the church (a resting place for the body of St Cuthbert) standing at its centre, but that cottages were washed away by the sea. Click here.

Click here to learn about the reading for wellbeing foundation 'Relit', the brainchild of  Jonathan Bates and his wife Paula Byrne.'

Please share your writing, or leave a comment. Thank you.

Writing prompts:

• Write about a peaceful, tranquil place that you know. How does it make you feel in body and mind?
• In 900 years what do you think will remain of the place where you now live? Explore this question in your writing.
• Do you dream of living in a place where you can enjoy solitude, peace and tranquility? Describe that place, real or imaginary, in your writing.