Loveliest of Trees

 

Loveliest of Trees
A. E. Housman - 1859-1936

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.

Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.

Cherry blossom is one of the joys of Spring and this year it seems to be more beautiful than ever. I took the picture above on a recent visit to Bolling Hall where they are having a cherry blossom festival this Sunday (April 26). Click here to fund out more.

Japan is famous for its cherry blossoms, or Sakura. "They are said to be like clouds as they bloom all at once and hang above the trees as if to shroud them in mist. Then – just like clouds – they suddenly disappear. Through this, they have come to symbolize ephemerality or transient nature of life. " Click here to find out more about Sakura.

I've reached my 'three score years and ten' so I'm taking heed of Housman's reminder in his poem that time is limited. He loves looking at the trees, but life, like the blossom, is fleeting, so we need to spend time doing the things we really love, and not waste it on those that do not please us. 

Writing prompts:

• What is your favourite tree? Write about it and why you like it. 
• What do you need to spend more time doing before it is too late? Is it, like the poet, looking at cherry blossom, or perhaps climbing mountains, pottering in your garden or cuddling your grandchildren. Make a list, or write about one particular thing that pleases you.
  

The Beautiful Ride

 

The Beautiful Ride

We’re two old gits

who get our kicks

from riding on our tandem.

Up Godley Cut

and on Rookes Lane

the slopes I just can’t stand ‘em.

But when we free wheel

down the hill, good Lord!

It gives me such a thrill.

We bowl along,

with hearts a-racing.

Wind on our faces, cold and bracing.

There’s nothing else

I’d rather do

than ride our bicycle for two.

  
"Let's do a tandem challenge!" I suggested enthusiastically last November when I had my 70th birthday. "We could do 70 rides at 70 and raise money for Alzheimer's Research." It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now my arthritic knees are beginning to ask why they are being put through such pain on a regular basis. 

Nevertheless, undaunted, we have so far completed 22 rides, cycled more than 600 miles and raised more than £600. We have only 48 rides left to do before the end of November (!) and we are slowly reaching our target of 2,000 miles and £1,000.  

This week we will be riding our tandem around Northumberland, where the hills are not as steep as West Yorkshire. Let's hope the wind is behind us on our travels.

If you can donate to this worthy charity, even a small amount, we would be very grateful. Here's the link to my JustGiving page. 

https://www.justgiving.com/page/judith-boardman-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

 

Try Loving Kindness

 

 

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   Love And Kindness

In realms where love and kindness bloom,
A tapestry of joy in every room.
Let my words paint a portrait fair,
Of love's embrace and tender care.

Love, a beacon that shines so bright,
Guiding us through the darkest night.
Its essence pure, a gentle stream,
Awakening souls from a dormant dream.

Kindness, a melody softly sung,
A symphony of compassion, every tongue.
It knows no bounds, no depth too deep,
Healing wounds that make hearts weep.

Love and kindness dance hand in hand,
Creating harmony across the land.
They whisper secrets to the breeze,
Planting seeds of hope amidst life's seas.

Love blossoms in the simplest act,
A smile, a touch, a selfless pact.
It nurtures hearts with warmth and grace,
Creating a sanctuary in any space.

Kindness ripples through the hours,
A language spoken with gentle powers.
It lifts the fallen, mends the broken,
Leaving traces of joy unspoken.

Let love's embrace be our guide,
Kindness as our constant stride.
Together, we'll weave a world anew,
A symphony of love in all we do.

For love and kindness, hand in hand,
Can heal the wounds of any land.
In this tapestry we'll eternally weave,
A testament to the love we believe.

James McLain 

There seem to be a lot of reasons this week to remind myself, and others, of the need for loving kindness and this poem, although simple, has a powerful message for anyone suffering and involved in conflict.

A place to start might be to practise the 'Loving Kindness' mindfulness meditation  which focuses on developing feelings of goodwill, kindness, and warmth towards ourselves and others.

Click here and here to find two versions of the practice. Click here to discover 18 science-backed reasons to try this meditation. 

Writing prompts:

•   Do you agree with the poet that loving kindness can heal ' wounds that make hearts weep'? Write about a time when someone's act of kindness has helped your wounds to heal.
•  The poet believes that loving kindness 'Can heal the wounds of any land.' Is it as simple as that? What words of advice would you give to today's world leaders about healing a country's wounds, especially in the Middle East?
• Set a timer for six minutes and write about a time when you have found it hard to show loving kindness to someone.  

Putting in the Seed

 Putting in the Seed

by Robert Frost (1874 –1963)

You come to fetch me from my work to-night 
When supper's on the table, and we'll see 
If I can leave off burying the white 
Soft petals fallen from the apple tree. 
(Soft petals, yes, but not so barren quite, 
Mingled with these, smooth bean and wrinkled pea;) 
And go along with you ere you lose sight 
Of what you came for and become like me, 
Slave to a springtime passion for the earth. 
How Love burns through the Putting in the Seed 
On through the watching for that early birth 
When, just as the soil tarnishes with weed, 
The sturdy seedling with arched body comes 
Shouldering its way and shedding the earth crumbs.

This poem is in the public domain.

 

This wonderful selection of seeds was in the greenhouse at Helmsley Walled Garden. I'm guessing some of them might be planted by the gardeners, but maybe most will just blow away on the breeze.

 

The ground is warming up, so it's that time of year when seeds need to be put into the ground. Maybe like the poet Robert Frost you are 'slave to a springtime passion for the earth.' If so, click here for advice from the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) on how to sow hardy annuals like poppies, cornflowers and night-scented stocks.

 

Writing prompts:

• The poet finds it hard to drag himself away from the business of planting seeds in spring - even when his supper is waiting for him on the table. Write about a time when you have been so engrossed in an activity that you could not drag yourself away.
• 'Love burns' for the poet when he is putting in the seed. Write about an activity you have undertaken when love burned for you. 
• The last few lines speak of the 'sturdy seedling' shouldering its way through the soil despite the accompanying weeds. Write about a time when, against all the odds, you have pushed through and survived.  

Signs of Early Spring

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In early spring, when winds blow chilly cold,
The yellowhammer, trailing grass, will come
To fix a place and choose an early home,
With yellow breast and head of solid gold.

from 'The Yellowhammer' by John Clare 

 

The rolls and harrows lie at rest beside
The battered road; and spreading far and wide
Above the russet clods, the corn is seen
Sprouting its spiry points of tender green,
Where squats the hare, to terrors wide awake,
Like some brown clod the harrows failed to break.

from 'The Skylark' by John Clare

 

Up from their hurry, see, the skylark flies,

And o'er her half-formed nest, with happy wings

Winnows the air, till in the cloud she sings,

Then hangs a dust-spot in the sunny skies,

And drops, and drops, till in her nest she lies.

from 'The Skylark' by John Clare

 

    Sweet type of innocence, snow-clothed blossom,
    Seemly, though vainly, bowing down to shun
    The storm hard-beating on thy wan white bosom.

from 'The Snowdrop' by John Clare 

 

 

 It felt as though winter was finally on its way out today as we cycled on our tandem through the North Yorkshire countryside. Narrow, muddy lanes cut through a flat, water-sodden landscape, but everywhere were signs of early Spring. Nut brown hares nibbled at the green shoots just starting to appear in the fields. Carpets of snowdrops decorated the verges and the hedgerows were busy with twittering birds.The yellowhammer was a particular joy to see and we heard our first skylark of the year.  

 

Poet John Clare enjoyed similar moments, over 160 years ago, in the countryside around his Northampton home. He writes so beautifully about nature and must have dearly missed the flora and fauna in the last couple of decades of his life when he was consigned to Northampton Lunatic Asylum.

 

Writing prompts:

•   Describe the signs of early spring you have seen where you live.
•   What would you miss the most if you confined to a place where you could not get out into nature?

Please share your writing or your thoughts below.  

 

  

 

 

 

 

Yellow

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 YELLOW
Some people walk into your life with a light
that can only be described as yellow
infusing the very air around with the silent sound of
this will be okay
nothing hard can stay
we will find a way
together
we can reach calmer weather
these people, your yellows
are sunny, endlessly funny
they are warm and safe
a comforting place
they’re a light things can grow in
their heart they wholly throw in
they are cheerleaders for your win
and if you have a yellow in this life
keep them bright
they thrive on giving out light
but they fight
their own dark too
they need a colour beside them
to push on through
and I think they found a fellow
yellow in you. 
 
Donna Ashworth 
From Growing Brave https://amzn.eu/d/0h6ASuCQ

I had the privilege yesterday of attending the funeral of Rebecca Nahapiet. The church was packed with those who had known and loved her for the special, beautiful, joyful person she was. At age 40 she died too young and her passing will have left a hole in many people's lives. 

A teacher once said of her, “You would have to be remarkably perverse to be miserable with your own problems when she is cheerful with hers.” 

Donna Ashworth's touching poem (above) was read out at Rebecca's funeral. She was a 'yellow' for me and for many.  

Writing prompts:

•  Write about a 'yellow' in your life. 
•  Do you think you are a 'yellow' for anyone else? Write about how you 'give out light'.
•  Set a timer and write about 'fighting your own dark'.

Calm of Soul

  

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 "May such calm of soul be mine, so as to meet the force of circumstances."

Aeschylus

Writing prompts:

• Is you soul calm at the moment? If not, set a timer for six minutes and write about what is troubling you. 
• What 'force of circumstance' are you encountering at the moment? Is there something happening in your life that is out of your control? Write about it for a few minutes and what you might do to bring back some control.  
• What brings calm to your soul - music, being out in nature, meditation? Write about what you do, or could do, to bring calm into your life.