My favorite narrative poem, since the age of about nine, is the Highwayman by Alfred Noyes, first published in 1906. How’s this for a powerful opening? “The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees. The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas. The road was a ribbon of moonlight over … Read more
My lovely sister enabled me to achieve a long-held wish to see the Keukenhof Gardens this spring. I love tulips. I like many flowers, but tulips are special because they vary so much, and every variation has its own beauty. They can be cup-shaped, star-shaped, narrow, full or fluffy at the edges. They vary in … Read more
Three Lions on a shirtJules Rimet still gleamingThirty years of hurtNever stopped me dreaming Ah, there is something so comforting about that football chant. First of all, no one minds if you sing it out of tune and, more importantly, if it is on the TV it means that the grief of the end of … Read more
Bauble-dripping tree We cherish for just two weeks Our Christmas comfort…. That was a haiku I wrote for a Marlow Writers’ Society Christmas gathering. I love to see a heavily-laden Christmas tree. I don’t bother to get one for my sad little flat, because early December is a great time to visit National Trust properties … Read more
I like a mug of black coffee to kick-start my heart and brain first thing in the morning, particularly if it’s a writing day! I can remember, from before hearing loss, loving the blues-rock anthem to black coffee, sung powerfully by Beth Hart – Black coffee is my thing, it’s what I need. A hot … Read more
I cut my teeth on writing textbooks, so it was with some comfort that I approached a writing group challenge to write a travelogue. It was fun to play with the balance between creativity and information-sharing. This article was placed third in an internal competition. The judge didn’t like the practical points at the end, … Read more
These days, we worry about exploitation when it comes to training animals to perform tricks for our entertainment, and we’re not that keen on taxidermy, either. Things were very different in the past. By the 19th century in the UK, some animal charities had been established, but for the average mutt on the street, life … Read more
THE GLORY OF TREES Like most Brits, I am awed by mighty trees. We love them when they are alive, and we love the produce we get from them. Oak was a vital resource in England in medieval times, for building and ship-building. “Heart of Oak” is the marching anthem of the Royal Navy. English … Read more
Fans of “Marlow Murder Club” may recognise this beautiful bridge over the Thames at the bottom of Marlow High Street. Designed by a brilliant engineer, a pioneer of suspension bridges, William Tierney Clark, it was a prototype for a massive bridge he designed to span the Danube in Budapest. What a wonderful feat of civil … Read more
If you look up to the large grey slab on top of this building which was put up there a long time ago, you would learn that the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley once lived here, briefly. He was running away from his debts. You certainly did not want him as a customer. The headline on … Read more
