Tag Archives: poetry

29 March 2009

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Yes, as I said, more to be done. Unfortunately I’ve been ill again and am taking ages to recover. This time it’s a urine infection “and possibly something else”, to quote the very charming doctor I saw on Wednesday morning. I am on antibiotics, which have done enough to allow me to tick over but certainly haven’t got rid of it. Still, another two days of them to go. Saw David last weekend (Mothering Sunday), and we had steak and chips at home before visiting the Rosary and the cemetery at North Walsham. Happily I was still well then.

Spent most of Monday and Tuesday in bed, having cancelled chess and the Tuesday Group, but managed to stay up after seeing the doctor and have been wandering vaguely around ever since. Managed to get a bit of an appetite back: at one point my weight was down to what it was when I came out of hospital. Managed to get up to Cow Hill to record my four poems for the Twenty Group exhibition: went well. Am now about to leave for the launch of the Paston Exhibition. More on that story later, as Kirsty Wark would say.

14 March 2009

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A picture I took quite a few years ago now, when the River Bure froze. Lost a bit of its colour, but I like the composition.

Quite a quiet week for me, though Dot has been pretty busy, returning to Terrington and visiting a couple of other schools. I won another game of chess, in the club tournament, and I need to maintain this winning streak to finish in a reasonable position, though I won’t win it. I’ve sorted out the Paston Guidebook material – though I haven’t started editing it – and printed off my own booklet of Paston poems, as well as laminating a few poems for the Grapevine exhibition. Bit of a panic with poems for the 20 Group exhibition: the poems with Sandra’s pictures are now sorted out, but I’m not seeing Ruthli till Wednesday, and I have to have all four poems in by Friday!

Took my brother Phil’s birthday presents round on Wednesday, but our conversation was cut short when his neighbour came round, so he came round yesterday to complete it. Now we’re awaiting the arrival of David and the children: David and I are taking Oliver to Carrow Road this afternoon in the hope that the team can maintain their form of Tuesday, when they won 2-0 against Cardiff. But they are still in dire straits. Dot is taking Amy into the city to meet Anne. The weather has warmed up markedly in the last few days, and it’s beginning to feel like spring. I need to get walking again.

5 August 2008

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A view of Brancaster beach, which figures in a poem I’ve just written, mainly about the difficult last few days but also a little bit about Brancaster beach.

Yesterday was very quiet: I wasn’t feeling up to much, but I wrote lots of e-mails and spoke to a few people on the phone. Today was busier: I got up reasonably early and walked up to the sorting office to post off Andrew’s card and present. Then Dot and I drove to the garage, where we got a ridiculous estimate for the vandal-created dents on our car: £1500. Pretty straightforward, said the bodyshop man: it just needs a new roof and a new bonnet. Although we’ll only be paying one sixth of this, I still feel indignant.

On we went to Wells and Big Blue Sky, who bought 12 of my poetry books!! Seems likely they would be interested in smaller booklets, too. Had very encouraging conversation with owner, then moved on to Holkham for a sandwich before heading home via the Walsingham Farm Shop. Towards home had violent stomach upset and only just made it. What next? My body should sort itself out.

The weather switched from calm and warm early on to very wet and unpleasant on the way home, but it seems to have reverted to reasonably pleasant again, though with occasional drops of rain. Shortly the Tuesday Gang will appear. Potatoes are baking.

9 May 2008

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Just back from a couple of restful days with Audrey at Bury St Edmunds. This morning we went for a walk around Thurston – about three miles – with Dot and Audrey clearly in charge. Beautiful warm weather and a welcome breeze, much as it’s been all week. We had lunch at a garden centre. Yesterday we went to Lavenham, then had an evening meal at the pub down the road from Audrey’s house – Moreton Hall. Excellent steak and chips, and the others were very complimentary about their curries.

Dot needed a rest because she’d had an Exclusion Panel on Tuesday, which is always a bit wearing. Also our son is in a lot of pain from what seems to be a kidney stone – it’s just recurred, and he went to the doctor’s today. Much more concerned about him than about me. I feel more or less OK, though I haven’t been sleeping too well, and have got dates for my MRI scan and my x-ray – both next week. Vicky’s birthday tomorrow, and David has baked her a cake despite his pain – well-known Lenton stubbornness coming to the fore. She insisted he went to the doctor today.

Meanwhile my sister-in-law’s brother has died suddenly of a heart attack, I have to go to Coventry next Friday for a case meeting about my brother Andrew, and my cousin Anne and her husband Jim are arriving on Sunday for a few days. I also need to arrange meals with several friends – one of whom has just been bereaved. You know what they say: time is what prevents everything happening at once – lately it doesn’t seem to be working.

While at Audrey’s I did manage to write three poems – one to go with Lucy’s proposed film for Paston, one to go with Annette’s picture, and the other a fairly random one based loosely on Lavenham and the nature of reality, whatever that is.

7 March 2008

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A close-up of my parents’ grave, with the marble refurbished and new headstone. Hope Andrew likes it, as he’s been wanting it done for a long time. He’s due to come to Norwich next weekend, so we shall find out. I think it looks pretty good. Next week sees the anniversary of both their deaths – mum on the 11th and Dad on the 13th – his 52nd and her 14th. Sandwiched neatly in between is Phil’s birthday, something he is not going to forget.

Today the weather is bright, but still blustery. Quite a bit milder. Dot has just gone up to see the nurse for a routine check-up. Tuesday evening went well, with a rather splendid salmon dish for eight cooked entirely by Dot. Afterwards we listened to a tape by a guy who was really too laid back for that late in the evening and spoke very slowly. So although what he said was good, people started falling asleep. One of the things he said was that if God stopped loving us we would cease to exist. The same goes for everything created. I rather like that.

Wednesday was very stressful for various reasons, mainly to do with the insurance company but partly because I got the results of my blood test, which were not as good as I had hoped they would be. So it seems likely that I will have to have the mammoth 20-strike prostate biopsy, which involves general anaesthetic but is only a day procedure. Ironically I feel fine and the symptoms are much less than they were a year or two ago, but you can’t argue with PSA levels. Apparently. I spoke to the consultant’s secretary, but although she said she’d get back to me, she hasn’t. Is this a good sign or just normal incompetence?

In the evening I played chess at Diss, which involved picking up two team members – one from the other side of the city – and driving there, which took a total of about an hour each way. We lost 3-1, but I managed a draw on Board Two, though I was disappointed to miss what might have been a win earlier in the game. We had a strong guest player on Board One, but he lost to Mike Harris, as most people do.

Very poor night’s sleep on Wednesday – about four hours – and I had to get up early yesterday to give a talk on poetry at Costessey Junior School for Sheila Greenacre, who’s a friend and the assistant head. Managed to get there in good time, and the session went very well, partly because Sheila is a very good teacher, partly because they were an excellent set of children. Used quite a few of my poems, but also a couple of others – notably W B Yeats’ He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven (Yeats is a brilliant poet who never quite got the hang of titles). One of my favourites, and they seemed to appreciate it. I thought of doing it as I was lying in bed at about 5am, trying to sleep.

Afterwards we went to Dunston Hall for a bar meal and to make arrangements for our ruby wedding do in August. All went well, but by the time I got home I was pretty well shattered, and we plonked in front of the TV and did some more catching up. While Dot did some work preparing for next inspection I watched Van Helsing – a horror film that’s surprisingly good. I don’t normally watch horror films, but I’d heard it was exceptional, and it is.

In the evening I took the momentous decision to stop watching or recording Torchwood after viewing a particularly tedious episode about someone who is supposed to be walking around dead but acting normally. I love Dr Who, but this spin-off totally fails. The lead character is supposed to be charismatic, but is a smug bit of nothing with no redeeming features. No-one is interesting, the scripts are wooden, and the direction lacks any spark at all. You just hang on waiting for the one new idea to come along, and too often it doesn’t. There’s also a nihilistic background philosophy, which grates. It’s very unusual for us to stop watching a series we’ve started, but last night’s episode was just too appalling. There was no reason to go on, and if you lived in the Torchwood world, it would be hard to see why you would want to. No motivation, either for the viewer or the cast. I have stopped loving Torchwood. It has ceased to exist.

16 February 2008

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Yes, that’s me reading poetry at the Appetite coffee bar in Colchester last night, in aid of Lepra. I did a double act alternating with Rupert (also pictured), and Dot did one of the poems with me. It was organised by Jason McLean and was a bit of a shot in the dark as far as I was concerned. I’m still not sure why he picked on us, because I don’t think it was anything to do with InPrint.

Anyway, it was brilliant. We went by train, it was freezing cold, and there was a walk/climb of over a mile to the cafe, which is in a dark back street. But Jason was very welcoming and bought us some wine. We were on first – nearly half an hour late after Jason postponed the start in the hope of getting more people in. Still there were quite a few, and we seemed to go over well. We both enjoyed doing it very much and want to read together as a duo again. We contrast quite well, I think. Gave me quite a lift.

On the train there we talked about Rupert’s YouTube video, which I think is pretty good. I like the idea of doing something similar with Lucy, but she may have to wait until her Paston project is over. We had discussed it in the past but never got round to it. Dot also gave me some ideas for my embryonic novel; so a good day all round, though I had trouble with my car insurance earlier. One company seem to think I cancelled it last year; another wants evidence of my no claims bonus, which wasn’t there because the first company thought my policy had been cancelled. I have all the paperwork, but it’s hard to convince anyone over the phone.

My cousin Ann has replied to my letter, and I’ve added a few details to my family tree as a result of that and a bit of digging, during which I discovered that my aunt Mary’s first name was not Mary but Abi. Puts her in a completely different light!

Not so good today. The weather is beautifully sunny, but at present Norwich City are losing 3-0 to Leicester. Tonight we go to the Robinsons for a meal, which should be fun.

13 December 2007

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And continuing the theme, here is my cousin Pat at her surprise 60th birthday party. Especially surprising as she’s not 60 yet: I do know when her birthday is, but I can’t reveal it in case everyone who reads this sends her a present. I mean, what would she do with two presents?

Yesterday InPrint did a poetry reading at The Minories (firstsite) in Colchester, and the four poets departed from Norwich – with friend Julie – on the 4pm train, picking up artist Annette at Diss. The walk from the station at Colchester took about 40 minutes and included quite a steep hill, which was invigorating, especially as the weather was literally freezing. The Minories was very welcoming, and there were refreshments, including mince pies. The reading itself was fun , all of us reading five or six poems in all to an audience of about a dozen – which is pretty good, and 12 more than none at all.

After posing for pictures at the end we made our way to the station – Rupert going on ahead because he had to make a connection at Norwich. We thought this was being a bit too careful, but as it turned out, it was merely prudent. Caroline and I, walking briskly, joined him with five minutes or so to spare, but the other three, who started off just behind us, dropped back so much that they went the wrong way – which was not easy, as it was a straight road. After a phone call they got back on track, but we still thought they hadn’t made it. But they jumped on by the skin of their teeth (unfortunately no photo) and in a packed train we managed to get quite close to each other.

A pleasant excursion: we munched mince pies from a goodie bag and got back to Norwich about 9pm.

Today was still cold. I managed to catch up with quite a bit of stuff – the poetry leaflet didn’t make it – and picked up the pictures I’d bought from Bally. Wrote some more Christmas cards and ordered my Christmas present – a camera – from Amazon, after discovering I would get triple Nectar points, whatever they are. Took a Christmas present up to Menita and Regis and picked up six bottles of wine they’d brought from France for us. Fortunately I had enough cash with me, because I’d forgotten about it. Dot left for Newmarket, where she’s doing a church school inspection tomorrow, about 3.30, and I wrote most of my page for the EDP. Tomorrow I need to finish it and make sure all is ready for Sunday’s carol service.

28 November 2007

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My lovely grand-daughter Amy is pictured on the trampoline I tripped over a few weeks ago, injuring my ribs. All OK now, and my trips to the chiropractor (actually provoked by something else entirely) are now down to one a fortnight. Cunningly I have managed to switch chiropractors – not because the one treating me was no good (he did the job well and is quite pleasant) – but because I prefer the other one’s less vigorous technique. Also he’s Canadian.

A very busy few days since my last post. As it turned out we didn’t do a poetry reading at the Open Studios event, but it all went very well indeed, despite the very cold weather – inside the factory as well as outside. Several friends came, and Dot and I bought a few cards and a couple of blocks. Coincidentally, when David visited on the Sunday he picked out the same blocks, not knowing we had bought them.

The family were up for the weekend to celebrate Dot’s birthday. We took a bus into town on the Saturday, and Dot and I walked around the close-to-icy streets with Oliver and Amy while David and Vicky did some shopping. We popped into Langleys, the toy shop in the Arcade, and Oliver decided he would like just about everything for Christmas. After lengthy deliberation he got a coach to be going on with, and Amy got two or three smaller things. We stopped for a drink and then got the bus back. Norwich City had won a football match for the first time for months – 2-0 against Coventry.

On the Sunday I was preaching and playing guitar at church, though not simultaneously. We followed this with an excellent lunch at Prezzo’s, and then David and I went to see how the Open Studios were going. In the evening I went to the Ambient Wonder music event at St Augustine’s and wished I’d made the extra effort to perform, because they had all the right equipment. It would have been difficult though, because there would have been no opportunity to rehearse or tune up. As it was I introduced Jackson Browne’s Fountain of Sorrow as one of my favourite songs.

On Monday I avoided losing at chess by the expedient of not playing. My stomach was a bit upset, or I might have gone up for a casual game, but instead I stayed at home while Dot went to a YFC meeting. I finished my short story entry for the Fish competition and sent it off. It was a bit rushed, but not bad. I don’t think it will win anything. Yesterday I completed the St Augustine’s Christmas drama, including choice of carols and readings. I went to the Tuesday meal at the Archers’ (shepherdess pie) and allocated the key roles to David and Bridget. No messing. Dot was at a head teachers’ meeting at Trowse. Wrote a carol.

I also had my blood tested. Results will go to the hospital, and I’m hoping that the PSA level will be down. Norwich won again last night – 3-1 away at Blackpool. Strange times.

15 October 2007

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Well, it turned out to be Swardeston Church, which I realised just in time. Very pleasant evening: concert by a string quartet, with three poems from me in the middle. Seemed to go well: sold a few leaflets and a couple of books afterwards to benefit the festival fund. Had a drink in the refreshment are and chatted to a couple of people. Nice atmosphere – good weather too – and to cap it all we saw the rugby without knowing the score: England in the final after beating France. They’ll play South Africa next weekend.

Met a woman at Swardeston – Grace Smith – who knew my aunt Dorothy when she was school secretary at Lakenham, before she became matron at Norwich School. She also knew Frank and knows Josephine. She told me my grandmother stayed at Brundall some time during the war, which I didn’t know. Gave her a copy of my poetry book with the poem about Dorothy in it (Coltishall Hall).

Nobel Peace Prize won by Al Gore and the IPCC, which is a joke. Might as well have given him the Nobel Prize for physics. Obviously releasing a film full of scientific holes and making pots of money out of climate change is peaceful in some way. At least it wasn’t the Nobel Prize for Truth.

Spent the evening with the Cracknells on Friday discussing theology over a chicken takeaway and wine, and on Saturday (before the poetry reading) had a brief Creative Day at Bally, though only Rupert, Tonia ands Joan were present. However, got Joan’s password and put her on the web site with David’s help. I’m writing some poetry to go with Joan’s new pieces for the PVM boxes.

Meanwhile our lovely granddaughter Amy gave us all a scare by falling off a high walkway at Woodside and landing on her head. Big bruise, but she didn’t lose consciousness. On Saturday evening she was taken to the A & E on the advice of the doctor after her neck seemed stiff. But it seems she’s OK. She’s three this coming weekend.

Weather has been quite mild. I led the service on Sunday, and in the afternoon Dot and I went to Alderfen Broad, a little-known spot approached down a bumpy track with a tiny car park at the end. No siognposts, so I guess they’re not actually promoting it. Quite unprepossessing but lovely spot: peaceful. We walked down some pathways and looked at a cormorant, some coot and a grebe or two from the hide. Also five unidentified ducks of some kind.

Today work on the garage proper started. Colin took away loads of stuff and came back to fill some holes, make a door work and do a lot of painting – ceiling and walls. Tomorrow Dot and I head for Great Bircham, where we stay the night before her inspection on Wednesday. Hopefully it will be nice enough for me to go for a walk.

Tonight I won a game of chess on top board – about time – and the team won 3.5-0.5, with the help of a default.

Picture is of the lovely Amy on a different climbing frame, but at the same place.

14 July 2007

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I am not really writing this on 14 July. It’s 30 July, but if I tried to get everything that’s happened since the 9th on one entry, it would be a huge mass of text. As it is, I’m going to have to cut it down drastically, because I just haven’t got time to write it all. Future historians (ha!) will find more information but less coherence in my notebooks.

The picture is of me at Bantry, shortly after receiving my 1000-euro cheque from Fish Publishing and reading my poem, The Island Grows On Me, to the assembled throng. Quite a large number of them and in a very swish setting: the new and very upmarket Maritime Hotel, Bantry. Dot was so impressed by it that she took a picture of the ladies’ loos (not included here).

Also in the picture are Debra Shulkes, runner-up in the poetry (with her back to the camera), Jo Cannon (short-story runner-up) and (off to the side) Jo Campbell, runnner-up, short histories. Got to know these three quite well, as well as a guy from America.

We’d flown to Cork from Stansted on July 11, after Dot had visited two schools in the West of Norfolk: Necton and Ten Mile Bank. We’d strolled round Swaffham, finding the house featured in Kingdom – Stephen Fry’s TV series – and had eaten lunch at The Bridge, where we’d eaten earlier iin the year when Dot visited Oakington. Nice meal, lovely setting on the Cam.

Flying was the usual nightmare, even though it all went smoothly. Dot’s handcream alarmed the machine, so she had to go and obtain a plastic bag for it, which of course immediately rendered it harmless. I was searched randomly. At least, they said it was random, but it seemed systematic to me. Car hire at Cork no problem, but we had a little trouble finding the hotel. Once we did, we enjoyed it: very luxurious. If I could remember what it was, I’d tell you.

On the 12th – my 62nd birthday – we drove to Bantry. Before too long we stopped at a little-known place called Inchigeelagh, where there was a tasteful modern cafe and a ruined church, which I wondered round, almost falling into a couple of semi-open graves (holes below the stones). Quite eerie. Headed onwards to the Gouganne Barra – a magical spot in a glacial valley where St Finbarr established an oratory on a little lake island accessed by a causeway. This area also featured the toilets of the year 2002, which were quite something. I know you think I’m kidding, but I’m not.

Later we took a single-track road into the hills north of Bantry – a place called the Priest’s Leap. Happily there was absolutely no other traffic, because there was hardly anywhere to pass, let alone turn round. Amazing view of Bantry Bay from near the top. Quite idyllic. Walked a little then managed to turn and drove down into Bantry, where we found the hotel – nowhere near as good as the Cork one, but good enough. Had a home-cooked-style evening meal and went for a walk: found the Pillar Stone of Kilnaurane on a hill, surrounded by rather cheap wire and ramshackle posts. This is a ninth-century artefact which may carry a carved picture of St Brendan. In England it would have a visitor centre and a large car park. In Ireland it has an easily-missed signpost and is approached over a field from a back road. The view from the hill is superb.

The next day we drove down to Mizen Head, the most southerly point of Ireland, where there actually is a visitor centre – quite good, too, though we had to ask someone how to reach the path to the headland. The Irish are not great on signposts. In cloud when we arrived, and the man who took the tickets said we had no chance of seeing Fastnet today. Less than an hour later the cloud had lifted quite well enough to see Fastnet clearly, which just goes to show that local weather forecasters are not all they’re cracked up to be. Cliffs here are spectacular. Made our way back to Bantry for the evening ceremony, taking in a nearby beach and the southern coast, including Goleen, with its tiny harbour and inviting but shut Heron restaurant, and the much busier Schull, where we saw the ferry from Clear Island arrive. Lovely coastline.

After a bar meal we drove into Bantry for the ceremony. Saw the first part of the Slam (open mic) afterwards, but then returned to the hotel for sleep.

“Today” we drove back to Cork. Weather has been mostly good, with the occasional shower, most of which we missed. Drove to Glengariff and then over Healey’s Pass, a beautiful winding road which took us into County Kerry. Got slightly lost around Kenmare and found ourselves on tiny back roads: at one point a tractor had to back up for us. Eventually emerged roughly where we had anticipated and worked our way by back roads to Inchigeelagh again, where we had lunch to the accompaniment outside of what must have been a major wedding in the area. Stopped at a a haunting wetland area, then decided we just had time to see Blarney Castle – and ended up climbing to the very top to see the Blarney Stone. We decided not to kiss it as this required contortions: there were also hygiene issues. Lovely castle, though.

The drive back to the airport took longer than we thought, but we had plenty of time in the end. Met a couple from the ceremony – Jo Campbell and her husband – and the flight home was pretty uneventful. Stansted to Norwich took well over two hours, largely (or entirely) because Dot left her glasses at a service station on the Newmarket bypass, and retrieving it took a 25-mile round trip because of the lack of dual-carriageway exits. So home about 12.30am – and it was really July 15. Ah, well.