Nighttime on Still Waters

Narrowboat at night by Dru Marland

Yes, I agree. Jill Barklem's books tap into something deep and enduring.
Have you seen Dru Marland's work. They're a little different to this, but they are rather special to me.

Illustration from Jill Barklem's Brambly Hedge series

Aw, I love this. I expect you already know Jill Barklem's Brambly Hedge series. This reminds me of it.

My pleasure and I hope you will all enjoy it as much as I have,

It's a wonderful book and you get a really rich feel for this complex and gentle man who in the most humble and courageous way seemed to touch the lives of so many, poor and rich, elite and despised. Through his writing you also get a lovely sense of place too. I am sure you'd love it!

Apropos of everything, this is a beautiful account to follow from a kind and luminous person. Wishing safety, peace, mercy, grace...

'Under a thousand towering pines
Cloistered in deep green shade
Steam from a pine-cone fire billows
I'm buried inside a white cloud.
Often I sit here under these trees
Then leave without any earnings,
Again today I face the oine breeze
Sitting alone with my unsold tea.'

Baisaō (trans. N. Waddell)

Cover of Norman Waddell's book Baisaō: The Old Tea Seller. Containing biography and extensive annotated translations of his poetry and writings.

Back blurb of Norman Waddell's book Baisaō

I have been really enjoying meeting and getting to know Baisaō (Old Tea Seller). Like Ryokan and Ikkya, he was a man who lived in politically troubled times and refused to let the rigid constraints of religion and social mores bind him. His life continues to speak to many.
#zen

An early spring mosaic of green growth. Emerald moss, jewelled with moisture, lie in soft pillows alongside couch and aram. The chestnut browns and burgundies of last summers leave nestled in patchwork comfort. This is how the years slip together

It's a wetting mizzle
The type that drenches clothes
And decorates alder and plum
With perfect globes of glass,
But leaves the waters' surface
Untouched; a shimmering mirror.
It's like the embrace of hope.

#naturewriting #naturepoetry #hope #rain #plants

Thanks for posting. I'd forgotten this.

Thank you Natty

Another jagged night;
A rough crossing.
Wake tired.
Get to work early.
The campus is hunched dark
And filled with sleep.

We both await
The dawn
With its
Magnificence of magpies.

#naturewriting #birds #dawn #sleeplessnights

Hear, hear!! A sentiment that could be applied to so many other issues relating to the environment.

Haha, yes, if only all that energy and activity could be harnessed!! 🤣

Thank you, Ana. Yes, you're right.

Wow, that's lovely. Just now, came across my first coltsfoot this year.

Beautiful! Thank you

🥶❄️🧊🥶

A hot chocolate sounds just the thing!!

The Seventh Word (Reflections on canal-life - 2) In tonight’s episode, with the help of a few of our listeners, I continue to reflect on life aboard the Erica and how it might have changed our lives as well as go …

Welcome to the second part of my reflection on canal-life. Is life afloat good for mental well-being? What is the 'seventh word'? Who is the culprit vandalising the towpath? Possibly, at least one of these questions will be answered!
#Podcast #ukcanals #mentalwellness
www.noswpod.com/seventh-word/

What a wonderful selection of books to receive! Many happy hours of reading there. Perfect for the long nights around the stove. Hope the towpath begins to make an appearance soon!

Thank you, Jenevieve, Yes, this year it has battled behind thick clouds, but it has done its job well and watched over us all during the darker days.

Signed. So maddening that after all the claims and legislation, we're STILL here, having to do this!!

Thank you, Natty. Yes, it's strange how it's the prosaic, run-of-the-mill events that somehow become the most cherished and capture the heart in such powerful ways.

Creamy white petals of plum blossom open. A blend of cream, yellows and light greens. A blue sky draws out their colour. Frost on the grass reminds us that the delicate and the beautiful are the hardiest of qualities.

Light frost
Plum blossom
Old winter sun
'My work is done.'

#naturewriting #naturepoetry #blossom #winter #spring #seasons

Yes, what triggers these moments can be so random and totally unpredictable. Thank you

😅

Yes, thank you. You're right. It never leaves and it only takes something like a heavy sky, just the right shade of grey, to bring it all back.

Thank you so much, Jen

Haha, I love "little spring elves of the canal"!! Describes them so well!

Thank you