An Interview about the poem ‘Definition’ taken from Farmotherlands
(This blog was first published on Substack as part of the Thrutopia collection. The editor for the piece after the poem was Ana Salote. ‘Thrutopia’ was an initiative I attended, curated by Manda Scott. It was a creative and educational project encouraging us to consider not utopias (idealised futures) or dystopias (the worst imaginable … Read more
Violets, oaks and how we are all connected
Violets
Have you noticed how many violets there are this year?
The warmer weather has drawn them out. They peep from the hedgerows, the verges, the woodland. Tiny, purple, delicate. This year they have had a chance to bloom before the more robust plants like nettles and grasses crowd them out. They glow in the … Read more
New connections and why community is important
Thank you all for your lovely messages about the launch…I’m really glad it has created so many connections.
Here’s one of the poems from the collection:
And here is an essay about the poem, but also about the launch and my thinking around community and why it matters.
… Read more‘Ultimately, I think it is connection that
Otters, words and buy a share of Babbinswood Farm
Otter
I found a dead otter by the side of the road the other day. It looked peaceful. Its front legs were crossed gently as if relaxing. It had a face like a dog. It didn’t seem crushed or injured so I’m not convinced it had been hit by a car, but they why was … Read more
Some thoughts on rain
I’m gathering words and lines and drops of rain to help me love it more:
Fun facts from the Met Office: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/rain/
Petrichor
Petrichor is the smell of rain. The word comes from the Greek words ‘petra’, meaning stone, and ‘ichor’, which in Greek mythology refers to the golden fluid that flows in the veins … Read more
Sometimes broken is better
I planted sunflowers again this year, from the gleaned seeds of last year. They have to be one of my favourite flowers, bright, robust, direct, stark against the sharp blue cold sky today, but also against the black grey of the week. The bees love them, the squirrels hang off them feeding. They make me … Read more