Today has been a day of contrasts: of spending half in a warehouse sorting clothes donations for refugees, thinking about the people each piece is destined for and the horrific circumstances that would force a person to leave their homeland in the hope of a future without war or persecution; and this evening walking carefree along a beautiful beach watching ferries trundle past in the bright autumn sun knowing I will wake to this view, and acutely aware that my…
I’ve really enjoyed writing wedding poems for friends and family over the years. Perhaps, when I feel in a dark place about where the world is headed this helps me to connect with what is really worth focussing on, which is love. Sam & Steve are old friends whose beautiful relationship brings energy to everyone around them. Their inspiring connection makes this poem so easy to write. So much love for this amazing couple and their new baby-to-be. …
Followed a sign for a lake as I was thinking of swimming but it turned out to be a plant-filled-pond. Not swimmable! I did, however find this lovely wild mint instead. And the Alder trees here asked me to visualise what it is that I really want instead of what I think people want from me. Speaking the words out loud made them real: I want to travel Europe in the van with Andy and the hounds; with my…
Celebrated Bengali singer, songwriter, poet & archivist Moushumi Bhowmik and I are exploring north Wales (the place of my birth) this week. A shared love of good food and cooking means that our temporary cottage is filled with the most delicious aromas. On a day of torrential rain yesterday Moushumi made khichuri (red lentils, rice, potatoes, tomatoes & spices), with tomator chatni (a Bengali spiced tomato chutney), and begoon bhaja (aubergine fried with salt, turmeric & sugar). For dessert I made baked…
Love my mini Zoom for when I quickly want to capture a specific sound. The bees are a choir buzzing around dad’s fuschias this morning ??? #dailyconnectionwithnature day106 #bees #sound #fieldrecordings #fuschia #pink #flowers #lovebees #beefood #sunnymorning #outdoors #zoom #shotgunmic #busybee #listen #slowdown #dreamer #slowtime #flower #collector #buzz #getoutside #outsideeveryday #exploretocreate #momentsofmine #quitthechaos…
We’re all itching to hit the road now. Van passed her MOT today with not too many things that needed fixing – new rear tyres will help with those climbs on the French and Swiss Alps. I’m missing having such an easy connection with nature – being back has made me realise how much concrete we’re surrounded by all the time in our towns and housing estates. Dreaming of chasing mountains and immersing in the waters and languages of…
Spent the afternoon with dad visiting some favourite places and watching him run riot on his new scooter while laughing his head off. Autumn is most definitely on her way ?? ?? and with her the understanding that nothing lasts forever so to make the most of every moment. #dailyconnectionwithnature day104 (I’ve decided to do this for 365 days to see where it takes me.)…
Dear friends – we leave for Europe in less than two weeks and I didn’t feel it possible to drive through Calais again this year without stopping to volunteer at one of the refugee centres for a week. My heart broke to see all the razor wire, twenty-foot-high fences and armed security put there in response to people who are fleeing for their lives and who don’t have the luxury of a van like ours to travel and sleep…
We’re doing the family rounds before heading off to Europe in a couple of weeks. Visiting all their houses and trying to find places to park up whilst doing so makes me think again about our shift in lifestyle: switching from being settled to being nomadic. I’ve thought a lot about this lately because being in Wales means we come up against the many many rules and regulations that are designed to prevent people from travelling, including massive, empty…