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Well, I’ve broken my blog silence since National Poetry Day, as I’ve been happily occupied with creative writing projects on a brick brutalist housing estate in Colindale and other contrasting workshop experiences, (such as a gourmet cheese and wine poetry and photography event in Pistachio and Pickle, Islington) to tell you about a book that…

Well, here we are on the eve of National Poetry Day and my friend Sally has just read me a poem she’s written called ‘Growing into Old.’  As Sally is in her 80s, but with more energy than 3 people half her age, I thought it would be a lovely, hopeful poem to put up for…

So here’s the next poem from the new audio book  – Poem 17 Falling into Beauty.   It’s about how we plan the future… or rather, don’t.  You can listen here. So where’s  the glimmer of safety in the churn?  It turns out, that the person who will be commenting on Falling into Beauty, is Katrien, my Belgian…

Tyrrell!  (Pronounced Tie Rell) Welcome to England, fresh from Canada! When you  messaged me from Canada, I think you’d just left your job on the railways in the Rocky mountains.  It sounded like you were looking for more than just a change of scene. After all, the scenery must be pretty amazing from those trains…

It’s wonderful to have you here, as you wend your way to Oxford from Archatheos, (pronounced Ar KAY theos) from the realm of Deliverance to the grave of the Maker of Middle Earth himself, JRR Tolkien. Apparently you were the first Bard of the realm.  That’s got to be good summer camp work!   So…

It always sounded like such a hopeful poem to me – the Edge of Our Unknowing, “I like it that friendship is like getting into a boatPushed out from the shore,There’ll always be more you want to knowTo see, to feel, to sailBut there’s only the journey, never arrivingBut the sea is wide and free.”…

It’s fascinating to see what insights people bring to your own poems.  When I heard David’s voice in the Arts Tent at Youth 2000 Festival,  saying hello, I knew I was in for a treat.  The last time we met, had been a few years ago,  on a beach in Nice, looking at the sea…

So here is Jemima, whose name reminds me of gingerbread and all things beautiful and Beatrix Potter. Her mum Maria assures me they ARE big fans of the enchanting Miss Potter and the family have just finished the whole 23 book series. Maria also homeschools Lani, Rupert and Hugo, whilst managing to run a health…

I had the great pleasure of kicking a ball around in the park with a 7 year old friend of mine today; Here’s the evidence, because we think he’s a bit too young to be online, but he wants to show you his football. Now, I know he’s great at reciting poetry, but I’m intrigued…