POETRY STARTS AGAIN AFTER THE SUMMER BREAK
STANZA MAR MENOR resumed after the summer break. We met in the usual place on a very wet morning just the four of us David, Douglas, Margaret and this scribe. Kathy was investigating Granada but no doubt she will have found something to write about for when we meet again.
OUR NEXT MEETING IS NEXT FRIDAY WHICH HAS BEEN BROUGHT FORWARD ONE WEEK. It is now on FRIDAY 5TH OCTOBER as it is a public holiday on the following one. We then have a three week gap until 26th October.
The four of us managed to chat and discuss those poems that had been brought. David showed us three more of his train poems and we discussed some more of his ideas. He is now up 35 completed ones out of his target of 50.
Douglas produced three which were very different from each other-as usual well received.
Margaret brought two very emotive ones which were both funny and sad.
John’s meagre contribution was a poem written about the journey to Bilbao and a visit to see Hockney’s exhibition at The Guggenheim. It needs some more work on it.
If anyone wants to see any of these just ask the author concerned.
The quality of those poems offered for discussion makes me realise each time that we meet just how bloody good our meetings are and how beneficial the support and feedback is.
Last Saturday David, Douglas and I travelled to Relleu where Jo Shapcott was holding a morning’s workshop. These three will look at what had been achieved and this will form the basis of next Friday’s meeting.
Also discussed was a session to critique one or some of the poems published in Poetry Review. This has been suggested by Paul McGrane with the idea of submitting our thoughts back to The Poetry Society. I am of the opinion that it is something to look at, even if our views never leave the meeting. This is not just for praise but an invitation to comment either way
On Monday 8th October at 7.30m at Chadwick’s, Villamartin I will be hosting the 10th ‘Open Mic’.
Your support is required and will you please advertise it and coerce as many as you can.
That’s it for now until next week.
28th September 2012
Friday, 28 September 2012
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
ROSA BLANCA AGAIN
We are in Sierra de Segura again and staying at RosaBlancaBnB with Wendy. This time we have been accompanied by two urbanites from Hove-Neal and Robbie- who had decided to see some of ‘the real Spain’. Oh! How they enjoyed the experience of it, the sheer beauty and the space of being up there. Now that they have seen a little they want to come back and seem some more. We went ‘off road’ and high into these mountains. Angel was our driver as there was two vehicles out on this trip and the ‘boys’ thought that he was just that-an angel!. He knew his stuff for you could see that he loved his local patch and he certainly knew where those elusive animals were.
We were up there almost all alone and high enough for the air to be clean and nowhere is there a pylon or pole in sight. The only technical muttering is deep from inside someone’s man bag as a mobile demands attention. You are never alone with a phone-even someone else’s tuned in to ‘Message in a Bottle’. The sound of the wind in the trees was all the music that I could ever want. It just helped the peace settle around us.
Okay, enough of that and now down to hard facts. It was a light birding day but there were still some Swallows heading south with a few Northern Wheatear fluttering about. There were flocks of Mistle Thrush, Serin, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Linnet. It was good to see two Black Wheatears that flew to our right-their white tail feathers showing clearly for us. We had a great view of a perched female Kestrel but others flew around often as they swept low over the parched sierra hoping to scare up some prey.
We had some really great views of Griffon Vultures as they perched on rocky outcrops and flew around. We had the advantage of being higher than they were thus being able to see their brown plumage. In one location we had a quick look at a large bird that flew before anyone could see what it really was. The thinking ranged from Golden Eagle to even Black Vulture but sadly in the blink of an eye it had disappeared among the trees.
Our two mountain men found a female Muflon and we had good views of Cabra Montes, Red (Ciervo) and Fallow (Gamo) deer with young. All this was good as the sierra is waiting for its autumnal soak for the fungi to poke their heads up and to allow the rut to get going. The leaf colours are changing but the next few days will see that change accelerate.
All four of us had great fun during our two night stay-which is never long enough for me-with Neal and Robbie seeing this area for the first time. They witnessed the friendliness of the rural people which was amplified by being poured gin and tonics among the trees by a very sociable Spanish family enjoying their day out. It just tastes better when it is unexpected. Thank you to everyone for helping me to enjoy each day.
We are in Sierra de Segura again and staying at RosaBlancaBnB with Wendy. This time we have been accompanied by two urbanites from Hove-Neal and Robbie- who had decided to see some of ‘the real Spain’. Oh! How they enjoyed the experience of it, the sheer beauty and the space of being up there. Now that they have seen a little they want to come back and seem some more. We went ‘off road’ and high into these mountains. Angel was our driver as there was two vehicles out on this trip and the ‘boys’ thought that he was just that-an angel!. He knew his stuff for you could see that he loved his local patch and he certainly knew where those elusive animals were.
We were up there almost all alone and high enough for the air to be clean and nowhere is there a pylon or pole in sight. The only technical muttering is deep from inside someone’s man bag as a mobile demands attention. You are never alone with a phone-even someone else’s tuned in to ‘Message in a Bottle’. The sound of the wind in the trees was all the music that I could ever want. It just helped the peace settle around us.
Okay, enough of that and now down to hard facts. It was a light birding day but there were still some Swallows heading south with a few Northern Wheatear fluttering about. There were flocks of Mistle Thrush, Serin, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Linnet. It was good to see two Black Wheatears that flew to our right-their white tail feathers showing clearly for us. We had a great view of a perched female Kestrel but others flew around often as they swept low over the parched sierra hoping to scare up some prey.
We had some really great views of Griffon Vultures as they perched on rocky outcrops and flew around. We had the advantage of being higher than they were thus being able to see their brown plumage. In one location we had a quick look at a large bird that flew before anyone could see what it really was. The thinking ranged from Golden Eagle to even Black Vulture but sadly in the blink of an eye it had disappeared among the trees.
Our two mountain men found a female Muflon and we had good views of Cabra Montes, Red (Ciervo) and Fallow (Gamo) deer with young. All this was good as the sierra is waiting for its autumnal soak for the fungi to poke their heads up and to allow the rut to get going. The leaf colours are changing but the next few days will see that change accelerate.
All four of us had great fun during our two night stay-which is never long enough for me-with Neal and Robbie seeing this area for the first time. They witnessed the friendliness of the rural people which was amplified by being poured gin and tonics among the trees by a very sociable Spanish family enjoying their day out. It just tastes better when it is unexpected. Thank you to everyone for helping me to enjoy each day.
Thursday, 20 September 2012
back home
I have posted my last one on our eleven week trip and now we are concentrating on getting back to some state of normality back at home.
Michelle has written her last entry on our travel blog at http//:travelsa-d.blogspot.com
Michelle has written her last entry on our travel blog at http//:travelsa-d.blogspot.com
JOURNEY’S END
We have done it. We have arrived back safely to our home after seven weeks away and over six thousand miles of shared driving with a fully loaded car. An idiot coming out of a Ledbury side street could have meant that these first two lines would not have been written. As it was Michelle stamped on the brakes and we missed this hapless spectacled blonde (she would have to be, of course) who zoomed around the stationary front of us and disappeared on the end of my scream. Could she ever guess what her renamed ‘handle’ now could be.
In Woolhope the Swallows and House Martins were still feeding over the meadow in readiness for their migration to Southern Africa. When we arrived in San Miguel it was good to see Swallows were still here-summer is not quite over. It’s a sad time when they have all gone.
We left Portsmouth late Sunday evening (16th) to travel to Bilbao via Roscoff (that’s the way this sailing goes) which meant that we had a full day at sea doing a lot of wave watching. The ocean was smooth and so it was ideal to look out for any marine life. I saw the most number of dolphins ever on one trip and spent another couple of hours chatting to the ORCA representative on the top deck. Most were common Dolphin but he believed that some might have been striped. He could not clearly see the markings but from their behaviour he thought that is what they were. I had my first clear view of a Sun Fish. Birding wise there were some adult Gannets with Shearwaters skimming over the water. Next time that I do this trip I will have a much better look at the bird book but it is possible that we saw several Cory’s Shearwater with their brownish plumage (it would have been good to have an expert to hand) The ORCA man had studied in Marine Biology and got himself a 2.1 and so now he is looking for a job. He is also paying more attention to birds and studying The Collins Bird Guide.
Today the temperature is well above 30 degrees and we have already adjusted to being home but not the heat. It is Fiesta time and our friends from Hove are here as well. We are catching up with other friends who were left to in Spain in the heat and we intend to go to Sierra de Segurra with our Hove friends at the week-end.
Writing has had been firmly place on the back seat but I will be kick started on Saturday when I will be going to a poetry workshop being run by Jo Shapcott. Then I have a Poetry Stanza meeting followed by an ‘open mic’ evening on 8th October. In addition my home village, Tarrington, are preparing to bury a ‘time capsule’ for which I hope to have included a piece written by me.
It is now siesta time but I will post this one later.
We have done it. We have arrived back safely to our home after seven weeks away and over six thousand miles of shared driving with a fully loaded car. An idiot coming out of a Ledbury side street could have meant that these first two lines would not have been written. As it was Michelle stamped on the brakes and we missed this hapless spectacled blonde (she would have to be, of course) who zoomed around the stationary front of us and disappeared on the end of my scream. Could she ever guess what her renamed ‘handle’ now could be.
In Woolhope the Swallows and House Martins were still feeding over the meadow in readiness for their migration to Southern Africa. When we arrived in San Miguel it was good to see Swallows were still here-summer is not quite over. It’s a sad time when they have all gone.
We left Portsmouth late Sunday evening (16th) to travel to Bilbao via Roscoff (that’s the way this sailing goes) which meant that we had a full day at sea doing a lot of wave watching. The ocean was smooth and so it was ideal to look out for any marine life. I saw the most number of dolphins ever on one trip and spent another couple of hours chatting to the ORCA representative on the top deck. Most were common Dolphin but he believed that some might have been striped. He could not clearly see the markings but from their behaviour he thought that is what they were. I had my first clear view of a Sun Fish. Birding wise there were some adult Gannets with Shearwaters skimming over the water. Next time that I do this trip I will have a much better look at the bird book but it is possible that we saw several Cory’s Shearwater with their brownish plumage (it would have been good to have an expert to hand) The ORCA man had studied in Marine Biology and got himself a 2.1 and so now he is looking for a job. He is also paying more attention to birds and studying The Collins Bird Guide.
Today the temperature is well above 30 degrees and we have already adjusted to being home but not the heat. It is Fiesta time and our friends from Hove are here as well. We are catching up with other friends who were left to in Spain in the heat and we intend to go to Sierra de Segurra with our Hove friends at the week-end.
Writing has had been firmly place on the back seat but I will be kick started on Saturday when I will be going to a poetry workshop being run by Jo Shapcott. Then I have a Poetry Stanza meeting followed by an ‘open mic’ evening on 8th October. In addition my home village, Tarrington, are preparing to bury a ‘time capsule’ for which I hope to have included a piece written by me.
It is now siesta time but I will post this one later.
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
We know that we have been lucky with the weather while we have been in England insomuch that when it rained, for most of the time, it rained not on us. However I think that summer did end last Sunday which was a beautiful day for the forecast indicated rain approaching from the west.We have had some rain and the temperatures are definitely lower.We spent the whole day at The International Biirds of Prey Centre at Newent and we saw three of the flying displays of a variety of owls and falcons. I would recommend this site and they do need our support. During one of the displays a wild Hobby flew high above us and at the end of the day two Buzzards appeared.
We have spent the last two days at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust where we hoped to get as much birding in as possible. This was our only chance to go there and they still await the arrival of the northern wintering birds. It was quiet therefore but we did get two really good hits those being a Long Billed Dowitcher and one Mediteranean Gull which were both pointed out by friendly birders-both recorded by Michelle on her magic camera. You will get one eventually posted on this blog. We saw Peregrine flying and a Hobby flew over to scatter the waders. To add to our day a Bullfinch flew in front of us and we intend to go back and walk that hedgerow in the morning.
These were also two important days when I met a distant cousin for the first time in fifty three years and so birding was running alongside some of my past.
We are still enjoying Herefordshire and maybe see some more farmland birds.
We have spent the last two days at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust where we hoped to get as much birding in as possible. This was our only chance to go there and they still await the arrival of the northern wintering birds. It was quiet therefore but we did get two really good hits those being a Long Billed Dowitcher and one Mediteranean Gull which were both pointed out by friendly birders-both recorded by Michelle on her magic camera. You will get one eventually posted on this blog. We saw Peregrine flying and a Hobby flew over to scatter the waders. To add to our day a Bullfinch flew in front of us and we intend to go back and walk that hedgerow in the morning.
These were also two important days when I met a distant cousin for the first time in fifty three years and so birding was running alongside some of my past.
We are still enjoying Herefordshire and maybe see some more farmland birds.
Friday, 7 September 2012
We are both enjoying the September sunshine and have watched the cut grass allow the heat of the day turn it into hay with a little help from a woman on a tractor.Overhead there are swallows and housemartins feeding themselves up for their trip to the south. We have a pair of kestrels perching in full view and buzzards are heard frequently. At night the tawnys call.
Wednesday saw us take in Richard Third and Twelth Night at Stratford. It was entertaining enough but the that bit extra was provided by a 'fat team' who thudded down the aisle and flopped into their seats. They would make good friends sitting next to them on an aeroplane. There was more when Mrs Huge Size arrived with Mr Slim. I wonder how that works but neccesity is the mother of invention- so good luck to them.
All in all a good night and yesterday was a quiet day with a trip into Fownhope and then into Ledbury and of course visits to the bookshops. I have a lot of memories there and so it was good to amble around and take it all in again.
The writing that I had every intention of doing has not happened-so far-but I still am thinking on it.
Wednesday saw us take in Richard Third and Twelth Night at Stratford. It was entertaining enough but the that bit extra was provided by a 'fat team' who thudded down the aisle and flopped into their seats. They would make good friends sitting next to them on an aeroplane. There was more when Mrs Huge Size arrived with Mr Slim. I wonder how that works but neccesity is the mother of invention- so good luck to them.
All in all a good night and yesterday was a quiet day with a trip into Fownhope and then into Ledbury and of course visits to the bookshops. I have a lot of memories there and so it was good to amble around and take it all in again.
The writing that I had every intention of doing has not happened-so far-but I still am thinking on it.
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
LAST TWO WEEKS
We are on the last part of our eleven week journey with fourteen days in Woolhope, Herefordshire – a village where my paternal grandfather was born and a place that I have regularly come to over the years with my parents. This area has provided some wonderful memories for me and it is a great place to return to. The countryside has mature trees, thick hedgerows and is alive with wildlife.
We left Walton Thorns Farm having had a good chat with our host Graham about the birds on his farm. The small number of birds in and around the buildings can be attributed to regular visits made by Sparrow Hawk. The trail camera did not capture a thing and we will have another go at Christmas.
Saturday afternoon was spent in The Shed at Kingsholm trying to shout on a transitional Gloucester side that were overpowered in the first half but managed to do much better in the second but we still lost by five points. The atmosphere created by this home crowd was refreshing and there was none of the chanting and obscene language of the round ball game. It was just a friendly place to be with real ale and Guinness available to drink during the match. Afterwards there was more beer and a curry in Gloucester City Centre with some very good friends. It was so good to sit with many others wearing the cherry and white of their home team.
Yesterday it was a’ Sunday Lunch’ with the same friends in The Crown Inn next to the church in Woolhope. It was all so thoroughly enjoyable. This morning we are catching up with ourselves, enjoying the birdsong outside and waiting for the sun to burn off the mist. Yesterday evening we had a Buzzard perched close by and as the light went Tawny Owls were calling.
We left Walton Thorns Farm having had a good chat with our host Graham about the birds on his farm. The small number of birds in and around the buildings can be attributed to regular visits made by Sparrow Hawk. The trail camera did not capture a thing and we will have another go at Christmas.
Saturday afternoon was spent in The Shed at Kingsholm trying to shout on a transitional Gloucester side that were overpowered in the first half but managed to do much better in the second but we still lost by five points. The atmosphere created by this home crowd was refreshing and there was none of the chanting and obscene language of the round ball game. It was just a friendly place to be with real ale and Guinness available to drink during the match. Afterwards there was more beer and a curry in Gloucester City Centre with some very good friends. It was so good to sit with many others wearing the cherry and white of their home team.
Yesterday it was a’ Sunday Lunch’ with the same friends in The Crown Inn next to the church in Woolhope. It was all so thoroughly enjoyable. This morning we are catching up with ourselves, enjoying the birdsong outside and waiting for the sun to burn off the mist. Yesterday evening we had a Buzzard perched close by and as the light went Tawny Owls were calling.
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