Among the recent posts on the Canoe River Cleaner's Facebook page - all of which are notable in some measure - one in particular has been especially emotive. In keeping with the overriding mission of Jim Elliott (Mr Canoe himself) the subject was wayside litter and its removal. The post centred on one local volunteer …
‘Nothing in the papers, not the most vivid & heartbreaking descriptions, have made me realise war like your letters.’ Vera Brittain, writing to Roland Leighton, her future fiancée, on 17 April, 1915 In his remarkable book ‘On Writing - A Memoir of the Craft,’ author Stephen King states: ‘If you want to be a writer, …
For the better part of three years I have been meeting, each month, with a group of friends in a small village in central Lincolnshire. This midmost spot was chosen due to the group’s widespread distribution - attendees travel in from their respective homes in all three of the county’s sub-divisions, Lindsey, Kesteven and Holland; …
You were that crow. The sun shone as you took to the air from the highest branch of an oak tree. Leaving the village of Irby behind you, you rode the air currents downhill, heading southeast. A gentle updraft urged you higher but you resisted, splaying your flight feathers and pitching your tail, preferring instead …
We never stop learning, do we. Even during our leisure, when we take time out to ‘quieten our minds’ and relax awhile — even a quiet mind remains alert to new discoveries. Earlier today, while reading the historical novel ‘The Bookseller of Inverness’ by S. G. MacLean (which is excellent, by the way), I came …
In the history of modern high-rise constructions only three have been brought down by fire. When these three buildings collapsed, not only did they drop at free fall speeds into their own foundational footprints, but all three came down on the same day - September 11, 2001. First, a word or two on the title …
A recent group walk at the foot of the Lincolnshire Wolds, a couple of miles outside Grimsby, was an ideal opportunity to spend valuable time in nature by inspecting the source of the River Freshney. The event became so much more, however. For here, history, ancient culture and folklore came together, right where the Freshney's …
The young boy standing centre stage in William Frederick Yeames’ iconic painting ‘And When Did you Last See Your Father?’ was modeled on the artist’s young nephew. When it came to depicting the boy’s style of dress, however, it was to one of Thomas Gainsborough’s most famous portraits that Yeames turned for inspiration. 'And When …
As befitting a writer known to have a ‘butterfly mind,’ my blog comprises a potpourri of posts written on a random range of subjects. Lacking an overarching theme or intended direction, the various essays have been prompted by whatever may have occupied my thoughts and tickled my imagination at the time of writing. However, a …
By the time the sun rose over the Taff valley in South Wales on the morning of October 21, 1966, it had been raining there almost non stop for three weeks. In that time, six and a half inches of rain had fallen, saturating the hillsides. Drenched, too, was the number 7 spoil heap, towering …
RAVEN MOON 