'Upon the headland the Geats erected a broad high tumulus plainly visible to distant seamen ... within the barrow they placed collars, brooches and all the trappings which they had plundered from the treasure hoard. They buried the gold and left that princely treasure to the keeping of the earth, where it yet remains ... …
In mist-wreathed centuries before loathsome Norman banners flew over the island of the mighty, and when the names of kings were writ in runes, there came across the grey, white-capped sea many longships of oaken hull. Carven serpents adorned their prows, winds of fate filled their sails - and they came bearing stern-browed men with …
The sparks of inspiration which prompt musicians to produce pieces of music are as diverse and multi-faceted as music itself. Personal experiences, relationships, social issues and events are all possible stimuli for a songwriter’s muse, having the potential to release the flow of creative juices. Unsurprisingly, many iconic songs have their roots in their creators' …
I was ten years of age in 1968. Coincidentally, so too was Rob Blaine of Idaho, USA - but I'll come back to him later. Like many youngsters growing up in the 60s, the keeping of a scrapbook was one of my hobbies. Unlike this blog, however, the content of which could be described as …
The UK is rightly known throughout the world for its rich and varied patterns of hedgerows, a part of our cultural and landscape heritage which ranks alongside great cathedrals, quaint villages and spectacular coastlines. Hedgelink.org.uk Since discovering the Pickwalks Facebook page recently, aside from prompting me to up my litter-picking game in and around my …
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 …
RAVEN MOON 