The Cotton Grass Appreciation Society

The Hawthorn Halls (the bus stop edition)

May 9, 2013 in Music, Poetry | Tags: Adam Feinstein, Bad Language, Blue Planet, Discovery Bay, Hebden Bridge, I Am Kloot, John Burnside, Marsden, Neruda, Rosie Garland, sean borodale, The Walkabouts | Leave a comment

And so it began. The time: 07.30 am. The day: St George’s Day – the eldest kept quiet in a way that only teenagers can but both Will and Lydia, with backing vocals from mum, gave it their all as they belted out the song (which according to Mark Radcliffe and BBC4 is the richest song in the world, ever), Happy birthday to you…

A late shift the day before dictated that my forty third year on earth had, somewhat, blurry beginnings but the fog soon cleared with a barrage of gifts and cards and more songs. We like birthdays! Lydia is especially enthusiastic as her own special day follows forty eight hours later. Fortunately we’ve had no illness and much to Lydia’s relief, no daughter inspired poetry such as April Birthday with you can read at the UK Poetry Library buy following this link: http://www.ukpoetrylibrary.co/poem-april-birthday-by-david-coldwell/

As well as a birthday day it was also the start of a full seven days leave after what seemed like a winter that had began to test our patience.

Let the celebrations begin…

Special breakfast followed by a mooch around Hebden Bridge followed by lunch at Mooch followed by further mooching in The Book Case (a great independent bookshop that’s now fully restored after last year’s flood) followed by a quick drive home before finally finishing the day with a great family meal at Discovery Bay (made famous by Gordon Ramsey’s F Word). Phew!

But that was only the start of the celebrations. The next day (to quote David Bowie) began with the alternative drainage folks finally managing to get their wagon up the lane to empty the septic tank (it’s a long story and one that should only be told with addition of speciality cleaning products) followed by garden time followed by a fantastic open mic night at the Castle Hotel in Manchester hosted by Bad Language where the brilliant Rosie Garland headlined. You can find out more about Bad Language at http://badlanguagemcr.wordpress.com/. Phew!

And then it was year seven for daughter. After second special breakfast we promptly shipped the birthday girl off to school and went shopping which amazingly coincided with lunch at Bolster Moor farm shop (it’s all about the pies) followed by family celebrations and birthday party followed by Amanda’s unveiling of her amazing ‘Poodle’ cake followed by signing on at the cricket club. Phew!

And then Friday was I Am Kloot day at The Picturdrome followed by photograph of set list gifted by kind sound engineer.

Cuckoo Day – yes, we really do worship those darn birds, arrived on the Saturday and after months of organisation for the day long outside event, so did the snow. Fortunately it was only pretend snow and the showers soon passed to reveal a bright blue sunny type of day where a minority of motorists could shout at us for closing roads to allow the parade to pass and where the day finally finished to the sounds of Prince’s Purple Rain being played by our local rock band in the sunshine from the steps of the Methodist Church – only in Marsden.

Now after celebrating the success of the Cuckoo with several real ales and support for the local Chinese it would have been nice for a rest but, as I said, we like birthdays and this year Lydia’s grand finale was a trip to the Blue Planet (cue photograph of shark)

followed by a wet and windy ice cream at West Kirby beach. Phew!

On Monday I had a rest – leave can be very tiring – and finally got round to submitting a new pamphlet for the latest competition. So now I’m looking longingly at the collection of new books, including Sean Borrodale’s Bee Journal, Adam Feinstein’s autobiography on Neruda and John Burnside’s collection Black Cat Bone, not to mention the plentiful supply of pamphlets from the wonderful Happenstance Press, all propped at the side waiting for some dedicated me time – or is that asking too much.

Now, after the briefest of warm weather (don’t mention London but cue picture of tree taken from horizontal position whilst children modelled wetsuits for first wild swim of the year)

we have now been forced back inside the halls where the now sadly overlooked word, ‘cinematic’ is found nestling beneath the floorboards waiting to join the introduction for this week’s selection from the zero players.

Whatever the weather, there will always be poetry and music.

Heart Shoots

April 17, 2013 in Poetry | Tags: Bob Dylan, Indigo Dreams, Leonard Cohen, Seamus Heaney, Sharon olds | 3 comments

Heart Shoots

Very proud to have a poem included in the new anthology from Indigo Dreams Publishing that aims to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. Heart Shoots is the successor to Soul Feathers, the 2011 anthology initiated by Annie Morgan and co-edited by Annie and Ronnie Goodyear.

Heart Shoots has retained the ethos of of publishing poems from the newcomer to the international famous and includes poetry by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Seamus Heaney and Sharon Olds.

Please follow the above link for more information and details of how to purchase your copy.

The Hawthorn Halls (the thief’s edition)

April 12, 2013 in Music | Tags: Alberta Cross, Decorating, DIY, Kings Of Leon, My Morning Jacket, Neil Young, Snow | 3 comments

‘Throw open the windows and let the outside in!’ was the battle cry from the Middlemoor clan of Ravenshook. It was the annual celebration of the Haw and this meant spring cleaning at the Halls.

Garlands of evergreen that had framed each wall and hung from the cloisters and porticos throughout the dark months were pulled from their hooks and carried to the greening fields. Here a bonfire would be built whose flames would signal for at least thirty miles to the east the news that spring had arrived on the high lands.

People of the low lands waited patiently, looking west towards the mighty Pen – the green goddess whose sleeping outline formed the horizon. Only when the cuckoo stole its first nest on Middlemoor could the Ravens light the fire – only then had spring truly arrived on Middlemoor.

And then it snowed, again!

And did it snow – for the last two weeks I’ve had the surreal experience of driving on roads carved out of ice and edged with walls of snow that in places reached over ten feet in height. Views that would normally reach as far as York and Selby have been stunted by the solid white mass. The road over Holme Moss (the new Tour de France) was closed for fourteen days.

So as spring waited in nature’s lay-by (no overnight parking) then so did all our Easter plans for the outside. The ground works optimistically created during the now infamous ‘March’ dig have, in the last two days, just become visible again in the melting snow.

There were some positive outcomes from the Arctic exploration experience of being trapped. The main being that I could no longer find any excuses not to tackle the wall papering on the stairs and landing. Unfortunately I’d put the job on hold so long that all the paint work needed a fresh coat but at least the daunting task of hanging four metre lengths of expensive wallpaper on walls that laugh in the face of straightness is now complete. Now we sit patiently waiting for carpet that has been in storage for twelve months.

In the midst of all this cold gloom I’ve decided to re-open the Halls and throw out some sunshine. As a reminder, the purpose of the Halls is to re-discover all those songs that sit quietly at the back of your digital library waiting, as patiently as our carpet fitter, to be played for the first time. Sometimes I cheat by playing a favourite that’s been purchased twice with one download remaining un-played. Other times I simply let the dart of fate land on any number it likes. We’ve also had visitors to the Halls and this is very welcome particularly if you think I’m missing a trick. The rules are quite flexible.

This week I’ve re-discovered a real treat from 2007. Taken from their debut mini-album, The Thief and the Heartbreaker, I’ve Known for Long by Alberta Cross is the song of the week. If you imagine a mix of My Morning Jacket, Kings of Leon and Neil Young and get quite excited by the prospect then I would urge you to discover more at http://www.albertacross.net/. Not only is the website great but you can also currently download their first proper full album, Songs of Patience (2012) for the sum of £4.99 from a popular digital music download type company that also does phones and computers and things.

World Poetry Day

March 22, 2013 in Poetry | Tags: david coldwell, elbow, POETRY, world poetry day | 2 comments

To celebrate World Poetry Day, the fabulous arts journal Elbow Room shared my poem Stop/Start on their website. You can find out more by following this link http://elbow-room.tumblr.com.

Best wishes

David.

Equinox

March 20, 2013 in Poetry | Tags: Abegail Morley, Clare Pollard, Dan Brown, Equinox, Marsden, Pennines, Phosphorescent, Simon Armitage | 3 comments

For the person who stumbled across my blog with the search term Spring Equinox 2013 Marsden then I humbly apologise but do hope you like what you found instead. I’m assuming that it was the word Marsden that drove the engine to think that I could offer some light on the subject. The real question now though is why the searcher put the name Marsden? Is this the beginning of a new Dan Brown type thriller where Robert Langdon stumbles upon the centre of the universe during a lecture tour of the Pennines? I shall remain curious.

It is, of course, happy spring equinox day today which means that we now have equal daylight to darkness which in simple terms means more time to watch the snow. Yes, it’s snowing again! I may have to change the name of the blog if things don’t improve.

The spring equinox also heralds the end of my first year as a poet. After spending the last twenty years as a bedroom poet (similar in nature to a bedroom DJ or bedroom musician both of which I’ve also trialled), about this time last year I finally sat down and began the hard graft of becoming a published poet. It’s been an interesting twelve months and in many ways, quite fascinating. Not quite Dan Brown but something certainly worth writing about so watch this space.

On poetry, I’ve been fascinated with the art since discovering Frost at school but not since Simon Armitage’s first collection, Zoom, have I looked forward to reading a book as much as I did last week when I finally discovered Clare Pollard’s latest collection. Clare was a featured poet on Abegail Morley’s excellent blog, The Poetry Shed. The article featured the poem, Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe from Clare’s fourth collection, Changeling published in 2011 by Bloodaxe Books. I immediately hopped over to a popular shopping site (don’t mention the tax) and bought a copy of the book feeling slightly embarrassed that I’d missed the boat first time around. Changeling is described as being steeped in folklore and ballads and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I read it from cover to cover and then, like most good poetry books, left it on the side to dip in and out throughout the week. A new favourite on the keeper shelves and definitely recommended.

You can read more from The Poetry Shed at http://abegailmorley.wordpress.com

Clare also writes her own blog at http://clarepollard.wordpress.com

The Hawthorn Halls are currently closed for spring cleaning so no zero players this week. Instead I wanted to leave you with a new favourite. This is Song For Zulu by Phosphorescent. This was a recent headphones moment on my Facebook page. You can find out more about the band at http://phosphorescentmusic.com. Their new album, Muchacho is released this week.

The Hawthorn Halls (the visitor’s book)

March 10, 2013 in Gardening, Music | Tags: Crocus, Galexie 500, Gawain, Graham Clifford, Rough Trade Records | 2 comments

‘So, what is the plural for crocus?’ said Gawain, as he watched from a hillside waiting for the post to arrive.

We are playing a game.

At this point you hand the baton to your neighbour who continues the story with another line. I found this game (I’m sure it will have a name) a great ice breaker when teaching students in the early nineties and also quite amusing with friends and family after the consumption of several intoxicating liquors.

Gawain’s future now hangs in the balance of your neighbour’s imagination. Who is he asking? How many other people are present? What’s the weather like? Why is he waiting for the post man? Will your neighbour continue the Arthurian theme? And so on… In many ways it’s a good team building exercise; no one wants to be the dreamer who wakes up.

It was the early spring flowers that we discovered in the garden on Monday that inspired the first line. Proof, if proof was needed, that imagination usually does need a prod every now and again. The sun was out and the afternoon task was the footings for a base for the children’s playhouse – a task that’s now three years overdue.

The air was cool, barely warmed by the sun but perfect for digging and exercise. Amanda, recovering from proper flu – the type of flu that makes you realise that you’ve never had flu before, watched from the sunlit bench. Days like these are always invigorating and with a good square trench dug out I began to make plans for the rest of the spring.

I should have known it was too good to last. The following day a thick frozen fog descended followed later in the week by drizzle (the wetting stuff) and then snow. Twelve months ago we were enjoying temperatures that topped out at twenty six degrees. Today we have a wonderful covering of snow and somewhere down the lane an abandoned car from last night’s trip home. The solitary crocus and pair of snowdrops are gone.

This week’s Zero Player was brought to the halls by a visitor. Graham Clifford, who writes his own blog at http://grahamcliffordpoet.wordpress.com/ suggested the track as part of the Snow playlist. It’s always a nice surprise to be introduced to a track that you’ve not heard before and this suggestion by Graham has led me to three whole albums of unheard gems. This might get expensive!

The track, Snowstorm comes from the second album by the American band, Galaxie 500. On Fire was released in 1987 on Rough Trade Records.

Graham’s suggestion landed just as I returned from the sun lit garden so I thought it might have to wait. It turned out to be the perfect soundtrack for this Mother’s Day.

‘Crocuses’ replied Morgan, as she warmed her hands by the fire after hiding the letter addressed to Gawain in the ice cave.

The Hawthorn Halls (the racing post)

February 26, 2013 in Horse Racing, Music, Poetry | Tags: Decorating, Dulux, Jamie Oliver, Marsden, Marsden Beer Festival, Marsden Mechanics, Painting, Racing Post, We Are Augustines, Write Out Loud, York Races | 4 comments

Tuesday’s weather was September blue with the milky sun of the weekend finally giving way to the cut throat light of early spring. Shadows were long and in stark contrast to the flood of sun light, the hills still bore numerous slips of white as the cold air cosseted the last of the snow. It was a good day to be out and about so at nine a.m. I did what every self respecting lover of landscape should do on the first day off work and climbed into the dentist’s chair.

Now there are worse things in life than the punishing quarterly ritual of the ear piercing jet being manoeuvred beneath the gum line against raw nerves but, looking out over the trees into the deep blue sky, I was struggling to come up with any examples.

The trouble with four days off mid-week at half term is that without really trying the days suddenly become laden with activities, jobs, and treats. Most school holidays follow a similar pattern: it’s the tartan of time that we picnic on however this half term would be slightly different.

With the three monthly meditation exercise over (it is true that you can beat pain by focusing on a screw in the light above your head), and the family waiting outside, we were off – to paint an attic room. Now as you might guess; feeling a little like a newly hatched chicken blinking in to the sun, setting off with a whiter kind of smile to paint a room put me in a bit of a grump. It was the first day off to coincide with a real sun blast since weeks before Christmas and the next nine hours of my life were mapped out to include five litres of Dulux best, a brush and a roller.

We were clearing Uncle WA’s house, which, at first sight, appeared to have been used as a store for the last forty years worth of racing papers. WA didn’t like to throw things away. He had passed away just before the festive season and Amanda and her sister (the only remaining relatives in the UK) had worked tirelessly since the new year to clear, scrub, clean and throw away as much of the hoard as they could fit in the back of the family estate. It had been a Herculean effort and timed to coincide with the arrival, from Ireland, of Uncle John (WA’s brother) and his large white van. I scalded myself for being a little grumpy and left the walking boots at the back of my mind.
Five white van tip trips later (yes, we had to take the death certificate) and several coats of white paint and the house suddenly began to quiet down and stop moaning at the thought of being clean and tidy. We had done it, just, and it was time for tea.

Now, should proof were needed that being a six year old child is the best thing in the world then the following day provided all the evidence. It was ash scattering day. WA’s first and only love in life had been the horses: race horses. With this in mind, Amanda had made an enquiry to York Race course to see if there was any possibility that we could hold a little ceremony near the track. ‘Of course,’ said Tom, who appeared to deal with all things ash scattering, ‘no problem at all. Many people like to use the finishing post, that’s as long as they’re not racing!’

So, on a bitterly cold grey Wednesday we found ourselves, after a short guided tour of the facilities (never one to miss a sale) stood beneath the finishing post at York Race course with a large tub of ashes. As we arrived at the post and Tom said his fair wells and good wishes it became clear that the world had lost a few racing fans over the course of the winter. Flowers clung to the post and piles of ash dotted the track side. We all looked at each other and secretly wondered what to say. We didn’t need to worry. Lydia and cousin, Daisy suddenly seized the opportunity and grabbed the pot of ash. No one else was getting a look in. ‘Come on,’ they both chorused furiously shaking the ashes over the grass. ‘Let’s be having you. Come and see the horses.’ They continued, chatting merrily away to their great uncle.

It was a good send off; something that WA would have liked.

We thawed out in Jamie’s Italian as a bit of a treat. It was good to enjoy the food without the strange feeling I had the last time we took Explorer George to the Manchester version for his birthday treat. Unbeknown to me throughout that last meal and proceeding drinks I was harbouring the Noro virus and hours later would discover the exacting peculiarities of being sick as a dog. It would be four days before I ate again so at least the last meal had been a fine one.

The day finished with The Marsden Write Out Loud open mike night. We’d landed back in the village just after the M62 rush hour (2 – 7) and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to try out a couple of new poems to our monthly group. The secret must be out. Arriving in the Mechanics a little past the starting time I was greeted with a number of new faces and emergency chairs! Our normal sedate group of around ten to twelve people had swelled to well over thirty and everyone was raring to go. Some had just come for the pleasure of listening whilst others, including myself, were happy to read a couple of poems – just a little faster. I always find reading new work to an audience extremely rewarding. You get that instant hit of whether the poem makes the right emotional connections. The shorter introductions and speed reading had the desired effect and, along with the usual five or six, the day ended in the Riverhead.

Exactly two nights later the same emergency chairs where waiting for me again in the Mechanics, this time for the annual beer festival. It was a great way to end the week, sharing numerous local brews with friends and neighbours. Only towards the end of the night was I introduced to a Finnish lady who now lived next door to where I had spent most of my child hood. Small world! The village has changed so much over the last twenty years or so by becoming a set for countless films and TV programmes as well as a tourist centre and second home for people from Lancashire, so to hear that many of the old neighbours, including Donald with his infamous home brew and Alan from across the road where still there was strangely comforting.

It’s just a bright blue sky

Whilst searching the enclaves of zero plays within the Halls this week I came across a tune from what was one of my album of the years in 2012. It’s a proper start to finish record and my only regret so far is that I’ve not seen the band live. The video for Chapel Song by We Are Augustines was also included on the album, Rise Ye Sunken Ships and as I’m not a fan of freebies and extras at the end of a record the track was promptly unchecked and un-played.

It’s a great anthem and a fitting end to the week. Follow the link to watch the video.

The Hawthorn Halls (the kitchen sink edition)

February 18, 2013 in Music, Poetry | Tags: DIY, Lanterns On The Lake, Mark Radcliffe, The Brudenell Social Club, Write Out Loud, Yann Tiersen | Leave a comment

Exactly seven days ago saw the arrival of skirting boards and window blinds to the ongoing autumnal/yuletide/spring-like kitchen project currently known as Neck Weight. The absence of outside drainage (currently known as Nelly) does limit the end in sight celebrations somewhat but, with my feet firmly on the Yorkshire side of the Pennines, why spoil a good excuse for a party.

The euphoria of reaching kitchen making milestones was short lived as it was back to the real world the following day and grey clouds were massing – it was a bad mood day. I know we should embrace bad mood days – it’s what makes good mood days good, but waiting for the clouds to break can sometimes feel like tunnelling backwards. Now here is the irony. Unbeknown to me as I grumped up to bed was that in some parallel media city zone I was dictating the playlist on national radio.

Let me explain: sometime back in November I was celebrating an earlier kitchen milestone. It had been a worrying few weeks and the three metre length of expensive solid oak work top had been haunting my dreams and waking hours; yes, it was time to cut the sink hole out. Nightmarish accounts of saw blades running wild, wood splintering and gremlin tape measures had hidden around every doorway and sheltered in every corner. I was right to be worried. After measuring, re-measuring and measuring again, I was ready to check the final measurements and then, yes, measure again. Three children watched expectantly from the across the room; it was feeding time and they weren’t happy with the delay to cooking procedures. Finally the time came and I lowered the jigsaw into the carefully drilled holes. Off we went.

Now if you can picture a mad wild bull kicking and jumping at a rodeo with some daft cowboy trying to hold on to the reigns then that is exactly what cutting solid oak block with a rubbish jigsaw is like. The blade jumped and grabbed at the wood before kicking me back to where three children had once stood but had now decided to return to the safety of their bedrooms. I was broken, beaten and deflated.

Our joiner neighbour saved the day (why I didn’t think to ask sooner I’ll never know) by lending me his own very professional looking jigsaw: the type you look longingly at in DIY shops before opting for the one ten times cheaper. Yes, let’s use hot knife and butter metaphors; the world was beautiful again and there were many a cold beer waiting in the fridge.

Later that same night, whilst admiring the pot sink securely in place and surfing the outside world, I stumbled across Mark Radcliffe’s Radio 2 Music Club on listen again. This is a listen again favourite and a programme that would normally only secure a real time listen whilst travelling on holiday to Cornwall or some other foreign land that requires an overnight drive. I began to read the feature, First, Last and Everything which very simply is the first record you bought, the last record you bought and the record that means everything to you. I decided to submit. Off I went, scripting away through the haze of Black Sheep ale. As you might guess, the first and last are fairly easy to choose if you stay true to your musical follies and try not to be cool or second guess what might get you on the show but to choose an Everything track is another story. As regular readers might have fathomed, I’m quite a music fan so have any number of everything tracks; firsts, lasts, holidays – you name it, I have a song for every occasion. A couple more Black Sheep helped me settle on Ray Lamontagne’s (I’m showing off being able to spell his name without Google) Empty for the very reasons that aired to the millions whilst I was being grumpy, falling to sleep in bed.

I only found out the following day that I’d hogged ten minutes of national airtime when Amanda got a barrage of texts and some very kind readers of this blog sent some quite heart warming comments. Broadcasting!

You have about two days left to listen by following this link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qjhpd

Wednesday was also the first Dobcross (or DobX as it’s known in certain circles) Write Out Loud poetry, short story and music open mike night at the wonderful Swan Inn. This was a good excuse to try out some new poems on a new audience and a good opportunity to read in a real life busy pub. The experience was quite different to the normally well behaved library listeners but a real buzz that people in the room waited until I’d finished the last lines of The Cat Stone Cast before hopping off to the bar for another.

You can find out lots more about Write Out Loud and the hundreds of readings and events by following this link

http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/index.php

Now to step into the rooms of the Spring Maidens whilst the battle of Kings rages across the frozen land and take shelter beneath the Happenstance branch and dream of summer.

Thursday saw Valentine celebrations and within the Hall it was a good opportunity to sit down and discuss all things holiday. A glass of Champagne and three Cumberlands later and the finger of fate pressed return and confirmed the south of France. It would be through sober eyes the following day that I realised just what a good choice fate had made. Phew!

Dreaming of summer and France led me to this week’s guest. Found in the international/film score section there could be many reasons for zero plays but certainly no excuses. The music is stunning.

I saw the film Amelie many years ago and still can’t believe I didn’t track down the soundtrack then because it is exquisite. It was a different kind of fate that brought me back to the music and its composer a couple of years ago. I’d been following the progress of a new band called, Lanterns on the Lake whose music is sublime – real post The xx headphone moments. I’d been trying to see the band live for some time but always double booked on headliners so opted for seeing them as support act for a show at my favourite small venue, The Brudenell Social Club – yes it really is a social club in the best Yorkshire tradition; dominoes to the right and the best new bands to the left (tickets please!)

LOTL were supporting an unknown to me French multi instrumentalist by the name of Yann Tiersen who was promoting his latest album, Skyline. This would be interesting. It was. After researching the man it became clear that we were about to witness another Damien Rice moment (regular readers know all) and mad professor meets Jean Michel Jarre doesn’t quite do the show justice but does, just about, sum it up.

The track from the Amelie soundtrack, La Valse D’Amelie (piano) got one of the biggest cheers of the night amongst the Brudenell crowd and I’m sure a few domino knockers must have been thinking they’d missed out.

You can listen via YouTube here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyo4tNwNIvQ

Find out more about Yann, Lanterns and the Brudenell by following the links below.

All the best

David.

http://www.yanntiersen.fr/

http://lanternsonthelake.com/site/site.htm

http://www.brudenellsocialclub.co.uk/

First, last and everything

February 13, 2013 in Music | Tags: Chic, Mark Radcliffe, Natalie Merchant, Ray LaMontagne | 3 comments

First, last and everything

The Hawthorn Halls (the exit edition)

February 10, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: Andy Hemingway, David Sylvian, Josephine Corcoran, Marsden Moor, Masakatsu Takagi, The Rialto | 1 comment

Exhausted is probably an accurate description of my current state. Explorer Scout, George has just steered me around the Marsden Moor estate for a day out walking. In itself the walk was not too bad (long) but with the added blizzards and endless snow drifts my legs have now developed a peculiar leaden effect which seems to have been further aggravated by the hot bath. My cheeks have also suffered from the biting winds and developed that strange sun burnt feeling coupled with a bright red glow. Will and friend have just burst into spontaneous laughter after catching the human matchstick hobbling towards the bedroom whilst trying to hold onto a strategically placed towel and the last remnants of dignity. Only the wet clothes and boots give any clues that George also came along for the adventure. After demolishing a plate of food he has returned to his lair where he will remain plugged into the IPod until Top Gear or hunger begins.

This week has seen some excellent blogs. Firstly, Josephine Corcoran wrote a really honest piece titled, Reading, Writing, Rejections and Acceptance which kind of sums up the piece in its entirety. This is the type of blog that can really help anyone starting out in the strange world of poetry – rejection letters can be the loneliest so Josephine’s blog offers a kind of comfort to know it can happen to anyone. As further proof of this fact I would urge everyone to read the wonderful interview with Sam Riviere in the latest edition of The Rialto which includes a good insight into the editor’s thought process: yes, even Faber poets get the blues. You can read Josephine’s blog at http://josephinecorcoran.wordpress.com.

It was also great to see landscape photographer, Andy Hemingway re-release a number of his Peak District blogs on his new site at http://andyhemingway.wordpress.com. The folklore and history of the South Pennines makes excellent reading and offers another dimension to Andy’s photographs.

Whilst on photography blogs I would also recommend the entertaining and quite inspiring http://thefutureispapiermache.wordpress.com which includes blogger Richard’s collaborations with fellow blogger, http://ckponderings.wordpress.com.

There’s also a number of equally great blogs which I’m really enjoying so will hopefully include links in future posts.

This week’s track found amongst the green leaves is, I’m afraid to say, a bit of a cheat. Filed under Sylvian from his excellent Sleepwalkers compilation it’s probably one of the most played tracks in the hall of four winds but, whilst searching the zero players, it was also found filed under Masakatsu. It seems that when searching for all things Sylvian, I’ve found this collaboration from the brilliant, Coieda album by the Japanese artist, Takagi Masakatsu, downloaded the track and promptly forgotten all about it until the re-discovery with Sleepwalkers.

The reason for the inclusion is that I would urge you to listen to some of Masakatsu’s other work. It’s spellbinding and quite beautiful.

Listen and watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHrOsaDgXbI

All the best,

David.

The Cotton Grass Appreciation Society

The Hawthorn Halls (the bus stop edition)

Heart Shoots

The Hawthorn Halls (the thief’s edition)

World Poetry Day

Equinox

The Hawthorn Halls (the visitor’s book)

The Hawthorn Halls (the racing post)

First, last and everything

The Hawthorn Halls (the exit edition)

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