About Me

My photo
Bristol , United Kingdom
I'm co-director of the Leaping Word Poetry Consultancy, which provides advice for poets on writing, editing and publishing, as well as qualified counselling support for those exploring personal issues in their work - https://theleapingword.com. My fifth poetry collection, Learning Finity, is now available from Indigo Dreams or directly from me.

Thursday 17 November 2022

Art for heart's sake

 


It was a lovely morning this morning, by which I mean it wasn't raining, and Cwtch and I were off on an adventure, to visit Jinny and Dru on the Kennet and Avon at Seend in Wiltshire, where there's a Victorian postbox. 


I parked in the car park of the Barge Inn - there are, I think, at least three pubs so named on the K&A - and mounted a look out from the bridge, upstream - no, wait, canals don't have a stream, do they - east ... 


... and west, where I could see Jinny and Dru in the distance, coming to meet us.   



By now it was sunny with just the right amount of cloud and I felt pretty chipper even though I'm a hopeless winter depressive.


Dru's boat, NB Eve, was looking spectacular with its Progress Pride flag, but we were headed for Jinny's NB Netty, two boats along, despite what Dru considers her less than optimum supply of tea. 

Ooh, and it was warm inside by the wood burner, much warmer than at home, where I haven't put the central heating on yet. After a very happy Cwtch had spent some time exploring her first ever boat and located Jinny's lost socks, her store of cheese, a packet of cat food and the rather tasty tasteful leg of her decorated Lloyd Loom chair, Jinny and I hunkered down for a chat and a stint folding and sorting cards and pairing them with envelopes, ready for the Floating Market the weekend after next. 

Through the window I could see a blaze of hawthorn berries, though sadly no sign of the redwings or fieldfares that frequent them ...


... while the doors afforded a view of a gold mannequin, perched on the roof of the boat between Netty and Eve.



More (perfectly satisfactory) tea and ginger biscuits later, it was time to be thinking about going. Night creeps up so quickly these days, and I wanted to be nearly home before all the light disappeared.



Hooray for dear friends, cuddly collies and bright November days. Hopefully the weather will be as lovely for the market as it was today. 


2 comments: