Coming upon 2 swans Midway through their morning ablutions. The cob glides over to me, On edge, half-busk stance. What a shame to break Such a precious moment. Turning my back, I walk away And revel in the soft Reassuring snorts Of their contact calls. Their world, once more restored. #nature

Sitting at my table For our university Open Day. I look across at the librarian Sitting behind the service counter Deeply absorbed in a book. Relaxed and content In the world between its covers. Filled with such inexplicable joy At seeing someone In love with their job. #universitylibrarian

Love this insight...

Saddened to hear of the death of Jane Goodall. Thank you, Jane, for your courage, resilience, compassion, and wisdom. We have desperately needed your voice & it will be missed. However, your inspiration ensures that many will continue your path. Your work is done. Rest well. Thank you. #janegoodall

Beneath the hawthorn A chaffinch has left An empty space Where once his song Danced in the unfinished light. #naturewriting #naturepoetry #birds

First frost of autumn Mist plays across the water It came without sound. #naturewriting #ukcanals #autumn #poetry #haiku

It's a blustery, moonless night—perfect for some cozy listening. Join us tonight on the Erica as we reminisce about the inconsequential things that bring so much joy and provide such important anchor points to our lives. #podcast #canals #family #crisps www.noswpod.com/friday-night/

Featureless sky. A blank page Waiting for the birds To write their tiny Oracles of life And wild wisdom Upon it. Magpies chuckling Into the wind Gives me hope. #DailyNature #naturewriting #naturepoetry #morning #hope

This is brilliant!

On finding myself In a lost photograph album I gaze into the face of the one Who has become me The father of the older man And one who seems to Navigate his world With surer footsteps than I. #poetry #past #memory

Cruising along the intersections Border lands between worlds Between experiences. A landscape of tensions And, at times, unease. Often unpretty, unpredictable, But here too are sparrows, The wheel of a gull, Sunshine and the glint of rain. #ukcanals #poetry

"Amid a thousand clouds and streams There’s a Zen person somewhere Roaming the hills during the day Sleeping below cliffs at night Suddenly passing springs and autumns At peace no earthly burdens Happy clinging to nothing Still like a river in fall." Cold Mountain (Han-shan) c800 #poetry #zen #wise

"[...] All day long, sutras without words, Through the night, Zen without sitting. Warblers sing in the willow grove. By the river, A village dog barks at the moon. I have no one to share my feelings So I just write what is in my heart." Ryokan #haiku #poetry #zen

Canal-side plants Black bryony (aka lady's seal) Black bryony's Rope-like braid Festoons the misty sloe With a scarlet brocade Of autumnal fire. #DailyNature #plants #ukcanals #nature #autumn #poetry

Canal-side plants Elder Tiny globes of midnight blue Hang suspended Where, once, Lacy parasols Glowed creamy-white In the summer-scented sun. #DailyNature #plants #ukcanals #poetry #nature

Something of a hero of mine, it's great to find Seán Street here on bsky. If you love radio, sound, poetry, and wise writing, you'll find a deep and rich pool of delight here. @seanstreet.bsky.social

As the canal slowly begins to recover and rest after the summer-long drought, tonight we leave it to peacefully sleep and go down to the river where the water is alive with light and the welcome rains fall. #podcast #rain #river #peoplewatching #ukcanals www.noswpod.com/down-to-the-...

Ghosts of late summer Haunt the canal-side towpath Red willowherb smoke. #DailyNature #naturewriting #haiku #ukcanals #plants #nature #poetry

Swallows swirl In late summer blue. Families forage Blackberries along the towpath. A hire boat idles With nowhere to go. I stand on the hill With the horses We look to the west With its mountain air And Atlantic bite. #DailyNature #naturewriting #drought #ukcanals #summer #poetry

'Oh what memories and joys await you, little one.' J.H. Dowd

Some JH Dowd delight suitable for an August Bank Holiday... #holidays #summer #seaside #sketch

Life's infuriating complexities... that make it all so worthwhile." The water levels may be low, but the conversation is deep. Tune in to catch up on all the ebbs and flows with us aboard the NB Erica. A warm welcome awaits. #podcast #UKcanals #creativity www.noswpod.com/canopy-of-tr...

Nestled among the sadness And the turmoil Of complicated emotions, Laughter, smiles, and joy Can also be found. When lost, follow the laughter.

Unfortunately, a necessary trip to Norfolk means no 'Nighttime on Still Waters' today. I am aiming to upload one next weekend. Meanwhile, there's 189 old episodes waiting for you here: 'Words once spoken now captured.' Have a look, there might be one here you've missed! www.noswpod.com/episodes/

All things end Even this. From childhood to now. 50 years and more Telescoping into this, A darkened room And no owls calling From the holm oak. I will miss the light And what it did to the colours. Gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate That's really hard. No bodhi svāhā Not yet. Not yet Just an end.

Rooks flying high Thermalling in cooler air. Black gothic dots Chasing cooler eddies. Their exultant calls Spiral to earth Like wind-scorched leaves. Earthbound, I open my wings To join them But only My shadow Takes flight #rooks #poetry #loss

Canal-side plants Bulrush (great reedmace) Distinctive Classic Iconic. The 'must have' For any self-respecting Stretch of water ...Or children's picture book. Sprinkle liberally along The water's edge Feel the wonder grow. Free. #DailyNature #ukcanals #plants #naturewriting #naturemusing

I wobbled between traffic cones And remembered to 'check behind' The familiar school playground Felt different on a bicycle On a Saturday. Before I left, mum saw swans flying "That's a lucky sign." she said. I was independently mobile. The world was now my oyster. #memories #cyclingproficiency

Earlier. Canal side. August heat. Rose hips begin to smoulder. #ukcanals #DailyNature #summer #poetry #nature #naturepoetry #summer

Canal-side plants Creeping thistle (field) Even in the soft breath Of their diminutive lilac petals, Brave moorland winds Can be heard, The cry of grouse, And the wilder light Of mountain sunshine. #DailyNature #ukcanals #plants #naturewriting #poetry #naturemusing

Oh yes! I remember when summers included a trip to the coast and a scrambling race across the ragged rocks! The thick seaweed smell and spots of tar, rescuing jellyfish, collecting dead starfish, crouching over rock pools, and trying to say "anemones". Drawing by J.H. Dowd #summer #coast #holiday

Canal-side plants Willowherb (hairy) All along the byways The willowherb Fuses are burning low Signalling with their smoke The coming triumph Of autumn. #DailyNature #ukcanals #plants #flowers #naturewriting #naturemusing

8.15 In a flash of light A line crossed A path forever changed. The unthinkable done There is no return 8.16 The unthinkable rationalised. A discarded Half bitten fruit Lies rotting In the grass Below a tree In Eden. #poetry #madness #Hiroshima

Canal-side plants Reed Sweetgrass Fireworks season! The sparklers have been lit, Fiery brands that shimmer In a dazzle of gold. Wait! Watch the wind Spell her name Upon the sky With them. #DailyNature #ukcanals #nature #canals #plants #naturewriting #naturemusing

Could the humble drydock be the perfect example of canal engineering ingenuity? Find out why in our latest episode and join us back afloat onboard the Erica as we explore some really surprising facts about this often-overlooked marvel. #ukcanals #podcast #history www.noswpod.com/drydocks/

Happy, Happy #WITmonth!💃🎉📚 In August we celebrate books written by women in a language other than English that have been translated. Read (even if it's just one book), share, #NameTheTranslator without whom literature would be less rich. For more, do check out www.womenintranslation.org/witmonth

#WITMonth Christiane Ritter's fabulous, candid, warm, humane, beautifully observed account of living through the winter night in the high arctic in 1934. Beautifully contrasts most male accounts of this time (and later). Translated by Jane Degras @pushkinpress.com

Canal-side plants Purple loosestrife All along the bankside, A vermillion flarepath Of loosestrife lights Say, 'Welcome' And guide you on your way. #DailyNature #plants #ukcanals #naturewriting #naturemusing #flowers

Canal-side plants Marsh woundwort (marsh betony) Follow the bee's lazy hum To dull your pain And heal your wounds. Treasure these well. #naturewriting #plants #herbalism #ukcanals #nature

"That's why I'm easy I'm easy like Sunday morning, yeah That's why I'm easy I'm easy like Sunday morning." Lionel Ritchie [Add any amount of 'yeahs' and 'woahs', and finger clicks as required] #Commodores #vibe #sundaymorning #summer #relax #ukcanals

Like a Moses among The bullrushes, We find ourselves cast Upon the waters Of unnamed streams. Cradled; We find rhythms And meaning among The eddys that carry us And solace in the play Between light and leaf. #naturewriting #naturemusing #oldheron #nature #humancondition

Canal-side plants Arrowhead Below the heronry, Heron's footprints Lead across the water Leaving a trail of green And starlight, And the rough music Of their call. #plants #DailyNature #ukcanals #naturewriting ##naturemusing

From lily pad to lily pad We skip from Monet's Giverny To Kailash Om mani padme hum #naturewriting #DailyNature #plants #naturemusing #art

Canal-side plants Water lily (yellow) Shy water lilies Demurely dip below the surface As you pass by. #Ukcanals #naturewriting #poetry #plants #lilies #DailyNature

Wasp futilely climbs A grocer's advert for grapes The lesson's not lost. #DailyNature #haiku #naturewriting #lessonsfromnature #modernlife #humancondition #thewrongpathtaken

While we struggle with the current conditions on the canals, we remember the grit and vision of those who fought for the network and listen to Tom Rolt’s account of his time on the Stratford Canal (North) and the ‘battle for Bridge Number 1.' #podcasts #ukcanals www.noswpod.com/rolt-on-the-...

Canal-side plants Spleenwort (maidenhair) Look up Look down In places you don't expect it. There it is A botanical haiku Resolutely living In impossible places. #plants #ferns #ukcanals #naturewriting #DailyNature

Early on the water road Chasing the shade. Deer graze along the towpath. #ukcanals #naturewriting #boatlife #DailyNature

waves of heat shimmering above the dry grass Basho