WORD - Stafford Poetry and Spoken Word Events Christmas Do! (Sort of!) Lovely seeing Jonathon Watkiss Katy Watkiss and Sound Support Dog Kirrie’s gorgeous friend Guide Dog Peter 🐕‍🦺❤️🦮

Thank you Ian Ridgway and Shirley Tench for a lovely Christmas party at Stafford & District Dog Training Club this afternoon! I love my toy Christmas Tree! 🎄 from Kirrie 🐕‍🦺🐾🐾❤️

Now it is four years since I woke up with my hearing loss and what a cretinous time that was! So thankful for my beautiful Sound Support Dog Kirrie from Hearing Dogs for Deaf People who makes the world a safer, better place for me and who makes me smile and brings joy

We have been to see Santa Paws! 🐕‍🦺🐾🐾❤️🎅🎄☃️🎁

Fear not! If you need a last minute poetry book for a Christmas present, I have plenty suitable for adults (themes of nature, journeys, lighthearted, and thought provoking), for young children a collection of animals in ‘What Am I?’ describe themselves (the child listener can use

Leonard Guinea Pig is still a baby at ten months but such a big guinea pig and still growing! He is a bit unsure about whether he actually likes orange juice and will take a bit from the pipette then rush off to decide whether it’s pleasant or not, then come back for a bit more!

Crunchy Guinea Pig loves his breakfast drink of orange juice! A good source of vitamin C for Guinea Pigs as well as humans!

Thank you very much Prize Paws for Kirrie’s 10th place rosette and treats for the ‘Adventure Dog’ category of November’s photography competition! She is very proud of her rosette! 🐕‍🦺🐾🐾❤️

The final Aston Society of Poetry Online Open Mic was held on Monday evening on Zoom with lovely contributions by Jan Hedger, Saba Azimi, Robert Punton, Gareth Barsby, Patricia Wardle, and Melissa Poulton. Thank you all for taking part and to Naomi Adam

Join us on Monday 8/12/25 for Aston Society of Poetry from 7.00pm - 8.30pm. An open mic for all! Please contact [email protected] for a reading slot or the zoom link to listen! 📖 #poetry

Kirrie was tired after dog training club yesterday! Here she is just waking up after a snooze on the settee at Grandma’s house! 🐕‍🦺🐾🐾❤️

Kirrie and I are celebrating our two year anniversary of graduating as a deaf partnership at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People She is a wonderful Sound Support Dog and my best friend and most amazing companion! We were going to celebrate with a little bit of gammon, but Kirrie

It was lovely to meet up with our friend Jan Wilkins a few weeks ago for lunch in Stafford! Thanks so much for coming to visit, Jan ❤️

I’m so behind with posting photos this autumn but it was lovely to see Molly Causer, Sam Causer, Myles and Margaux a few weeks ago at The Gruffalo Trail! Plus some random pumpkin headed people! ❤️

Nurse Kirrie giving me super snuggles after today’s ear injection! She had a lovely morning at Grandma’s house whilst I was at the hospital and now we are cuddled up together 🐕‍🦺🐾🐾❤️

When you’re only nine months old and a bit of a messy eater! I think Leonard needs a little bib for when he’s enjoying a cherry tomato!

Some days I only have the energy to be quiet in the house, take Kirrie for her walk, do a silent activity of reading or writing and go to bed! TV or conversation is so exhausting! It’s so nice to be snuggled in bed with Kirrie cuddled up to me, no hearing aids. Tinnitus is always

Back in March I rescued a half dead anemone plant from a garden centre. The assistant said it would flower for a couple of weeks more then would die off until next year. It has flowered consistently all through the spring and summer. This morning it is loving the autumn sunshine

There are only four copies left of my new book The Laureate Collection! Please let me know if you would like one! #poetry

There are only four copies left of my new book The Laureate Collection! Please let me know if you would like one! #poetry

We will be skipping ASP for November, and Naomi and I will be hosting an early December Christmas / festive special on 8th December on Zoom! Please get in touch if you’d like to take part or for the Zoom link to listen!

Kirrie says thank you Ian Ridgway and Shirley Tench from Stafford & District Dog Training Club for a lovely session this afternoon! We both love attending Dog Training Club! 🐕‍🦺🐾🐾❤️

Throwback to WORD - Stafford Poetry and Spoken Word Events Jonathon Watkiss and me making some poetry and noise along with Steve Sutton in Hanley November 2023!

‘At the going down of the sun and in the morning. We will remember them’ (Binyon 1914). Kirrie wears her remembrance poppy bandana

My gorgeous girl enjoying a game in the garden this morning 🐕‍🦺🐾🐾❤️

We had a wonderful time at the dog field this morning! Although I’m still having to be really careful not to tweak it my back is so much improved I could throw and catch a ball! Kirrie is so proud of herself for finding this tennis ball at the field 🐕‍🦺🐾🐾❤️

Kirrie is the best travelling companion! Such a super girl loving our adventures Pershore Daytrip Part 3

It was wonderful to see Jilly Oxlade-Arnott and her beautiful art gallery - full of fabulous works! Pershore Daytrip Part 2

We have had a lovely day in Pershore with a walk around the Abbey grounds and delicious Greek Food…….. Pershore Daytrip Part 1

Sound Support Dog Kirrie and I are celebrating our two year partnership anniversary today! She is the best ‘thing’ that has ever happened to me, she completes me, makes me smile and laugh, keeps me safe, and brightens every day!

It was a fantastic experience to deliver a lecture to students in Khmelnytsky on Monday. For my PhD I’m developing a model of analysis of performance poetry and it was wonderful to see the students engage with my work and try out the model in their lecture! A big thank you to

Kirrie has had a very exciting afternoon at dog training club with Ian Ridgway and Shirley Tench Here she is telling Grandma Patricia Wardle all about it! #shessuchapoodle

Congratulations Jayne Stanton on a wonderful new poetry pamphlet ‘Have they marked you with arrows?’ I really enjoyed the Zoom launch last week. Copies available here www.poetryspace.co.uk/2025/07/arro... #poetry

I’m looking forward to zooming into Khmelnytsky this afternoon to deliver a lecture about my research on The Stylistics of Page and Stage Ecopoetry. Thank you Tetyana Lunyova for inviting me!

We found the pumpkin trail at Trentham Gardens! Kirrie says ‘Happy Howloween!’ She is wearing her special orange tie with black cats on in honour of her best friend Bubbles the cat 🐕‍🦺❤️🐈‍⬛🎃

Aston Society of Poetry welcomed special guest Harry Fletcher to speak about his year as Staffordshire Young Poet Laureate followed by a wonderful open mic session. Thank you all who took part and Naomi Adam for co-hosting!

It was fantastic to be part of the National Poetry Day celebrations at Stafford Library again this year with other featured poets hosted by Staffordshire Poet Laureate Scarlett Ward and outgoing Young Laureate Harry Fletcher who welcomed in new Young Laureate Pearl Knight-Dutton!

on National Poetry Day Louise Jutton and I donated a copy of One Hundred Poems for Hearing Dogs to Stafford Library! Thank you again to everyone who helped us raise £1200 for this amazing charity! Kirrie was having a quiet night at home hence not in photograph!

I enjoyed delivering an ecopoetry workshop at the start of October to Writer Types Stafford. We talked about ecopoetry, stylistics and ecostylistics and worked on writing activities that led into creating ecopoems. Thank you everyone who attended and Ingrid Wagner for inviting me

Black Cat Appreciation Day Bubbles 🐈‍⬛❤️

It’s not too late to sign up for a reading spot - or for the zoom link to listen - to Aston Society of Poetry on Monday! A safe space to share and enjoy poetry. This could be something you’ve written, a favourite famous (or non-famous poem), or one you’ve discovered recently and

Kirrie is a very serious poodle! 🐕‍🦺🐾🐾❤️

I wish Diwali (which is the festival of LIGHT) celebrations would use silent fireworks. There’s no need for all the banging to celebrate. Kirrie is frightened and Bonfire night fireworks will start soon! It’s time for a snuggle blanket fort on the settee or under the table!

Very excited to hear from our special guest Harry Fletcher at this month’s ASP, which will be hosted by Naomi Adam and I. There are plenty of reading spots available still so please contact me if you’d like one (or the link to listen)! #poetry

Unfortunately I have hurt my back so Kirrie and I are not going to be able to complete the Great British Dog Walk challenge this month, however, we have checked with Hearing Dogs for Deaf People and it’s fine for us to complete it in November or December! Thank you to all who

Aston Society of Poetry’s next special guest Harry Fletcher will be sharing his poetry and speaking about his experiences as Young Poet Laureate of Staffordshire 2024-2025. If you’d like to hear Harry please contact Mel or Marcello for the Zoom link! Open mic spots available!

It’s leaf chasing time now on our campus at Aston University! Kirrie loves trying to catch the leaves then carrying one in her mouth! It was lovely to go back to our office today for the first time since July!

I had to use my birth certificate for something this week and noticed a few interesting things about the envelope…. 1. What a lovely kingfisher on the stamp! 2. The stamp cost 10p 3. There’s no postcode on the address! 4. We did have a postcode so I wonder if because there was

Here are some photos from our first week doing The Great British Dog walk for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People If anyone would be able to sponsor us we would be very grateful please! We are aiming to walk 100 miles throughout the month or a bit more if possible! Hoping to raise £100

Exactly two years ago on 5/10/23 it was National Poetry Day. I was sitting on my settee feeling sad because we had just lost Scruffy Guinea pig, I’d lost another chunk of hearing, and everything felt impossible. I was trying to write a poem and whilst working I received an email