Wednesday 17 July 2013

Anonymous!



I spotted this next book, recently and just had to buy it

 because of the fascinating story which exists alongside it!






In Brockhampton Church, near the River Wye, in Herefordshire

there is an altar cloth, embroidered with sixty of England's

loveliest, wayside flowers.





It was donated to the church, anonymously, after both the cloth

 and the book were completed .


How I'd love to visit the church!






Carved on the panels of the choir stalls are forty eight wild flowers

many of which can be found in the surrounding area.



It was the work of these Victorian craftsmen that moved the 

author of this book and the creator of the alter cloth to take up

her work, as a tribute to those who went before her.








The book is so charming and is full of fascinating information about

each flower...


folklore, literature, recipes and remedies. 


Here are a few of them :



























This book, along with the book featured on my last blog post,

is going to make a birthday gift, tomorrow, for someone very special...

my mum.


I know that she will love them and really enjoy

reading them both because wild flowers and poetry

are just her thing!!


;-)








Monday 15 July 2013

Ode to the Countryside! ;-)




Poetry isn't everyone's cup of tea but I've always

loved it and I enjoy teaching it.

I have also had fun writing it, in the past.


And so, when I happened to spy this lovely book

in the National Trust shop, in Wells, I picked it up

and browsed.







This book celebrates the countryside.

There are sections on rural life; the changing seasons and 

the woodlands and seascapes of our beautiful country

 and the wildlife which inhabit them.


A variety of poets are included and, alongside 

the beautiful words on each page, are stunning pictures which come from

various sources such as The National Railway Museum,

The London Transport Museum and certain private collections....

Frank Newbould being one of my favourite illustrators!








I suppose that any poetry book which is based on nature

 and the seasons, has to include the famous 'Daffodils' poem

by William Wordsworth.






I believe that Robert Herrick's message, in his work,

is that life is short; the world is beautiful; and that we must

 use the time we have, to make the most of it.

Too true!








This poem jumped out at me as I always

fancied being a village schoolmistress!!

My dream job has always been to

work in the village school in Miss Read's books! ;-)


Maybe I would have lived somewhere like this:







Many poems have been written about the Spring time

and here's a lovely example from Arthur Hugh Clough:






Matthew Arnold was actually both a school inspector and a poet

and he was the son of the famous Thomas Arnold, 

who was headmaster at Rugby School.

Here's his take on Oxfordshire:





George Crabbe had the time to be a surgeon and a clergyman...

 as well as write poetry! Maybe it was his escape from

his 'real' work.

We all need escapes.






John Clare has to be one of my favourite poets.

'I Love to see the Summer' (or to give it its proper name, Sonnet),

being my very favourite poem.

However, it is one of his winter poems featured in this book:








A little more of Spring...




And here's Thomas Hardy, watching a Blackbird:




And off we go to Grasmere with Christina Rossetti!






Being the elder brother of Alfred Tennyson, I'm not surprised that Charles

was also a poet. Maybe he taught his younger brother all he knew!






I know little about this next poet...but am willing to find out!

I love the illustration, chosen to accompany this poem.




And finally another poem by... John Clare.

What I like about his poetry is that is is so simply written

and that, to me, sits so well with nature.






Sunday 14 July 2013

A simple summer poem ;-)



Sonnet


I love to see the summer beaming forth
And white wool sack clouds sailing to the north
I love to see the wild flowers come again
And Mare blobs stain with gold the meadow drain
And water lilies whiten on the floods
Where reed clumps rustle like a wind shook wood
Where from her hiding place the Moor Hen pushes
And seeks her flag nest floating in bull rushes
I like the willow leaning half way o'er
The clear deep lake to stand upon its shore
I love the hay grass when the flower head swings
To summer winds and insects happy wings
That sport about the meadow the bright day
And see bright beetles in the clear lake play

John Clare
1841