December 26th sees the beginning of the Twelve Days of Christmas. I’ve decided to mark this ancient tradition by posting…
Posts
Advent Meditation Fourth Sunday
This is the final week in our Advent journey. We have reached the Meditation for the Fourth Sunday, bringing together…
Advent Meditation Third Sunday
The protagonists in the events of the first Christmas are not just characters in a story in a book or…
Advent Meditation First Sunday
This is the first of four short meditations, one for each Sunday in Advent, 2022. Each will include a piece…
‘Meditación de Otoño’: a new bilingual poem
The story goes something like this: about four decades ago I fell in love. And it was beautiful! The language…
‘He is my refuge’: a meditation.
‘Refuge’ is a word we have heard and read many times in recent months and years. Throughout history, and still…
Abiding in Creativity II
Christ is working in us and through us. This is the hope of glory … God has always been in the business of doing good: binding up the broken; proclaiming freedom and releasing prisoners; establishing justice; comforting those who mourn.
Flowers for the Queen
According to Psalm 116 v 15, ‘Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants’.…
Recuerdos de Soria
If the last few summers were all about the staycation, this summer has gifted a greater degree of freedom. Airport…
‘Learning in War-time’
I begin where I must, with a disclaimer: ‘Learning in War-time’ is a title coined by the great Irish writer…
Creative Conversations … with Hazel Southam
It’s that time of year when the days are longer and brighter, and the spring flowers and sunshine are inviting…
‘Unspeakable Gift’ – a new poem
After all the preparations, after the slow waiting of Advent, Christmas Day has arrived. For some, this Christmas will be…
Heaven’s song
Somehow, back in January 2019, I missed the posting of a video by the cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Somehow, this morning,…
Autumn at home iii – Telling an untold story
November has been remarkable this year. For one thing, the foliage on the trees, now just beginning to gather in…
Autumn at Home II: ‘Heritage of our Isles’
As far as dilemmas go, having to decide whether to take a short trip to Grasmere in the English Lake…
Autumn at Home I: ‘Still by the water’
‘It’s you, blackbird, I love. I park, pause, take heed. Breathe. Just breathe and sit’ Seamus Heaney, from ‘The Blackbird…
Windows
As I write, it is the first day of October. One year ago exactly it was National Poetry Day, celebrating…
On reading Tolkien (finally)
The secret is out: it has taken me a very long time to pluck up the courage to read Tolkien.…
Calling in to Ballycastle
There is something about the light of the sun and the lengthening of shadows over the last few days that…
Towards the Harbour at Ballintoy
From the natural arena of the splendid beach at Whitepark Bay, a path moves eastwards through quiet stretches of sheep…
Walking at Whitepark
There are three routes that I know of that lead to the windswept arc of fine sand at Whitepark Bay.…
By the Water at Portbradden
One of the best ways to admire the jewel-coloured glories of the fuchsia bushes that grace the North Coast is…
Into the Mist at Whiterocks Beach
There is something otherworldly about mist. On this July afternoon, the hottest ever recorded in our part of Ireland, it…
The Road to Dunseverick
There is no better time to cycle along the Aird than mid July. We set out in the early afternoon,…
Start here: Summer at home
Summer is my favourite time of year. I enjoy the earthy colours of Autumn too. And I acknowledge the particular…
Tender plants
This year in County Antrim, Spring has been wonderful, with a welcome introduction of freshness and colour. Yet she seems…
Evensong
It is Easter Saturday. The sun is shining on this quiet day of waiting between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.…
Primrose Poems
In the beautiful Spanish language, a language close to my heart, the word Primavera can be used to translate our…
Welcome to Writing Home
A friend asked me recently if there was a place where the pieces that I write might be found gathered…
Gifts of light
It’s mid December, and the duties of a long, demanding semester have finally come to an end. I’m sitting quietly…
Twelvetide 6.1.23 Epiphany
This is the final post in Twelvetide, a series to mark the Twelve Days of Christmas. It’s been quite a…
Twelvetide 5.1.23 ‘Flower’
I have to be honest: this morning I had no idea at all what this penultimate Twelvetide post was going…
Twelvetide 4.1.23 Song
This is day number nine in a series of posts to mark the Twelve Days of Christmas. It’s all about…
Twelvetide 3.1.23 ‘Place poem’
Green spaces in urban environments are sanctuaries. Whatever the season, it’s always a delight to find a park in a…
Twelvetide 2.1.23 ‘Time’
Eight days ago, rather impulsively, I made a pledge that I would write a daily post. The idea was to…
Twelvetide 1.1.23 Table
First day of January 2023. Thankful for the promise of new beginnings. ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;…
Twelvetide 31.12.22 Treasure
Writing each day this Twelvetide I have been learning things. Here is one of them: there is treasure to be…
Twelvetide 30.12.22 Paint
Today’s Twelvetide treasure is a beautiful gift received in the post! It is a winter painting of the Colin from…
Twelvetide 29.12.22 Books
There are books in just about every corner of my house. As artefacts, they are connected emotionally to different places…
Twelvetide 28.12.22 Bread
This is the third in a series of twelve posts marking the ancient tradition of the Twelve Days of Christmas.…