Woodland Walk

Being a dog owner, sometimes means dragging yourself out on a Saturday, when you’re feeling a tad lazy. Amber, our Labrador, NEVER feels like this. Even the mere mention of the ‘W-A-L-K’ word sends her whizzing around the kitchen like a spinning-top. It’s such a blessing to have an enthusiastic dog to drag me out of that front door, reminding me to lay aside my busy-ness for a fraction of the day – and just be! It can be hard to get going at times. There are often a-hundred-and-one things I feel I ought to be doing instead, but I never ever regret it! And sometimes it even leads to little poems – like this one.

Garden Song

An hour of toil in the garden,
Is always time well-spent
Tugging out those stubborn old weeds,
Which year upon year won't relent.

An hour spent tending the garden,
Is never wasted time,
Lungs full of wonderful sweet, Spring air,
Hands caked in dirt and grime.

It's hard to feel glum in the garden,
With birds chirping high in the trees,
Potting up Pansies, so cheery and bright,
Hair tugged about by the breeze.

Cutting the deadwood, turning the earth,
Allowing the sun to shine through,
Seems to clear my cluttered mind,
And lifts my spirits too.

Thank you dear Lord for my garden,
Humble and small though it be,
It's a place where so often I've felt You are near,
And Your joy surrounding me.

Once You knelt down in a garden,
And in terrible anguish You cried,
"Thy will, not Mine, be done O Lord!"
Abandoned.  Betrayed.  Denied.

One Sunday morn, in a garden,
You rose up again from the grave,
Bringing salvation and mercy and grace,
To the ones You came to save!

A Note To Spring


Dear Weather Depot
I’m writing to say,
It seems you’ve forgotten,
It's just two weeks 'til May.
I’m not one for complaining,
But I’m wondering why
All this rain keeps on raining,
And grey clouds fill the sky?
I’m still wearing a hat,
And my gloves and my coat,
This is not satisfactory,
(Hence my slightly brusque note!)
Did Spring lose its zing?
Has it really begun?
Is it lost in the post?
Has its spring-thing not sprung?
And I do beg your pardon,
But I haven’t yet sat,
On the bench in my garden,
(I’ve looked forward to that)
So please could you check,
In your weather-book thingy,
And please make this spring
Just a little more ‘springy!’

I’m Published in ‘The Toy!’

It’s been a dreadfully slow year in terms of my writing progress! Lots of reasons really. For starters, I’ve been extra busy with my day job, (which has left me a bit deplete of time and energy) plus, one of the recent projects I’ve been involved with has been put on hold, for reasons out of my control.

BUT!

POETRY!

The one thing that I’ve managed to keep doing is penning the odd poem here and there!

I find poems so refreshing to write, as they are fun and playful, sometimes wistful or meaningful – and they often just spring from spontaneous thoughts.

The Social Media platform formerly known as Twitter, has a superb poetry community – and it was here that I first learned about a wonderful new literary journal for children, called www.thetoypress.com . Do check it out – it is seriously lovely!

When I found out that submissions were open for their fourth edition, which was going to be all about nature – I jumped at the chance. I LOVE writing about God’s wonderful world, and the amazing things that are all around us, as long as we remember to just slow down and look!

I was thrilled to discover, one Monday afternoon, that two of my poems had been accepted for publication and it was a joy to receive my Contributor’s Copy over the weekend. I was also delighted to have one of my poems paired with a gorgeous illustration by Leila Enevoldsen. As an aspiring Picture Book writer, this is such a treat! I’ve always longed to have something I’ve written illustrated.

Anyway…here’s a little sneak peek! I really hope you enjoy it.

Thank you so much for visiting this blog and supporting me on my writing journey- I really do appreciate each and every reader!

The Baking Blunder!

The following limerick may or may not be based on real events!

Photo by Anastasia Ilina-Makarova on Pexels.com
There once was an unlucky baker,
Who forgot to put flour in her cake-ah!
"What a mess!" came her cries,
When that cake did not rise,
"Oh this cake is a big old mistake-a!"

Bath-Time

There once was a dog who did run,
Through a sludgy, wet puddle for fun,
But she soon ceased to laugh,
When her dad shouted: "Bath!"
Now her fun was all over and done!

Pebble on the Beach

Last summer, as I was walking around Seagrove Bay on the Isle of Wight, I happened upon the brightly painted pebble that you can see pictured above. It had been left on the beach – quite deliberately – to bring a smile to whoever was fortunate enough to find it. Wasn’t I the lucky one? And what a sweet, sweet idea! An idea worth sharing, I thought, hence the poem below. And when I return to Seagrove Bay, I shall paint a pebble and leave it for someone else to find!

I found this pebble on the beach,
Quite by chance, the other day,
Painted brightly,
Just for fun,
And hidden there along the way.

I saw this pebble lying there,
Whilst walking round the shingly bay,
Coincidence?
A random chance?
A gift to make another's day.

I'll keep this pebble from the beach,
Because it always makes me smile,
Reminding me
That joy is free,
And kindness always so worthwhile.






 

A Spider’s Skill


How doth the little spider be,
A Master of Geometry?
Oh tell me, tell me, if you know,
Where did she learn to weave quite so?

Please tell me little Spider friend,
How many hours did you spend
Creating such a sight to see,
Such skillful lines of symmetry?

Concentric frame,
Installed at night -
A work of art,
By morning light!



This poem (and lots more) has been kindly published by: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/a-spiders-skill