Thawing

Waiting for the Thaw - Dina Gregory

Dear Diary,

It is warmer, the air is kinder on my face and I can breathe easier. At kast the thermometer is several degrees above zero.  We are lying in a bowl of fading frost, still mostly white, but all around is fog, pale white like smoke and the hills are completely hidden in the mist.  There is hardly any green to be seen though there are a few patches to be found underfoot.  There is a slow, slow thaw which suits me and the river fine, we do not to be overwhelmed by a flood but the countryside seems all of a mess, it is like sitting in the aftermath of a party thrown during Christmas when everything was just-so, still, snow-covered and beautiful.

Only days ago every dwelling had its own  Christmas decorations hanging from the eaves, long long icicles, (some of which were a danger to folk walking beneath them); at night there were crystals on the ground to light the way, everything was laced in white, the bare winter trees were etchings on the horizon and all the lowland trees had soft cotton wool on their branches. The road river bridge wore stoles of snow (as one of my readers so aptly described it having seen a photo on my blog). Even the moon put on her best show and made for us a magic.

Now we are in the slightly sad, limbo-days, some folk are back at work but not many and there is still New Year to look forward to before everything is Back to Normal.  A lot of us are feeling stir-crazy for it feels as if we have been cooped up far too long having been snowed in for weeks even before Christmas arrived.  At least I have more energy today as it is warmer and I am not striving to keep myself and the cottage warm.  It is no longer icy underfoot, just soft and a bit squelchy so I have enjoyed a walk with the dogs. Being outside lifts the spirits, I recommend it.

I have two poems for you today that I heard on Radio 4's Today  programme on Wednesday.  Colin Firth was the stand-in editor and he did a grand job, there was so much of interest.  Especially  fascinating was how research has shown that our brains are different according to our political leanings...... to the left or the right.  This ties in with a book I have just read by a much-loved writer Gill Edwards called Conscious Medicine. This is basically about how everything is energy including our thoughts.   I will be blogging about this at a later date.

Colin Firth also included two poems in the programme, both of which were excellent.

Here is an audio link to the beat poet Haroon Anwar's poem Western Child; do take the time to listen if you can.

And below is The British by that great poet Benjamin Zephaniah.

The British

Take some Picts, Celts and Silures And let them settle, Then overrun them with Roman conquerors. Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years Add lots of Norman French to some Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously. Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans, Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese, Vietnamese and Sudanese. Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians And Pakistanis, Combine with some Guyanese And turn up the heat. Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians, Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese And Palestinians Then add to the melting pot. Leave the ingredients to simmer. As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish Binding them together with English. Allow time to be cool. Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the future, Serve with justice And enjoy. Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better than another will leave a bitter unpleasant taste. Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage the people and cause pain. Give justice and equality to all.  Benjamin Zephaniah Wise words eh? And blessings today? It is warmer. The birds are happier. A pleasant surprise in my post box.  I received a Christmas card from a fellow blogger all the way from Atlanta in Georgia which contained the same lines that I put on my header a few days ago.  Synchronicity at work again.   Synchronicity.......... that window into the Divine.... I have five more days holiday. I have nothing to do today but dream........ Bye for now, Cait.