Natural World (General) Episodes

A welcome breeze plays among the reeds and carves ripples on the canal. Tonight, the Erica is moored on a perfect summer’s night. We welcome you to join us as enjoy the quiet and go searching for older attitudes to summer, the shifting dates of Midsummer's Eve, and just why Midsummer Night’s Dream was so unsummery.

As the heat begins to settle, join us tonight on the narrowboat Erica as we enjoy that special time of a summer’s day, when evening falls and cool breezes ripple the water’s surface. The heat and work pressures have meant that tonight we are freewheeling a little. We also take a peak out of The Land of Green Ginger's window. Settle back in the cool and enjoy a gentle ride to wherever. Journal entry: 24th June, Wednesday “Back from a hot city In a hot field ...

As we edge towards midsummer night, we’re reminded how everything is in constant change. This is particularly the case in the fast-moving world of podcasting. It is a good opportunity to reflect on what it all means for this podcast; the challenges and plans for the future, and also why is everyone suddenly so interested in Vanessa's age (and why would they think that I know what it is)? Journal entry: 12th June, Friday “Soft the wash of rain So...

Join us tonight, in the golden glow of a late spring twilight at our favourite mooring spot under the Forest of Arden’s mysterious gaze. As twilight begins to fall settle back, relax and enjoy the majestic splendour of the ancient evensong of the wild; a symphony in which every voice has a part. Journal entry: 1st May, Friday, Beltane “The dip and swell Of these gently folding fields Home to shadows and sheep And trees who have become Old friends...

Join us on a noisy and stormy night of high winds at the tail-end of winter as we contemplate the messiness of these between times the lie at the edges of the seasons. In a world used to binaries, these times can feel messy, frustrating and even unsettling. The old idea of ‘borrowing days’ helps us to navigate these ‘untidy’ seasonal borders in a different way. Journal entry: 30th March, Monday “Sometimes, The canal is silent Biding time Keeping counsel. Don't ask Let ...

The temperature is dropping and it looks like a frosty night is ahead of us. So, why not join us in the Erica’s cosy cabin as we contemplate the coming of spring, the therapeutic and philosophical aspects of planting seeds, and joy of sunshine on your shoulders. Journal entry: 19th March, Thursday “On Horse Hill The light scrubbed clean By the sharpness of frost Two rooks harry a buzzard pair Who fly on wings Of feathered nonchalance.” Episode In...

Join us tonight as we reflect on that often under-appreciated companion to the canals, the humble towpath. We uncover its vital importance in the past and how in, recent years, its relationship with the canal has been changing. We also meet up again with E Temple Thurston and the good captain Eynsham Harry as the meet a figure of the forgotten past. Journal entry: 5th March, Thursday “A warm sun that hums With the buzz of big bodied Bumblebees busy among Th...

These are the days of the long nights, when ¾ of our day gives way to the dark. If we listen carefully, their gifts are rich and restoring. In these strange times we need, once more, to slow down, look up, and hear the night speak to us with its silences. Come aboard the Erica and let’s journey into the night. Journal entry: 27th November, Thursday "This morning, The kingfisher wakes To a softer, kinder day. The willow leaf Finds the current That ...

oin us tonight aboard the Erica’s warm and cosy cabin as storm Claudia rages outside. Let us experience together the intimate feeling of being snug and safe in a tiny home afloat on the storm lashed canals. Journal entry: 14th November, Friday “Sky of smudged greys, Chalky, sooty, dirty laundry water, And a light of such silvery metallics Lead and steel, iron and zinc, That makes the canal surface shine And adds richness to berry and leaves....

Join us on a quiet night of summer rain as we listen to rooks and explore the beauty and ambiguities of two liminal places with a lot in common. We learn about the web-footed fenmen and are guided by Luke Sherlock to a ruined church under haunting skies. Journal entry: 6th June, Friday “We walk through the sheep field As the rain pours down. My boot socks still wet from last night. The rooks muster noisily at the One Oak. Even the magpies’ cackles...

Welcome to tonight’s episode where ‘Erica’s Place’ by Mind Shambles awakens a kaleidoscope of reminiscences about Mum and ‘elevensies’ and her never ending supply of fresh scones. As the different memories flow and glide past, it slowly becomes clear how much of ‘Erica’s place’ and Mum’s philosophy still lives on and unconsciously shapes these podcasts. Welcome to Erica's place. Journal entry: 20th May, Tuesday “The yellow flag are out. Unfolding the origami o...

Tonight, we float upon a starfield of hawthorn blossom under a waxing moon. Why not join us as we continue with the final part of Mum’s account of the ‘totally worthwhile risk that was never regretted.’ Journal entry: 9th May, Friday “A westering sun Lays long shadows across The towpath and canal. Two geese in a field watch me from across the water. A pheasant’s rasp The scent of may.” Episode Information: In this episode I read the first part of John Clare’s...

Tonight, clouds build as the high pressure breaks. Speculative gusts of wind kick blackthorn blossom ghostly white along the towpath and the full moon seeps heavy and watery through a blanket of cloud. Join us tonight as we continue hearing Mum's account of a risk that was totally worth taking. Journal entry: 7th April, Monday “Warm snowflakes Of blackthorn float and drift Along the towpath Among cowslip yellow And bluebell blue. The sheep are loathe To move, preferring to lie On the...

Send us a text It's a spring, moonless night - not quite 'Bible black', but nearly! It's a perfect night for stories. Why not join us to hear the first part of Mum’s account of their great adventure when, 68 years ago, almost to the day, Mum and Dad embarked on a totally new phase of their lives. Journal entry: 26th March, Wednesday “The ash are heavy with bud Blistered garnet, raspberry- Shaped jewels That glow warmly in The low sunshine That picks out the Slow contours of the fields I...

Send us a text Along the towpath winter slowly fades. If we are not quite in spring yet, we can feel it close at hand. Join us tonight as we celebrate the shifts in light and tone across the landscape and from deep within in the company of Idris Davies, Frankk Mansell, and Kenneth Grahame. Journal entry: 26th February, Wednesday “For me, there are few things more beautiful and soul inspiring than this: Rain on water, Old growth by the waterside, Time-bleached reeds Standing like Nepales...

It’s a bitingly cold, sleety night. There’s a warning of snow in the forecast for later. It’s a perfect night to sit together around a warm stove snug inside the Erica’s cabin, while the wild world rages outside. The kettle is singing, the biscuit barrel is full. The night belongs to us. Journal entry: 7th February, Friday. “Yesterday’s spectacular Blood-orange dawn Has given way to a dawn Without colour or feeling. We pick our way between Rutted potholes of slippery mud To the Magpi...

Send us a text Join us aboard the Erica, as we sit around the stove on a raw night of ice and freezing fog. Tonight, we reflect on boat (and other) life in the times of hard frost, the trials of swan and kingfisher life, and we finish with a short reading from Tom Rolt. Journal entry: 9th January, Thursday “The shatter of January light On fractured ice. The smouldering Of fallen leaves Frozen into the ringing silence Of stilled waters.” Episode Information: The shattered glass of...

Send us a text Recently, Britain experienced a blocking high pressure system, leading to an extended period of ‘anticyclonic gloom.’ Such are the conditions in which myths are created and, as the story of Blodeuwedd and Lleu suggests, might still be created. Journal entry: 15th November, Friday Early light. Thick mist Licked with salmon On the eastern edge. Frost glitters Along the cabin roof And rimes hoary On the solar panels. Rooks pour off The music stave Of telegraph wires Whirl...

Send us a text Two rather wonderful things have happened recently which has prompted me to take a reflective look back at this podcast and the journey we have taken together. One of these was being sent some excerpts of essays written by students who had listened to one of the podcasts (I which gave me a lot to think about), and the other was recieving a beautful poem ('The Narrowcaster') written by one of our listeners. Join us tonight on NB Erica as we celebrate sharing these night-times on st...

Send us a text Join us on the narrowboat Erica on a moonless, star-filled night as we celebrate autumns, real and imagined, present and remembered. Although October (at the moment) is far from 'golden', it is apple picking time mem ries of which take us meandering down the wandering paths of my childhood. Journal entry: 3rd October, Thursday “Afterglow of sunlight Ash etched into ice blue Overseen by a watching rook. Smoke curls Listless on no wind. Cabin lights call me home.” Epi...

Join us tonight as Erica a wends ‘snailward’ home through a heavy rain storm - recorded, aptly enough, during another heavy rain storm! Hear also about our adventures with a drowning pigeon. Journal entry: 3rd September, Tuesday “Cruising through a Hiroshige Woodblock print; Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge. Even the reeds look like bamboo. A heron pilots us home.” Episode Information: Rain on the canal An enamel Peter Storm lapel badge like the one that came free with my f...

We’re on HOLIDAY! And so, a rather truncated and spur of the moment podcast tonight. However, join us as we enjoy a spot of tranquillity canal-style. We also hear a lovely story from one of our long-time listeners and lock-wheelers, Cap'n Arlo. Journal entry: 25th July, Thursday “The sun flashes off the canal in a shimmering dance of light. Sweet fruit hang amid The dappled leaves and butterflies, Rotting on the higher branches. We below them look up Rueing such waste and decay; Swee...

There are times that can touch us deeply. Very often they are not about finding a place of peace or somewhere outstandingly beautiful. It is something else. Something beyond these things. It is about encountering something wonderful, and being spun by wonderment. Join us tonight as we recover from dragging a very smelly and wet dog out of the canal! Journal entry: 13th July, Saturday “Loosestrife sets alight The greyness of the day With purple fire. Chiff chaff squeak Like rusty whee...

This episode was inspired by a sentence in Beth Kempton's Wabi Sabi and explores how calendars can connect us more closely to the world around us. Join us tonight as we explore the year through the eyes of some Japanese poets and celebrate the unfolding of the summer. Journal entry: 25th June, Tuesday “First day this summer Of real heat. All day, my shirt has stuck To my back. This evening The clover field Hums with The work of bees.” Episode Information: The fire of purple lo...