Natural World (General) Episodes

Sometimes episodes have a mind of their own and take you to unplanned places they think you need to go. This is one of those episodes. One ‘soft’ Sunday morning in May in John Clare country. Journal entry : 31st May, Friday “Standing looking south-west Across the vale. Four ducks circle above the water. Then swoop down and land in unison. The fields and hills in the distance Fade into soft light.” Episode Information: Grand and unapologetic: Giant Hogweed standing tall. This is the time for 'ser...

In tonight’s episode we meet a couple of beautiful spring flowers with some fearsome reputations and go about spring cleaning a very messy and cluttered boat with the help of Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows . Journal entry : 8th May, Wednesday. “A May evening of golden haze And drifting willow down And the busy day winds down. Nearby, lambs call as mothers graze and nuzzle Beyond them, chiff-chaff, robin, and bluetit. Further distant, the sound of children playing. Beyond that a dog ba...

For us the river of the year has, so far, been roaring and fierce. It is difficult, at times, to see the bank or to even know whether we are floating or sinking. However, that is only one small part of the picture. What follows is a rather incoherent attempt to find coherence amid the noise. Journal entry : 10th April, Wednesday “This morning dawned in chilled silver I wore my coat up to my chin. Now the sun is out And coltsfoot down dances On a warm wind.” Swan preening beside her "proud nest":...

As the slow march of Spring travels along the canal and towpaths, tonight I answer two more questions: How do we keep the boat from freezing when we have to leave it unattended, and how long does it normally take to buy a narrowboat? Journal entry : 7th March, Thursday. “A grey wind blows From a grey sky Troubling the surface Of the canal. Damson blossom Torn from branch Spun snow-like With each gust. Sweet smell of woodsmoke And the throat-catch of coal Crosses my path, head high, And is lost a...

I am not sure if it is just me, but so far autumn doesn’t feel quite so ‘autumny’ as it usually does. Therefore, I think that it is a perfect time to savour a reading from one of my most favourite childhood books, Brendon Chase by BB. Journal entry : 26th October, Thursday. “Darkness. Mizzle transforms the water Into star-fields of pinpricks of light. Evanescent. Like walking Through the tangle Of watery Spiders’ webs. A dance of tiny droplets In the torchlight’s beam. Cloud-walking Beside the c...

A week of serious problems with our internet has meant that I have been unable to record the episode answering listeners’ questions. However, join us tonight to enjoy a special meeting under the ‘ghost’ of a harvest moon. Journal entry : 29 th September, Friday “Early this morning, We met the swan slipping Light upon the night-time mists. Behind us, Cows stood knee deep in milk- white meadows. This is the stillness that falls After the storm.” Episode Information: In this episode I read a sectio...

It's a hot sultry night in the late eve of summer. Join us tonight as we spend time with the gentle words and wisdom of a friend of mine. Journal entry : 6th September, Wednesday “This evening The wool of traveller’s joy has caught afire With the westward Apricot sun. And look at how the nettles glow Translucent with the touch Of unspeakable wonder.” Episode Information: In this episode I read Chasing the Wind by Tony Bell ©2020 If you have a question, drop me a line on nighttimeonstillwaters@gm...

The hedges are ablaze with colour and they call to us of lessons that we have long forgotten. Journal entry : 2nd September, Saturday “At the edgings of the day. A delinquent V of geese Transect a sinking sun. As they reappear Another flight has joined them. They continue in a loose straggle North. A cool whisper of air As we round the base of the hill. Distant voices float across the water. As the sun sinks below the west The chant of jackdaws.” Episode Information: In this episode I read extra...

A warm dry week has ended with chasing shadows and showers. It looks like a dampish Bank Holiday! Therefore, this might be a good time to consider more deeply on the quality that rain has to touch us both physically and emotionally. Thomas Merton and Tristan Gooley are two very different people, but they both offer insights into the language of rain and what we can learn through listening to it. Journal entry : 24th August, Thursday "We drop down the hill To field-edge and thistledown smoke. A m...

It’s a wild and wet July night of wind and rain. So why not step aboard for a while as we meander down some fox trails and contemplate the pleasure of sunshine and dark skies. Journal entry : 11th July, Tuesday “A quarter to midnight. Lying in bed and listening To the drum of rain On the cabin roof. All day I have watched the dark Clouds boil in the cauldron Of the west. Storm heads tower In castle greys. Maggie and I stood On the hill with no name Watching the ragged veils Of cloud-tear Sweep t...

Join us tonight on a hot sticky night of lingering light and stubborn twilight. With the summer’s tilt shifting wider and deeper changes are felt. "Life is a motion. Life is growth. It is never static," says the corner of a field. Journal entry : 4th July, Tuesday "Goldfinch carnival Among the teasel heads And early sun. Dark clouds to the west Bringing rain. Spindrift of fine drizzle Freewheels on the breeze. The cows are in no hurry Neither am I." Episode Information: The edge of the field in ...

Watching the sun sink below the horizon, particularly after long sunny days such as these, can evoke a mass of mental and emotional responses that seem to tap into something deep within us. Join us this week as week count down a setting sun and reflect on the rich culture it created. Journal entry : 23rd June, Friday. “The alder saplings are growing thick at the water’s edge Vying with the green spears of teasel And purple knapweed plumes. This time last year Some of them were forming as catkins...

These are the days when the nights are short and the days are long. On the cusp of the summer solstice, the year's turning reaches its zenith, join me tonight in celebrating the unique joys (and challenges) of the long days with a special visit to Windmill Hill (Grid reference SP 33 42). Journal entry : 14th June, Wednesday “Sun down. A lone swan swims up the canal. Serene strokes from strong feet. Each ripple she makes catches fire. The goldcrests’ chatter falls silent And the bank-side grasses...

Come with me for a walk by the canal and I will show you something wonderful! This week we explore how names and memories have the power to root and reinforce our connections with home and tell us something very important about ourselves. Journal entry : 27th May, Saturday “Late afternoon sun slants into The tobacco-coloured waters. Fifteen or more carp weightless Among the cow pastures of weed-drift. With a flick of a tail, they all glide as one In a lithe piscine murmuration Look! They’ve form...

This week marked the anniversary of what has been considered by many to be one of the most important cultural events of the twentieth century. Tonight, we try to recapture that moment and explore why its power to move still remains today. Journal entry : 18th May, Thursday, “Is there anything more beautiful Than the softness Of April and May light While the clouds scramble For height Amid a sky of towering blue?” Episode Information: Apologies for the lack of sound during the 'Tuesday' morning s...

We are back! Spring sunshine and showers are transforming the fields and the canal and it is wonderful to be behind the microphone once again! The roof of a narrowboat can acts as a special extra room offering you panoramic views of a world of thee worlds. Why not climb up here and join us up on the roof of the Erica to enjoy rook play and the approach of a thunderstorm. This episode is dedicated especially to Stu and Vania. Journal entry : 10th May, Wednesday “A game of Pooh-sticks and listenin...

Tonight's episode will be the last for awhile. I am trying to juggle too many things and I am not coping. I hope to be back soon. Thank you for all your support it means and has meant so much to me xx Tonight, the clouds are racing and the young moon has already dipped below the horizon. Spring comes roaring on the back of a raging southwesterly. Join the Erica on a windy March night as, with the help of Rory's favourite book, we explore the significance of the conclave of oaks on the hill top. ...

After a blustery week of wild, mad, March weather, why not join us tonight as we enjoy a sunny moment beside the canal and contemplate on the powerful word-play of some very old Celtic bards. Journal entry : 17th March, Friday “The sun is warm To the west the clouds are Prussian blue Like mountains of the imagination. A woodpecker laughs From somewhere across the fields Which fill with lambs And the sound of young Calling to old. A branch hangs whose scars are unhidden.” Episode Information: In ...

Curl up with us tonight as we enjoy the warmth of a cosy cabin as snow gives way to sweeping rain and our stove glows brightly in the gathering darkness. Journal entry : 10th March, Friday “The convocation of oaks rises to my view From a swirling mist of snow and blown spindrift. Their trunks wrapped white. Icicles hang from their branches. I want to say, “Don’t worry, Spring is on its way.” But they know that. They have known that before I was born They have known that for centuries. What can y...

Blustery late winter nights are perfect for retelling old stories. Tonight we listen again with new ears to the ancient story told in the 'hymn of the pearl' and explore how old myths and folktales can weave such powerful tales if we just allow them tell their own stories. Journal entry : 15th February, Wednesday “An old moon leans back against the dawn. Gulls scythe and cry Between street lamps and traffic noise. Chaos above and chaos below. But between the concrete There is green.” Episode Inf...

Any boater who is faced with the prospect of numerous locks ahead will know how wonderful it is to find someone who is prepared to take on ‘lock-wheeling’ duties. This episode takes some time out to reflect on the podcast as well as explore the many listeners who have become tireless lock-wheelers for it. Journal entry : 10th February, Friday “Ice skates lines across the water. A thin brittle veneer that cannot hold The oak’s reflection. The morning sun sets fire to the reeds. I am dazzled by th...

All along the canal side, the wintery tees and hedgerows are filling with spring song and life. Subtle shifts and changes, the play of light through the trees, the shimmering reflection of an old oak, auger new seasons awaiting us. It might still be winter and cold weather is on the way, but why not join me tonight in a ‘secret’ spot, canal-side, where we can listen together to February dawning? Journal entry : 1st February, Wednesday. "The conclave of oaks at the top of the hill Bask in this go...

Join us around the warmth of a glowing stove tonight as ice once more grips the boat and freezing fog thickly mantles the winter-naked trees. On nights like these, it is good to remember summer days and so, tonight’s episode takes us back to one particular day late last summer. Journal entry : 16th January, Monday “A westering sun paints the opposite bank in amber, Soil and bark glow warm with gold. A tangle of twisted roots, bramble brush and rabbit holes. Eight ducks emerge from the undergrowt...

Rain and mud are all around us at the moment, but there is wonder there too. The ancient myth of ‘The Voyage of Bran’ helps us to find the extraordinary within the ordinary and (with apologies to Simon and Garfunkel) the beauty of Tuesday Morning, 5.30am. Journal entry : 13th January, Friday “Boggy ground, although I am high on the hill. Standing in the cluster of four oaks waiting. Waiting for I don’t know what. I turn, and behind me, the sunrises in red and gold Through the dense brush of wood...