Night Time Episodes

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 ...

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...

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 centuri...

Canals and railways are often very close near neighbours and so trains can be a frequent part of the canal soundscapes. This week we explore why the sound of a train in the distance (thanks to Paul Simon) can be so evocative which gives me the opportunity to reminisce about my childhood and revisit some wonderful poems. Journal entry: 24th January, Tuesday. “Racing head. Not much sleep. So I am out here, trying to walk it out. The ground crunches and splinters into Icy shards. The ki...

The night is chill and crisp, a bright moon rides the racing clouds and stars shimmer on the surface of the canal. It’s a perfect night for a night walk. Snuggle down and wrap up warm as you join me on a canal walk washed by moon light. Journal entry: 29th November, Tuesday “Reluctant daylight. The sun's cold shoulder. Three ducks bob on ruffled water. I walk on uphill Grateful for thick socks.” Episode Information: Earlier the night of the walk as darkness fell. Looking out of the b...

The forecast hot weather has come and gone, but its psychological, as much as physical, effects feel a bit harder to shift. So join with me tonight as we gaze deeply into the mirrored dome of the night sky and its web of starlight, to discover what stories they tell and their challenge for us to begin to create newer ones. Journal entry: 22nd July, Friday “Every day shakes the kaleidoscope. Lift it to your eye. Twist the base and look. Today, three young jackdaws chase each other Thr...

With apologies for sounding like an asthmatic badger, tonight we explore the special qualities of an unremarkable dusk and why we can feel so at peace with it and the darkness it can bring. Journal entry: 28th June, Tuesday. “I stop work to breathe in the storm-wind And bathe in the whirlpool of its noise. My shoulders feel heavy As If I alone am holding up the blanket clouds That sag grey above my head. The water hose, snakes and hisses around my feet. Head upright, neck relax...

You join us on (another)stormy night, but this one is moonless and black as tar. It is the night of the new moon – the Cold Moon or the Long Night Moon. The phases of the moon give us an opportunity to contemplate the intricate play of cycles all around us and how the mirror, challenge and provide direction for our lives. Journal entry: “3rd December, Friday The tops of the trees is Shakespeare’s wood have disappeared in cloud. A defrosted world, smothered in mist and pearled with be...

What is it about fire that holds our fascination? Last weekend the clocks went back and in the span of one night darkness began to lap at the edges of our late afternoons. The encroachment of night leading the tide of winter into our daytimes can no longer be ignored and it is understandable that at this time of year we are so drawn to the image of an open fire. In this episode, with the help of the poet Robert Service, we explore the ways that fire can touch us so deeply emotionally, reawakenin...

After a 3 week break, Nighttime on Still Waters is back with episode 40! In this episode we catch up with what has been happening on the moorings and reflect on the place of night walking in history and culture. Journal entry: “5th August, Thursday High in a tree a blackbird Sings into the night. A river of notes Pours into the cabin. There are no stars Just music.” Episode Information In this episode I refer to: Miles Hadfield’s (1950) An English Almanac published by JM Dent and Sons. M...

Did you know that each evening we experience THREE twilights? Each one with distinctive features and that during this period we respond in physiological ways. Similarly, our ancestors appeared to have taken advantage of these liminal periods of transition in ways that we might do well to remember. We finish the episode with a lovely passage from Tom Rolt’s Narrow Boat and there is also some sad news from the moorings. Journal entry: “1st July, Thursday The day dawns with a silver light that p...

What is ‘dead sleep’ and ‘morning sleep’? Why are 'duck hatches' invaluable? What should we do with the feral ducks? In this far ranging episode. we explore the night-time of history and discover that, perhaps, the importance of the night for our well-being might not be purely as a time for sleep. We also talk about what scenarios we employed for choosing the right boat for us, and the problem of the feral ducks, So far month has been colder and wetter than the average. However, the world aroun...

The temperature is just above freezing and the ground is slick with mud. Join me tonight for a night-walk to Bearley (Odd) lock to see what sounds we can hear and feel the quiet stillness of the canal in the depths of winter’s night. Journal entry: “2nd December, Wednesday. The swan is back. Its serpentine reflection ghosts the water. I indulge myself that it is the same juvenile cob that disappeared a month or so ago. It now has a mate and the water carries them effortlessly like tw...