WORDS once SPOKEN now CAPTURED

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...

It’s the night of a blue moon. Following a hot and busy sunny day the canal settles down into a contented stillness. It’s a perfect night to join and to sit back, let the quietness wash over us, to relax and to let our minds play with some big ideas. Journal entry: 23rd May, Sunday “Voices lift across the water No words, just sound A copy of Baisao in my hand Lingering over phrases and lines In the soft evening sun. I too have my cup ...

Tonight, as the rain falls softly outside and the kettle sings on the hob, we are letting our thoughts roam free. Together, we shine a light into the forgotten corners of history to explore a quiet, essential rhythm; the often-overlooked role of the people who wound the parish clocks, and the precious gift they gave, the burden of time, Journal entry: 11th May, Monday “Mother and a host of tiny ducklings (Don't count them. Just enjoy). A raven alights on the One O...

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...

There’s a warm welcome aboard the Erica tonight. But why the Erica? Why not any of the other boats we viewed and discussed? What was it about the Erica that made her special enough for us to buy, even though there were other boats that seemed to be stronger contenders? How did we know she was the right choice? Jo Bell’s brilliant book Boater helps us to find some answers. Journal entry: 12th April, Sunday “From Bridge 55 Children and old men Lean on Georgian ironwork W..

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...

In tonight’s episode, with the help of a few of our listeners, I continue to reflect on life aboard the Erica and how it might have changed our lives as well as go on a hunt for the elusive 'Seventh Word'. There is often a lot of talk about how canal-life is helpful for mental wellbeing. Is this really the case? We also go in hunt for some mysterious bramble cutting vandals. Journal entry: 21st February, Saturday “A silvered dawn. Milder air With the promise of S...

This year, the Bita kaulo munthos (the little dark month) has brought with it yet more rain. This time of year can be a hard time. Mid-winter; the time of lambing, Imbolc and the Cailleach. Strung halfway between winter solstice and spring equinox, Imbolc heralds the mid-point of what for many seems to be turning out to be a very hard winter. Join us tonight around our fire as we contemplate how this time can help to prepare us for the uncertainties of the coming year. &n...

Tonight, we’re celebrating our 200th episode while enjoying our sixth winter aboard the NB Erica. To mark the occasion, I’m looking back at how the watery path of canal life has reshaped our lives, sometimes in unexpected ways. So, settle in as we ponder the intricacies of synoptic weather charts to the quiet, unique qualities of living on the water. Journal entry: 24th January, Saturday “A silver sun Leans on a lonely wind Casting hard light Upon the world. I...

The failure of the Whitchurch embankment offered sobering viewing for those on and off the canal. This episode responds to listeners’ concerns and questions and then reflects on the wider implication of incidents like these on the future of life on the canals. *Spoiler -it is not all doom and gloom!* Journal entry: 6th January, Tuesday “Colder night But slightly milder dawn A few desultory snowflakes fall Flightless feathers With no wind Upon which to dance Will these small fla...

It's Christmas on the canal, and the time when we traditionally gather around by firelight and tell stories of wonder and magic. So, tonight, there is an extra specially warm welcome aboard the Erica as we turn the lights down low and listen by firelight to a rather remarkable (and I think wonderful) tale of canal-side Christmases past and the magic hidden along the towpath. Grab a mug of your favourite drink, settle into your cosiest chair and join us into the heart of a canal...

As advent candles burn into their second half, and berries blaze along the towpath, why not join us tonight aboard the Erica to hear about what it feels like to experience this advent on the cut. Journal entry: 8th December, Monday “A ragged river of rooks Stream across A watery sky On purposeful wings. They rise and circle Around the One Oak. The fire of their Jubilant chatter Warms the day.” With special thanks to our lock-wheel...

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....

Welcome to Halloween on the canal. It’s a perfect night to turn down the lights, curl up in comfy chair with a warm mug, and listen to a spooky tale. Can anyone explain what really did happen on that celebrated (or notorious) section of canalat Morton’s Rise under the glowering presence of Draid Hill? Join us for this very special Halloween edition of Nighttime on Still Waters. Journal entry: 31st October, Friday (All Hallows’ Eve) “The day grows thin Between light and darkness Heron spanned Silent as owl flight The canal ...

Have you ever wondered what it was like to visit a ‘moorings’ along one of Britain’s waterways and to stand and wath and listen as this small world flows to its own daily rhythms? Although every 'mooring' is different, we explore the common thread that unites them. Why not join us for a sunny autumnal Sunday and listen to the day unfold. Journal entry: 6th October, Monday “Wind buffets and rocks the boat The mooring lines tighten and then slack. Fenders creak...

It's a blustery, moonless, and nearly starless night tonight, with the ever-present hint of rain in the air. So, why not come aboard the Erica for a while and reminisce about inconsequential things, the joy they bring, and how they form such strong bedrocks to our lives in an unsteady world? Journal entry: 17th September, Wednesday “Summer has left And strewn all along the towpath Is the detritus of its sojourn. Rusting wires of sorrel and dock, Hogweed ...

Tonight, for a little while, let’s leave the sleeping canal in peace as it slowly recovers and heals after the summer long drought. Instead, let's go down to the river where the water is alive with light and chuckles and laps under rowing boats and let us see what we can see. Journal entry: 4th September, Thursday “Clouds pillow and pile Black skies behind us A fleeting sun catches the scarlet of bryony berries That wrap themselves around Spiky vin...

A newly born moon is still below the horizon and the parched ground breathes in the quiet of a summer's night. The water levels may be low, but you're assured a welcome that is full and warm aboard the NB Erica as we catch up on life with all its ebbs and flows, and unfuriating complexities that make it all so worthwhile. Journal entry: 18th August, Monday “Rain in the night Woke up to streaks on the windows. I take the rake off the cabin roof And lower ...

Could the humble drydock be the perfect example of canal engineering ingenuity? Find out why in our latest episode and join us back afloat onboard the Erica as we explore some surprising facts about this often-overlooked marvel. Journal entry: 1st August, Friday (Lammas Day) “Fields the colour of linen and calico Under turbulent skies of heavy cloud. As I chew on a blade of grass The wind whips up dust devils Across the dry, hard-baked hill. Apples...