Thoughts of a Soo

  Singing as the Darkness Lifts, Episode 38 Diving Right In  PodBean Link for those who like to listen   This morning the air brings me the scent of fermented green, and it feels like the day is readying itself to be warm.   Last night I dreamt of poets and words after being in the zoom room for the online launch of   Damien Donnelly ’ s Back From Away . I love the feeling of a celebratory zoom and it was wonderful to be able to read during the event. I love Damien’s work and the way he delivers his words. When I got the new book I read it from cover to cover the same day – my favourite thing to do when a new book arrives. I like to see which poems resonate on the first read through and then return to the whole book again and see what else becomes a favourite. Two poems echoed with their observation and their numbers after my first reading of the book, ‘Between the Floorboards’ and ‘The Sum Of’....

Singing as the Darkness Lifts, Episode 37 Being Sociable Again PodBean Link for those who like to listen     This morning the air smells of roses. My mind says ‘tea roses’ and for a moment I can’t quite remember if there is such a thing.   I wasn’t sure I was ready to get up this morning and then I dreamt that I had caramel crispy snacks and that put a smile into my waking state and helped me open my eyes properly.   I also dreamt I was leaning on a pillar knitting. Having been surrounded by yarn and all things wool gathering this weekend and then starting to write a poem to capture some of the essence of a yarn show this is perhaps no surprise. I was however disappointed with the colour of yarn I had chosen so maybe I was knitting it as a gift! In case you’re curious it was a sweater in the round and it was white wool with yellow and pink.   I love dreams and always enjoy a little revel in the remembering as I emerge ...

  Singing as the Darkness Lifts, Episode 36 A large Sturgeon, A Peppermint Tea and a Fizzy Water PodBean Link for those who like to listen This morning the air carries the scent of warm, damp hay. The birds were singing the day in loudly when I noticed this, and seemed to be telling me they had been doing so for some time this morning before I woke from my sleep to greet the day.   I am currently celebrating the joy of staying present and being fully in the moment. On Thursday last week this was huge for me because I was launching my book, and I was determined to enjoy my own reading and be able to immerse myself fully in the words of others.   My goal was to have moved on from the reading I did in October where I spent a lot of time beforehand overthinking it, because I did not know the best ways to tackle the nerves that rose in my stomach. I wanted to have less of that feeling that I captured in the poem ‘There’s a Doll Thumping in My Ch...

  Singing as the Darkness Lifts, Episode 35 Blue Apples Appear PodBean Link for those who like to listen     This morning the air brings me the scent of grass. Slightly herbed and fresh. The more silage-based smell of old cuttings stays in the brown bin.   Yesterday the birds celebrated themselves for Dawn Chorus Day and I shared one of my dawn chorus poem s on social media even though I did not join them in the early morning. I did take a moment to remember two of my favourite dawn chorus experiences though. One of these was my first ever dawn chorus when my friend Karen’s Dad took me, Karen and Sarah out to experience sunrise and helped us name the birds we could hear. The other was at Loggerheads were Kath and I stood to hear the last owl and the first blackbird. Both magical in completely different ways.   I have been looking at things from a variety of different angles this week and found myself with some perfect moment...