Walking the utterly beautiful Solway Firth coast, disturbing clouds of butterflies. South again tomorrow, returning to the heat. I hate it. What are we going to do?

Common Knapweed and its Bumblebee

Local weirdness...

Thank you Dumfries and the Coach and Horses for a brilliant night on the 'Crossing Paths' tour! Such a warm welcome, lovely to see many old friends again and hear some fine poetry in the open mic. Look, there's our poster on the chimney breast. And the river Nith. @blackcatpress.bsky.social

A soft day, mizzle at intervals, the hills cloudy, the tide out. Mersehead, Dumfries and Galloway.

Doorways and closes, a tossing ship and a wicker horse... Kirkcudbright.

Walking around St Mary's Isle at Kirkcudbright this afternoon. Imagine curlews calling and you have it.

Very excited to be reading with @richardnskinner.bsky.social in Dumfries at the legendary Coach and Horses, hosted by the legendary Hugh McMillan! Only a week to go! @blackcatpress.bsky.social

A Welsh Mountain filly in burnt pasture under the Long Mynd.

Up in the hot hills yesterday where a ewe gets a late shearing.

An utterly bleached flank of the Long Mynd in unrelenting sunshine. I dream of drizzle. A large white butterfly flutters by.

I made a thing for Town in a Tin, a wonderful idea to celebrate Shrewsbury inside a sardine tin. There'll be an exhibition, sales, and proceeds to a local good cause.

'The Night Horses are stalled between sleep and dreaming. In the steading they lower their massive heads to the earth’s nod.' New poem on my totally unprofitable Substack now!

Coming up at the end of the month, I'm leading this workshop at Jenna Blair Yoga. For those who love Shropshire, and words like 'erriwig' and 'glid' - do join us, we'll have fun! Book via Jenna Blair Yoga website.

Rather industrial solution to a gate fastening here #shropshire @lauraparker.bsky.social @lakesstiles.bsky.social

Scorching hot, presumably.

Mid Victorian, mock Elizabethan chimneys on the Drapers Company Almshouses in Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury.

Found in the centre of Mitchell's Fold stone circle. With feathered eyebrow. I left it there of course.

July is here! Richard Skinner and me get to take 'Crossing Paths' up to Scotland at the end of the month. We'll be reading in the legendary Coach & Horses. The one and only Hugh Mcmillan is hosting, thanks Shug. It would be great to see old friends - please share!

Found in the centre of the stone circle yesterday. Oooh.

'The sun came too close to us, a slipping forge. What times are these?' Read the rest of it here: substack.com/home/post/p-...

This week has felt so long. So hot.

Self-sown poppies bee-besieged.

Wishing the world a happy midsummer solstice! Here's a wild rose from a green lane in Shropshire.

Orchid, foxglove and hawkbit in my local woods. A fragile beauty to lift the heart. 🌱 Also very relieved that Andy Burnham won so convincingly 😊

And the fastening of farm gates.

On keeping lambs from harm.

Victorian tiles in Bettisfield church.

Lion in the rain. #sheffield

Early in the woods. Elderflower and cow parsley. The company of trees.