Mary Earnshaw
@maryearnshaw
Writer. Worrier. Tree whisperer. Lives on England's northwest coast. Has spent a lot of time in Zambia and Eswatini with her live-in archaeologist. Can cook for dozens over an open fire if bribed with wine. But would rather write poetry.
In a National Trust property in North Wales I was told the staff called September visitors 'blackberry people ' - but we've been getting ripe blackberries since late July, way too early - and today I saw lots of these - elderberries ripening already. The birds are going to be hungry this winter.
Joy! The postie delivered a small treasure amid the flyers and bills. A postcard - not just any postcard, but one with a sonnet on it (couldn't resist, sorry). Thank you, @betarish.bsky.social for such a treat, I love it! And it's made my day.
Fabulous moody images in here as well as words. I heard Robert read from the slate quarrying section pre publication & found it strangely intriguing. Not your average poetry volume as you'd expect from this author & publisher. I bought it from Waterstones www.waterstones.com/book/holme-f...
A little poem from RS Thomas for Sunday morning. From Collected Later Poems 1988-2000 published by Bloodaxe Books and Edited by Thomas's literary executor M Wynn Thomas.
Breeze! Sea breeze! Gorgeous morning on the beach, quiet and calm and such a relief from the heat inland. .
I can't get this to open at all so here's a screenshot of the poem. Hard to believe, given some of the rather explicit images I've blocked on Blue Sky, that it's blocked a picture of an artwork on display in a public gallery. Anyway, here's the poem!
I told them repeatedly we had no food but they insisted on playing 😂
Very strange, it's been so hot I've never seen this before, just impressions left. Totally dried out from this state
Thanks Ron. Given the information here about its categorisation I wonder if there were any flitting around here, Linnaeus's garden, where I was just a few weeks ago 😊
Does anyone know what this is, butterfly or moth? Not in my UK butterfly book. This was in our town centre in north west England in the middle of a hot sunny day yesterday.
Typeset and printed by Ken Burnley on the Wirral at his museum of printing..
Yesterday in the cemetery, sharing a breeze with the poppies. Many WWI graves here, amid a profusion of wildflowers. Feels appropriate if poignant.
Barrowford, near Nelson. Pendle heritage centre. Cafe and lovely walled garden. Worth a visit. House quite interesting too. Gift shop. I might have been tempted...
Barrowford, Lancashire. In 'witch country '. Fabulous walled garden, hard to photograph.
Your picture is much lovelier thatn this but these do smell gorgeous!
Time to think about actually doing something. Before I go, didn't last night's salad look pretty in the washing? (Little Gem lettuce innards and purple cress from Booths, my go to shop for occasional treats)
These are so good. If you. If you can read the recipe (good luck!) given to me by women in my hotel in Sweden it's well worth doing. I used hemp seeds as I didn't have flaxeeds & luckily looked up 'kokande vatten' which I 'd wrongly guessed was cooking fat 🤣. Great with cheese, hummus, avocado.
The books from @longbarrowpress.bsky.social are always of superb quality inside and out and one of my favourite things is the publisher's super careful packaging - reassuring to someone like me who fusses about making sure parcels are cosseted en route! This was inside a padded envelope.
Yes, the contents are terrific - but look at the trimming of the pages! I love how the publisher has used this effect. It makes the book feel precious, somehow, in a way perfectly smooth trimming or even an effect like gilding wouldn't. But perhaps that's just me.
The opening pages of the guide to Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden begin with a poem, 'Romanesque Arches', by Tomas Transromer which I suspect might speak to many of us.
The sphere on top, glinting in the Swedish sunshine in Uppsala, is a sundial. It sits atop the Gustavianum, part of the University, the oldest building in town and now a museum. The whole area is fragrant with lilac.
I decided that rather than stick my head in the sand I'd go walk on it. The sea was very reassuring.
From 'Rescue' by Czeslaw Milosz, first published in Polish in 1945, this in Penguin Classics 2025. The poet has much to say we should hear and heed. But so do many people who have lived through, or studied,terrible times - and they are being ignored by so many.