Bird Kebabs

The young people in ‘Footsteps’ this morning studied these words of Jesus: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father.  And even the hairs of your head are all counted.  So do not be afraid; you are of more value than […]

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Perceptions

Today I saw the autumn With stealthy steps draw near, The beech leaves glowing orange In sunshine bright and clear. Some people think the autumn Bringer of storms and cold But I perceive the season Radiant with red and gold. Too soon will come November With fog and gloomy days. Let us enjoy October And […]

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For Sale! For Sale! A green veil

“God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.”  Genesis 1:31 At the beginning of February, with temperatures below freezing, the willow trees were already displaying their furry, silver catkins.  Then the Redwings arrived: annual visitors from Scandinavia. In the following poem one senses the slow, silent, mysterious advance of Spring in […]

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January

A January day: the sky was loud With boisterous wind, chequered by tumbling cloud But yet, beneath our feet, the earth’s asleep, Dreaming of February; roots that creep, Seeking for moisture, snowdrops seeking light, The golden crocus and the aconite, And then, in March, on every vale and hill, The clustering primrose and the daffodil; […]

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Reversal

In the first sunshine of a new September I walked abroad, looking for golden leaves, But they were few for it was still too early. Then I observed a Sainsbury’s orange plaque; Strong light awakened in it red and gold. Against this glowing field a shadow tree Displayed its graceful branches, dancing leaves: Unlooked for […]

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What Colour is a Copper Beech?

What Colour is a Copper Beech? I try to tell the colours – Purple or red or green, A tender pink or brilliant bronze; All these are often seen. This tree is a chameleon, Changing with shade and light, At times a sombre presence, Then dazzling startled sight. This evening, as it happened, Just as […]

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Birdsong

“God is everything that is good, as I see, and the goodness which everything has, is God.” – Julian of Norwich Spring was slow to arrive this year, but when it finally came I’m convinced I heard it.  You see, there were no green shoots: it had been so cold.  The woods had no carpet […]

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Winter Ending

I woke to hear the soft sound of the rain, Oddly insistent in my drowsy ear. It quickened, and I saw a storm of hail Plummeting down, to whiten path and lawn. Above me swept the trailing skirts of cloud, Flying before the swift hounds of the wind. Below my window, clumps of snowdrops bloomed, […]

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Seeds of Time

This morning in the fitful early light Beyond the near, familiar scene I saw, Beyond the cherries, pines and copper beech, Beyond the pitch of roofs, a further tree, Distant, unmarked before, which now emerged, Shining against grey cloud, ethereal, Its thinning leaves light green and touched with gold. Its fragile beauty, knocking at my […]

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Ice and Fire – Winter 2009

Ice and Fire – Winter 2009 The week before Christmas it came – the year’s first snow And a biting chill which ruled the day and the night. Surely the sun was banished and stripped of power In the annual fight which is waged between fire and ice. Yet the sun broke through when at […]

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