March 2020 – Sun in Gemini

March 31, 2020 + #Silenti, Collie dogs, Dementia, humour, Lake District, landscapes, Photography, Silent Eye School, Spirituality

Circles around Sedgwick (1)

by Steve Tanham

It’s a Viking word, Sedgwick. It dates from the time when the Lake District was part of the Danelaw, the half of England under the rule of the Norsemen, and means ‘place by the river’. The river in question is the Kent, which flows from Kentmere lake through Kendal on its way to the estuary at nearby Arnside, then out as a major channel … Read More Circles around Sedgwick (1)

March 29, 2020 + #Collie dogs, #FurryFives, #Silenti, Collie dogs, humour, Spirituality

#Furry Fives : gardening shoes!

by Steve Tanham

Man: Those are your mother’s gardening shoes! Tess: They are lovely… Man: She’s been out there all day in the sun! Tess: You don’t understand. Man: Obviously not! ©Stephen Tanham 2020

March 26, 2020 + #Silenti, Biology and mysticism, Life-sciences, Speculative fiction

All of them…

by Steve Tanham

“Grandad,” said Jessica. “Can we have the Hoovid story, again?” Her hazel eyes, wise beyond their five years, twinkled at him. He put down the book of the forest, with its fold-out leaves and simulated bark, and smiled at her. “Okay,” he said. “Of course we can…ready?” He bounced her up and down on his knee: their chosen method for settling in for a … Read More All of them…

March 24, 2020 + #ShortWrytz, #Silenti, Family memories

#ShortWrytz : Anglia ‘67

by Steve Tanham

I came across this image the other day: a Ford Anglia, 1967. We had one, just this colour, and it was new. The first new car our family ever had. We’d had it about two weeks when Dad packed us all in and we motored off in the sunshine to Colwyn Bay; there to spend a few days in a B&B, and enjoying the … Read More #ShortWrytz : Anglia ‘67

March 22, 2020 + #Cats, #FurryFives, #InnerCatPeace, #RagDollCats, #Silenti, humour, Pet Heaven, Spirituality, The Inner Cat

#FurryFives : wash your human

by Steve Tanham

Now then, girls, these are challenging times, so it’s important to keep your human clean! Let’s illustrate with the arm. First, give it a good sniff to check what kind of train-wreck you’re going to be dealing with… Then take a deep breath and rasp the tongue along the length of that rascal! Don’t be afraid to give it a little bite to get … Read More #FurryFives : wash your human

March 19, 2020 + #Silenti, Consciousness

On Cobbled Streets

by Steve Tanham

The opening photo was taken in the autumn. It shows the Bolton street where my mother still lives. Born in 1930, she survived the economic depression of the inter-war years, and the bombings, doodlebugs and devastation of WW2. I was born, at home, in a street of steeply sloping terraced houses not far from where that photo was taken. It was part of an … Read More On Cobbled Streets

March 17, 2020 + #ShortWrytz, nature, Photographic techniques, Photography, Places and Prose, Seasons of the year, Silent Eye School, Solar Year, Spirituality, Travel and Photography, Writing

#ShortWrytz : Dreams of Trees

by Steve Tanham

The river is just below. Close and beautiful, as always, but he’s photographed it a hundred times and the winter’s challenge is to find a new place; a place hidden in the old, hidden in the usual. And then, as he turns to seek elsewhere, it’s there. Devoid of leaves, its tall structure is all there is, but its presence is magnificent and dark … Read More #ShortWrytz : Dreams of Trees

March 15, 2020 + #Cats, #FurryFives, #InnerCatPeace, #RagDollCats, #Silenti, Cats, humour, Spirituality

#FurryFives : tea in bed

by Steve Tanham

(From an interview with R-CatZ Magazine) Mag: So, Miss Misti, how are you enjoying your life in the Lake District? Miss Misti: Oh, cool. I mean, so much better than that bush in Bolton! Mag: I can see! And you get early morning tea in bed, too! Miss Misti: Comes with the celebrity… And I got two staff as well! That’s his hand I’m … Read More #FurryFives : tea in bed

March 12, 2020 + #Silenti, Biology and mysticism, Consciousness, Ecology, Life-sciences

Going Viral

by Steve Tanham

There’s nothing funny about Covid-19, the Wu-Han-originated Coronavirus that has just been declared a global pandemic. But the explosive spread of the infection throws a lot of light on the state of human nature. A friend of mine said, recently, that, according to some 1960s comic books he had found in his loft, we should all be getting our personal flying cars by now; instead … Read More Going Viral

March 10, 2020 + #Poetry, #Silenti, Lake District, nature, Photography, Poetry, Seasons of the year, Spirituality

Unfolding Lilac

by Steve Tanham

And then one day there will unfold Before delighted gaze A purple ring where thickest mud Had tempered walks on winter days ⦿ Where sliding boots had struggled To cross the sodden land Our eyes now look with wonder To gaze on colour’s gentle hand ⦿ Time and tide’s persistence Their essence of ascent From sodden bulb to flower’s joy A hidden rite of … Read More Unfolding Lilac

March 8, 2020 + Spirituality

#FurryFives : looking left

by Steve Tanham

Misti: I like looking left, Tess, don’t you? Tess: Erm… Misti: I mean all the stuff in the garden and the hateful crows are left, aren’t they? Tess: Misti, it’s not quite like that… Misti: But if I look right, all I see is you! Tess: sigh… ©Stephen Tanham 2020

March 6, 2020 + Spirituality

A Conversation with Stuart France at Strange Book Reviews: Seeing Meaning!

by Steve Tanham

Originally posted on Sue Vincent's Daily Echo:
Reblogged from Strange Book Reviews: I first met Stuart France only relatively recently (more’s the pity!). I had gone to the UK to explore the land with Sue Vincent and Stuart. On arrival at Sue’s home, I was welcomed by Stuart. We were talking like old friends in minutes! Trust me, spending an evening in the…