SteveTanham – writing, mysticism, photography, poetry, friends

Category: Collie dogs

May 30, 2023 + #Phoetry, #Poetry, #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Collie dogs, Consciousness, English Lake District, guided mystical walks, landscapes, Mindfulness, Photography

Wander Wood #phoetry

by Steve Tanham

And is there time in wander wood Or slow, abiding, gentle ‘should’ Without resistance: touch and kiss A reaching for midsummer’s bliss So powerful this May surprise I need not leave my seat – just close my eyes To wander in the wonder wood ©Stephen Tanham 2023 Stephen Tanham is a Director of the Silent Eye, a journey through the forest of personality to … Read More Wander Wood #phoetry

May 23, 2023 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Collie dogs, Consciousness, English Lake District, Mindfulness, Mystery Schools, Photographic techniques, Photography, Places and Prose

From Windermere to Sedgwick

by Steve Tanham

We have just needed the Silent Eye’s ‘Water-Circle+Cross’ weekend, which took place a forty minute journey away, on the shores of Lake Windermere, England’s largest lake. The weekend had gone well; better than expected, in fact, and I will be writing up each of the days over the next couple of weeks. Our friend, Dean, had been staying with us and was due to … Read More From Windermere to Sedgwick

May 11, 2023 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Collie dogs, Consciousness, English Lake District, landscapes

Following the curves of the Kent

by Steve Tanham

The sky was blue and windswept. The clouds had a definite formation to them. They were pointing at the nearest part of the coast, their central blue line line exactly mirroring the River Kent, whose last two miles curve through Levens Park, ancestral home of the Bagot Family. We are fortunate in the village of Sedgwick to have two points of access to Levens … Read More Following the curves of the Kent

March 26, 2023 + #Silenti, Collie dogs, Consciousness, English Lake District, esoteric psychology, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography, Silent Eye School, Travel and Photography

No strangers on the shore

by Steve Tanham

“Lead them in,” said the man who taught me much about composition in photography. “You’ve got to ferry those looking at your images into the core of the shot…” The steps, alone, were a perfect ‘lead’ down to the beach. Add in the storm wall and the high level of the promenade’s main body and you have a harmonic set of ‘pointers’. The third … Read More No strangers on the shore

May 31, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, Collie dogs, humour, Pet Heaven, Photography

A Poolewe diary (2)

by Steve Tanham

Continued from Part One. I should have known, really…that our luck would run out, one day. According to a close friend, who loves journeys into Scotland as much as we do, we are a ‘talisman’ for good weather. No less than six trips in a row – over several years – have seen us bathed in sunshine for most of the week. There have … Read More A Poolewe diary (2)

May 24, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, Collie dogs, humour, Pet Heaven, Photography

A Poolewe diary (1)

by Steve Tanham

A what? I can hear you think… I’d never heard of it, either. Poolewe is a small lochside community between Ullapool and Gairloch in the far north-west of Scotland. If you were to sail due west – which you can’t because the loch points acutely north-west, bordered on both sides – you’d come to the island of Lewis and Harris, the major part of … Read More A Poolewe diary (1)

November 30, 2021 + #Silenti, Collie dogs, Consciousness

The watery curve of acceptance

by Steve Tanham

I walk a lot. it’s a necessity when you have a collie. Fortunately, we live in the country and the scenic walks begin through the gate in the bottom of the garden… There are lots of variations, but the standard walk, when we’ve only got an hour or so, is to follow the line of the old canal for about twenty minutes, then take … Read More The watery curve of acceptance

May 30, 2021 + #Silenti, Collie dogs, Consciousness, Mystery Schools, Photographic techniques, Photography, Silent Eye School

Still Light: twilight and night garden

by Steve Tanham

Our garden faces south, which means the arc of the sun can be watched for most of the day, and, at this time of year, well into the evening. One of our favourite things to do at the end of day’s gardening is to sit with a gin and tonic, plus a bowl of crisps, and watch the sun’s final slide into the west. … Read More Still Light: twilight and night garden

February 9, 2021 + #Cats, #Collie dogs, #FurryFives, #RagDollCats, #Silenti, Cats, Collie dogs, Consciousness, Dark Humour, Dementia

Books, coffee, knowing things…

by Steve Tanham

(This post is 600 words, a five-minute read) I loved the image… I’d credit its creator if I knew where it came from; but there it was in my in-tray. The cool black cat with the importantly steaming mug of coffee, and an engrossing book with covers in my favourite colour… all of it pushing back the awfulness of an English February. There’s a … Read More Books, coffee, knowing things…

December 22, 2020 + #Silenti, Collie dogs, Dark Humour, English Lake District, humour

Cats, Dogs and Christmas

by Steve Tanham

As we approach the end of it, I wanted a recent photo to sum up this dreadful year; but one which had hope in it – and an element of fun, despite the deluge of bad news we seem to face daily. This is not me trying to be heroic. It’s simply a photo taken on Sunday by my wife, Bernie, during a rain … Read More Cats, Dogs and Christmas

November 1, 2020 + #Silenti, Collie dogs, Photographic techniques, Photography, Seasons, Four Seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter,, Stream of Consciousness, Travel and people, Travel and Photography

Mellow moods for Autumn (5) : sounds of the forest stream

by Steve Tanham

We’re lucky to live close to two forests. The first is a few minutes’ walk away, the other is further and larger, the main path taking the walker in a slow ascent through the ancient Sizergh estate. At the highest point, you emerge into the open air within a few hundred metres of the local organic farm shop and cafe. Tess loves the walk. … Read More Mellow moods for Autumn (5) : sounds of the forest stream

September 27, 2020 + #Collie dogs, #FurryFives, #Silenti, Collie dogs

#FurryFives : closed path

by Steve Tanham

Tess: The sea is down here, I told you. Human: but you don’t like swimming in the sea! you like running on beaches. Tess: Where there’s a sea, there’s a beach! Human: Well, we can’t go straight to the beach that way. Tess: Why not, it’s quicker! Human: Because it’s a railway line… ©Stephen Tanham, 2020.