On the way to Tkibuli

wrecking cul-de-sacs

the sign declared for

the mountain

roads weaving

trees

language caught

behind archaic

thoughts wrapped

vehicles

snaking lines to

the sky

of lost worlds

that's how

I felt them

trickling down

hills

the cows held secrets

to dodge cars

Talking of ice monsters...

Photo by Nicolo Bonfadini - taken in Finland.

The Carta Marina of Olaus Magnus.

Old maps and the monsters that linger on them are two of my favourite interests. I have also recently been getting a bit obsessed with Norway and Finland having met some lovely Finnish poets this summer at the Belgrade Poetry Festival. So imagine my delight on discovering this fabulous map from 1539 - the Carta Marina of Olaus Magnus. I think I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

This week the sea ate my village!

Egyptian Houses of the West Country

When I was little we used to go on holiday to West Penwith (still one of my favourite places in the world) and we used to go into Penzance to feed my fossil and mineral collecting obsession. One of the things I strongly remember is The Egyptian House on Chapel Street in the town centre. I drove down to West Penwith last week - something I do at least once a month for a clear my head constitutional, and stopped off in Penzance to stop and have a look and take a couple of photos.

Built in 1835 to house the mineral collection of bookseller John Lavin, it was actually originally two cottages. The height was raised and this amazing facade put on. There was an Egyptian trend post late 18th century and Napoleon's Egyptian campaigns, and many buildings were built with Egyptian features, but this is a whole other level and no one knows who designed it and what really influenced Lavin. These days The Landmark Trust owns a flat in it which you can rent for holidays.

Coincidentally I recently discovered another Egyptian house in the middle of a bombed and rebuilt modern estate in Devonport - the docks area of Plymouth. So at the end of last week I went back and took photos of the somewhat odd phenomena that is Odd Fellows Hall on Kerr Street.

Built in 1823 to the designs of John Foulston, this time definitely after the Napoleonic campaign trend, Odd Fellows Hall is a strange gem in an area which also houses the mysterious neo-classical bakehouse. I love Plymouth for its strangeness and tucked away oddities like this. I thoroughly recommend an explore around Devonport. You can find out more about the Egyptian House and the area here . I think it's a social club now, but it still has fabulous Egyptian doors and other interior features.

Here's a photo of the mysterious bakehouse too:

The pillar beside it I think is a memorial for a school bombed during the war. Most of this area was wiped out. My granny was born in Plymouth and Mum has great tales from her of how different it looked before the war - I wish I could have seen it...

Dylan the literary cat...

My cat has taken to "helping" me with my current novel edit...

Christmas at Eden 2013

This year I was thrilled to be working with Charlestown school near St Austell. We had a great tea party, in which our guests brought fabulous old photo albums and toys with them. We made decorations, based on this idea of a box or album of treasured memories. Thanks to the teachers and pupils at Charlestown school for all their hard work and the lovely Robbie at The Eden Project for all his help.

The Secret Life of Plants

The Broadsheet.

I should have posted this earlier as the launch was last week as part of the Exeter Poetry Festival, but I was thrilled that my poem "Suspension" was chosen to be in the launch of The Broadsheet, a new poetry magazine and the brainchild of Simon Williams - currently the Bard of Exeter! I sadly had to miss the launch as I was at a conference as part of the Bath Children's Lit Fest, but I would encourage you to investigate. If you want to buy a copy I would get in contact with Simon via his website http://simonwilliamspoet.moonfruit.com
I managed to find a photo of the launch I missed!

My friendly neighbourhood sea mist...

Yes my local view is somewhat pretty, but it's rare I have to stop the car on my local cliffs to take a photo. This was Sunday late afternoon as the evening sea mist was descending - not long after, you could see it moving along the village streets like smoke... The sea and weather being alive often come up in my children's workshops, and this feels pretty much like proof...

Rock Friends

Charm Stick

The Story Republic

As mentioned in the previous post I have recently been thrilled to be working with KEAP (Kernow Education Arts Partnership) on the Arts Council funded project The Story Republic. This has seen me work in nine schools across Cornwall, and has involved many more schools than this and lots of other writers and artists. This has led to a wonderful body of work being created by children and teenagers inspired by Cornwall and the poetry of Charles Causley. This work has recently been displayed in a travelling exhibition, which this week will come to The Exchange gallery in Penzance. It will open on the 24th, which is this Wednesday. There is a website for the project, which is now up and running, and there is a library where you can upload your work. Do visit it at www.thestoryrepublic.co.uk

It has been a wonderful project and it feels quite strange that my work in schools for this part of it is over! But here are some photos of the work I created with Constantine Primary School. They are banners showing maps of imaginary versions of Constantine, including pockets containing miniature books of the children's writing. I would also encourage you to watch the video of the work created by Mousehole school in my previous post. There was so much more as well! If you are in Penzance this week do pop along to The Exchange and check it out.

Neverending Chimes - Mousehole School

I was lucky recently to spend a day with Class 4 at Mousehole school near Penzance as part of The Story Republic project I have been working on with KEAP. We spent the morning exploring the village and gathering ideas for interesting poetic descriptions, then in the afternoon we wrote a group poem using them. The children were originally keen to write their own Mousehole version of "As I go down Zig Zag" by Charles Causley, but it ended up being much more dreamy and strange in a wonderful way. The children then worked with artist Jonathan Hayter to create an animation using the poem they created with me as the soundtrack. And now here it is!

Penair Lit Fest this weekend

I will be running a site-specific poetry creating workshop this Saturday at the Penair Literary and Arts Festival, St Clement, Truro - it starts at 11 and is aimed roughly at 9-14 year olds though other ages I'm sure are welcome. So yes do come along and join in if you fancy. I am also giving a reading of my work...

Monorail of the day!

One of my big fixations that has bizarrely not made much of an appearance on this blog is monorails, (I am also very fond of chair lifts and funicular railways). So to start here is one of my favourites - the suspension monorail in Wuppertal, Germany. Opening in 1901 it's the oldest of its kind. And even an elephant fell out of it in 1950 - though frankly with only minor injuries. I wish all cities were traversed in this way...

Belgrade Poetry Festival

I just got back from reading at the Belgrade poetry festival. It was really great and I met some lovely people - poets and translators. Me and Ana did a live performance of part three of The City and I also read some of my other poems more informally in a cafe. There was much beer and laughter. Here is a link to the programme where you can read a bit of me and Ana's work in Serbian and see the other poets... http://trgnisepoezija.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/alis-medikot-ana-seferovic.html

The urban swans are nesting again...

I really am weirdly fond of Plymouth...

Vintage Textron Ads

When I went to the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle last week to write a review for museeme, one of my favourite unexpected discoveries was a vintage advert for Textron fabrics which consisted of two girls on broomsticks wearing Textron blouses, their bottom halves made of grass and reeds like some strange marsh mermaids. I have searched and searched for that image and sadly failed, but in the meantime found so many amazing vintage ads for Textron (the tree stove one I actually own a print of not realising what is was for!) that I felt I had to share some here.