Category Archives: natural world

One Tree

Posted on January 29, 2024 by SallyJ

Imagine a life reduced to one chair, one window –outside that window a single tree.A humble bird cherry, elderly now.Largely untended its arms all a-tangle, liveones entwined with others long dead. The wholeshaped and reshaped by winter and winds.Hear the … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, Daily observations, free verse, garden, natural world, poet, poetry, trees, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wind

Posted on November 10, 2022 by SallyJ

I am wind, feel me as watertracks cheek as tear,caress as rill, patter shoulder as shower,sting as storm, toss as swell,hurl as torrent, slam as tsunami. I am wind, taste mesweet on throat as nectar,tart as lemon, sour as vinegar,bitter … Continue reading →

Posted in autumn, natural world, weather | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Young Yew

Posted on April 8, 2016 by SallyJ

In benign spring sunshine the field waits, as all fields are waiting, for the burst of bud and spurt of blade to finally wake after the long winter. Dotted about are signs of scattered feed for vanished ponies. An abandoned bucket, its garish … Continue reading →

Posted in death, garden, melancholy, natural world, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

A Tête-à-Tête under a pearl sky

Posted on January 13, 2016 by SallyJ

In the words of Shelley: “The cold earth slept below; Above the cold sky shone…” … and flowering long before its time, this little narcissus. Damp and bedraggled it may be but light from its petals shines out. Crouched beneath a bare, … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, daily life, Daily observations, dogs, garden, inspiration, natural world, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Drizzle

Posted on September 1, 2014 by SallyJ

I love rain – real horizontal rain, but drizzle! Drizzle by contrast is grey and invasive. It creeps in and dampens your hair and your shoulders before you even realise its raining at all. It lurks in the grey air … Continue reading →

Posted in autumn, colours, daily life, garden, health and well being, inspiration, lifestyle, natural world, Uncategorized, water, weather | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Feedback is king

Posted on December 31, 2013 by SallyJ

This year, in company with many other people, I sent Christmas cards that I had made myself and far fewer than ever before. I also cut back drastically on the number and size of the presents I gave. As a … Continue reading →

Posted in artist, Christmas, frost, garden, natural world, painting, poet, poetry, seasons, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New Year – new adventure

Posted on January 5, 2013 by SallyJ

Any regular readers of this blog may remember that just over a year ago, together with Jill, a friend who is also a writer and painter, I embarked on a career as a crafter at the local Country Market with the aim … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Gallery, artist, artists, blogs, Book selling, Country Market, natural world, Paragram, performance poetry, performing your writing, poet, poetry, Poetry workshops, poets, Surrey, Uncategorized, Woking, word painting, Words in the landscape, writer, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Windy Night!

Posted on November 26, 2012 by SallyJ

We woke on Sunday to a blustery morning and the moan of a chainsaw, thought nothing of it and started the day – a cup of tea in bed. The chain saw moaned on! Eventually the sun burned off the remaining … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, garden, natural world, Surrey, trees, Uncategorized, winter weather, writer, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Olympic Storyteller – latest challenge

Posted on May 2, 2012 by SallyJ

The latest challenge for the BT Olympic Storytellers was to pin down what puts the Great in Great Britain and to describe our greatest team for 2012. My piece was commended….so just off the podium this time! London 2012…the Greatest … Continue reading →

Posted in BT Olympic Storyteller, free verse, inspiration, London 2012, natural world, Olympics, poet, poetry, poets, writer, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Close shave

Posted on May 18, 2011 by SallyJ

Exquisite, bold squirrel, cheeks full of acorns, Evades watchful dog I’m no haiku writer, but this begged to be written.

Posted in dogs, natural world, poet, poetry, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments