Grasshopper: MA Griffiths, internet poet

Wintering the Bees

Callander Poetry Weekend 2009

Autumn clearoutpolitically correct style.
A dry autumn and the trees stay green till the last minute only one evening of wind and dancing falling oak leaves. Now midOctober the trees are yellowing reds orange browns tingeing the greens. The sun shone all day and when it set the entire horizon sky was pinky orange the peaks greyblue. In the garden the bushes all need pruning cutting digging out or drastically reshaping depending on their degree or escaping bounds. A gate post has broken or more likely been broken on the back gate. We have a new heavy post to put in. We have also taken down all the hanging baskets from the Main Street finding them light and dry and amenable to a prod with a window pole so retrieving them wasnt the m

Black Indies a novel about coalmining set in Aberfoyle
Les IndiesNoires. This extraordinary title was used by Jules Verne in mid 19th century to mean the wealthbringing coal miners in Britain. He was obviously referring to the then termed West and East Indies. I have another page for discussing books but this was more a social shock than a book for a number of reasons. Every prolific author has a book or two that are not so easily got often because they are not up to standard or time has shown flaws in their assumptions. Dozens of authors will never be reprinted and rightly so they have to make way for the new. Some who told good stories are just too swashbucklingly racist sexist or arrogant for future approval. You can all think of instan

Treasure
Treasure. The excitement in Staffordshire and Birmingham can barely be imagined. How they kept it quiet for two months astonishes me but what a trove or find in todays parlance. And what a wonderful charmchant the metal detectorist of 18 years came out with he had said Spirits of Yesteryear take me where the gold appear the day he found the first pieces. It is my recession that I cannot go to Birmingham to see them straight away having too many appointments in the next two weeks with our accounts also to finalise and a trip already arranged for Liverpool a few days too late. What are the chances of the Birmingham exhibition time being lengthened little I should think. The whole