It's been a while indeed. Not that Frynwys has changed much since the last bulletin, but there have been a few small developments since the never-ending winter in June of last year. My home village is so small that the minutest of changes is headline news, and fortunately for this next installment of Frynwys Features there have been a few of them over the autumn and the Christmas period for me to jot down here.
The first item on the Frynwys grapevine this time is that the council have renovated all of the footpaths through the fields, a step up from the gravel path that was laid three installments ago. It seems that they've been getting help from some schools in the nearby towns. I've seen several groups of primary school children being led through the field at the bottom of the village to help with laying a new gravel path. They've also been helping with constructing timber benches on the other side of the fields and decorating a new flight of steps leading down to one of the more inaccessible streams in the area. Before this the paths through the nature reserve were all mud and were being slowly worn away. Hopefully now that half the village seems to be involved in their renovation, all the local dog walkers won't have to worry about traversing the marshes anymore.
In slightly more worrying news, there's been a stronger police presence in Frywnys over the last few weeks. There's been a few police helicopters flying overhead, and I've often seen them circling across the village before heading off to the south. Whether it's to do with missing people or criminals on the run, I'm not sure, but it seems they're stepping up their efforts if my latest encounter is anything to go by. As I was walking towards one of the village's smaller parks the other day, I spotted the unmistakable yellow high-visibility jacket of a policeman, complete with the hat and badges. He appeared to be looking for something, as he peered around the side of one of the climbing frames and then headed up to the kissing gate at the top of the field. The policeman was unaware of my presence until he was just about to step through the gate, at which point he turned, looked at me, and then exited the park. Whatever interest the police have in Frynwys, I doubt they'll find what they're looking for on a climbing frame.
Meanwhile, in the gardening section of this bulletin, it appears that the local daffodils are once again rearing their yellow heads. There's a cluster of them up by the old nursery, huddled on a bank at the side of the road, and despite the wintry weather Frynwys is currently experiencing, a few green shoots have already appeared. This is highly unusual as the first daffodils generally don't start appearing here until around the end of February, but it seems a few of them didn't get the memo about spring and have popped out early. I suspect it might have something to do with the aftermath of the Beast from the East from last year, where snow enveloped the village just as it seemed spring was about to arrive. Perhaps the daffodils reset their photosynthesis clocks for this year to avoid another scheduling issue, but this is of course speculation from somebody who has no botanical credentials. If any botanists are reading this post, please comment below and tell me what an idiot I am for suggesting plants can talk to each other.
In more recent phenomena, you may or may not have been lucky enough to witness the super blood wolf moon which appeared in the sky early in the morning on the 21st of January. I myself was hoping to witness the enormous red moon, but it turned out to be a classic case of the British weather conspiring to thwart me once again. Last year I had tried to see a similar moon, but just as the moon was rising a thick bank of clouds smothered the sky and I saw nothing. What made it even more frustrating was that the the moon behind the clouds caused them to glow red. I had hoped to overcome the weather itself this time and catch a glimpse of this solar marvel, but unfortunately I had to resort to looking at photographs on the news that people with clearer skies had taken. Apparently the next super blood wolf moon won't be around for at least another three to five years, so I'll be waiting for a while before I try and outwit the clouds again.
That brings us to the end of another installment of Frywnys Features, but don't worry; if anything changes even in the slightest around my home village I'll be sure to make a note of it. In the meantime, stay tuned for more poetry and possibly a few tigers as well.
Showing posts with label frynwys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frynwys. Show all posts
Thursday, 31 January 2019
Tuesday, 25 December 2018
Christmas Updates
Hello again! Sorry for the lateness of this post. I have taken up a seasonal job for the time being, and things are mad as you can probably imagine, especially since Christmas is now in full swing. Now that it's Christmas Day I can take a moment to reflect on what's happened in the year, and what's going to happen next year.
Of course, I'm still working on my Mametz Wood project. Some of you may have seen the small preview I posted a while back, and I'm using that as the basis for the completed work. It's taken much longer than I originally estimated, but I'm much nearer to a concrete plan than I have been for some time. There's also great stuff currently happening on the YouTube channel, with almost all of the old videos remastered and a few new ones thrown in for good measure. My next few challenges in that department will include remastering 'Flying Hare', recording 'The Bear of Mysore', and potentially recording something relating to 'Defenders of the Realm'. That last one may be a bit ambitious, but we'll see.
I've also got more poems headed the way of the blog, and hopefully the next Frynwys Features will be here soon. Speaking of which, Frynwys is looking at its most festive today, despite the fact that there's a thick fog outside at the moment. The village hall has got a lot of lights on it, and the Christmas tree in the park is positively smothered in tinsel. I will say that despite the council's limited budget, they sure know how to save it for Christmas. In case you were wondering, I had a good few socks as presents this year, so when the inevitable blizzard arrives in March I won't have a problem with keeping my toes warm.
There will be plenty of things, poetry-related and otherwise, to look forward to when next year rolls around, but for now, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas! See you in the New Year!
Of course, I'm still working on my Mametz Wood project. Some of you may have seen the small preview I posted a while back, and I'm using that as the basis for the completed work. It's taken much longer than I originally estimated, but I'm much nearer to a concrete plan than I have been for some time. There's also great stuff currently happening on the YouTube channel, with almost all of the old videos remastered and a few new ones thrown in for good measure. My next few challenges in that department will include remastering 'Flying Hare', recording 'The Bear of Mysore', and potentially recording something relating to 'Defenders of the Realm'. That last one may be a bit ambitious, but we'll see.
I've also got more poems headed the way of the blog, and hopefully the next Frynwys Features will be here soon. Speaking of which, Frynwys is looking at its most festive today, despite the fact that there's a thick fog outside at the moment. The village hall has got a lot of lights on it, and the Christmas tree in the park is positively smothered in tinsel. I will say that despite the council's limited budget, they sure know how to save it for Christmas. In case you were wondering, I had a good few socks as presents this year, so when the inevitable blizzard arrives in March I won't have a problem with keeping my toes warm.
There will be plenty of things, poetry-related and otherwise, to look forward to when next year rolls around, but for now, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas! See you in the New Year!
Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Frynwys Features #4: The Never Ending Winter
So it's safe to say a fair bit has happened in Frynwys since the last check-in. I find sometimes that to make up for my home village's lack of interesting distractions, I must leave a period of two to four months and store up any goings-on until the next installment. It's a bit like keeping a growing turkey in your freezer until Christmas, although if you tried to eat this one you'd end up with a keyboard and mouse for afters. Still, now that the sufficient standing time has passed, here's what's been going on in the village of late.
The first (and no doubt biggest) thing to mention is that Frynwys was recently caught out when the Beast from the East collided with Storm Emma over the south west. The entire village was snowed under for three days, with no one able to move their cars or make much headway through the drifts. But it did allow for some great sledging on some of the hills, and I saw several people making the most of it when I braved the blizzards myself. The ponds froze over, and by the time they began to thaw out, the snow on the road had mostly turned to brown slush thanks to grit. Like everywhere else in Wales, it took everyone a while to get moving again, and as a side effect the only shop in the village ran out of milk, which demonstrates the ability to make a cup of tea takes top priority during a snowstorm here.
Once the worst of the winter weather passed, we were still left with a bitter chill. Fortunately though, the first signs of spring started to appear, in the form of frogs crossing the road, and the emergence of daffodils. The fish are still in residence at the pond, much to the annoyance of the wildlife warden who I saw trying to catch some of them a few weeks back. It seems that the warden has a lot of things to worry about, as there have been teams of people in the nearby woods felling trees. Large sections of trees have been cordoned off with tape only to be chopped down the following day. I have no idea why they're doing it now, but it has only been the odd cluster so far, so hopefully Frynwys will not become deforested any time soon.
Another bit of good news is that there seem to be more dogs in the area than last year. Specifically I've seen a number of puppies being taken out on their first walks into the fields around the village, and they are an energetic bunch. So far I've seen golden retrievers, Cocker spaniels and at least one field spaniel out and about. It's nice to see so many new dog owners in the area and to see the puppies making sense of the world around them. Frynwys has always had a large percentage of dog owners, but in the last three years especially I've seen the number of dogs increase steadily. With so many spaniels in the area, the fish that were released into the pond are now ducking for cover every time one of them cannonballs into the water.
Now that summer has truly arrived in South Wales, it seems the people of Frynwys have been out and about enjoying the record-breaking temperatures. As someone who suffers from hay fever, the fact that I'm surrounded by trees and long grass is a constant source of irony and itchy eyes. In recent days I spotted a tractor in the biggest field cutting back the grass which releases much of the pollen, but the trees are still doing their bit in keeping noses running across the village. Many of my neighbours have been visiting the village park and the local pub, the Dormarch, especially since the start of the sunshine and the World Cup. Their investment in the tournament seems strange to me, especially since Wales were knocked out of the qualifying round, but it's nice to see people having something to enjoy given the never ending stream of bad news we usually get.
Anyhow, that concludes this installment of Frynwys Features. As always if anything else interesting happens in this quietest of quiet villages, I'll be sure to let you know.
The first (and no doubt biggest) thing to mention is that Frynwys was recently caught out when the Beast from the East collided with Storm Emma over the south west. The entire village was snowed under for three days, with no one able to move their cars or make much headway through the drifts. But it did allow for some great sledging on some of the hills, and I saw several people making the most of it when I braved the blizzards myself. The ponds froze over, and by the time they began to thaw out, the snow on the road had mostly turned to brown slush thanks to grit. Like everywhere else in Wales, it took everyone a while to get moving again, and as a side effect the only shop in the village ran out of milk, which demonstrates the ability to make a cup of tea takes top priority during a snowstorm here.
Once the worst of the winter weather passed, we were still left with a bitter chill. Fortunately though, the first signs of spring started to appear, in the form of frogs crossing the road, and the emergence of daffodils. The fish are still in residence at the pond, much to the annoyance of the wildlife warden who I saw trying to catch some of them a few weeks back. It seems that the warden has a lot of things to worry about, as there have been teams of people in the nearby woods felling trees. Large sections of trees have been cordoned off with tape only to be chopped down the following day. I have no idea why they're doing it now, but it has only been the odd cluster so far, so hopefully Frynwys will not become deforested any time soon.
Another bit of good news is that there seem to be more dogs in the area than last year. Specifically I've seen a number of puppies being taken out on their first walks into the fields around the village, and they are an energetic bunch. So far I've seen golden retrievers, Cocker spaniels and at least one field spaniel out and about. It's nice to see so many new dog owners in the area and to see the puppies making sense of the world around them. Frynwys has always had a large percentage of dog owners, but in the last three years especially I've seen the number of dogs increase steadily. With so many spaniels in the area, the fish that were released into the pond are now ducking for cover every time one of them cannonballs into the water.
Now that summer has truly arrived in South Wales, it seems the people of Frynwys have been out and about enjoying the record-breaking temperatures. As someone who suffers from hay fever, the fact that I'm surrounded by trees and long grass is a constant source of irony and itchy eyes. In recent days I spotted a tractor in the biggest field cutting back the grass which releases much of the pollen, but the trees are still doing their bit in keeping noses running across the village. Many of my neighbours have been visiting the village park and the local pub, the Dormarch, especially since the start of the sunshine and the World Cup. Their investment in the tournament seems strange to me, especially since Wales were knocked out of the qualifying round, but it's nice to see people having something to enjoy given the never ending stream of bad news we usually get.
Anyhow, that concludes this installment of Frynwys Features. As always if anything else interesting happens in this quietest of quiet villages, I'll be sure to let you know.
Thursday, 19 April 2018
NaPoWriMo #19: Sunshine Garden
The sunshine outside the window,
the trees growing new leaves,
the grass growing taller.
The puddle at the bottom
of the garden drying up,
sparrows and blackbirds
darting through the branches.
Somewhere in the distance
someone hammers nails
into a fence, the latest
apprentice carpenter
to appear in the village.
(Today's poem is inspired by the daily prompt from the NaPoWriMo website, which today was to write a paragraph describing a story, the scene outside your window or directions from place to place, and then either erase words to create a poem or use some of the words to form a new poem. I took this prompt and used it to describe what my garden in Frynwys looks like in the current weather.)
the trees growing new leaves,
the grass growing taller.
The puddle at the bottom
of the garden drying up,
sparrows and blackbirds
darting through the branches.
Somewhere in the distance
someone hammers nails
into a fence, the latest
apprentice carpenter
to appear in the village.
(Today's poem is inspired by the daily prompt from the NaPoWriMo website, which today was to write a paragraph describing a story, the scene outside your window or directions from place to place, and then either erase words to create a poem or use some of the words to form a new poem. I took this prompt and used it to describe what my garden in Frynwys looks like in the current weather.)
Tuesday, 10 April 2018
NaPoWriMo #10: Melancholic Afternoon
When the sky is clogged with clouds,
when the roads are empty
and the houses steadfastly silent,
and the fields rain-drenched,
dotted by rouge magpies and jays,
melancholy takes over.
When the goldfinches vanish,
when cats shelter under hedges
and the mist settles on the hillside,
and the gloom of dusk arrives
heralded by the drone of airliners,
melancholy takes over.
when the roads are empty
and the houses steadfastly silent,
and the fields rain-drenched,
dotted by rouge magpies and jays,
melancholy takes over.
When the goldfinches vanish,
when cats shelter under hedges
and the mist settles on the hillside,
and the gloom of dusk arrives
heralded by the drone of airliners,
melancholy takes over.
Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Happy World Poetry Day!
Hi guys. Once again it's World Poetry Day and poets across the world are no doubt celebrating with verse and all that goes with it. Meanwhile I'm aware that there has not been much poetry on this blog at late, but I can tell you that a new poem, rather ominously titled 'Hell's Daffodils', is nearing completion, so keep an eye out for it in the next couple of days.
In other news, Frynwys has recovered from the recent snowstorms and apart from a couple of smatterings on some of the hills, it seems that spring is finally on its way. The next installment of Frynwys Features is half done, so hopefully it won't be much of wait before that gets posted. Also on the subject of things in a queue, the next installment of Slam Poetry on the Spot, focusing on slam champion Harry Baker, is getting underway. I'll try not to take as much time writing it as I did with the first one, so keep an eye out for that.
Other than that, it's pretty much business as usual at Tiger Verse. I have a few ideas for new features on this blog, and I'll let you know what they are when I have a more concrete template to share. I can't say too much of what 'Hell's Daffodils' will entail, other than it's exactly what it sounds like; mildly amusing insanity. It's a shame it's not quite ready for World Poetry Day, but it'll be worth the wait I'm sure.
Enjoy all the verse out there, and see you again soon!
In other news, Frynwys has recovered from the recent snowstorms and apart from a couple of smatterings on some of the hills, it seems that spring is finally on its way. The next installment of Frynwys Features is half done, so hopefully it won't be much of wait before that gets posted. Also on the subject of things in a queue, the next installment of Slam Poetry on the Spot, focusing on slam champion Harry Baker, is getting underway. I'll try not to take as much time writing it as I did with the first one, so keep an eye out for that.
Other than that, it's pretty much business as usual at Tiger Verse. I have a few ideas for new features on this blog, and I'll let you know what they are when I have a more concrete template to share. I can't say too much of what 'Hell's Daffodils' will entail, other than it's exactly what it sounds like; mildly amusing insanity. It's a shame it's not quite ready for World Poetry Day, but it'll be worth the wait I'm sure.
Enjoy all the verse out there, and see you again soon!
Thursday, 1 March 2018
Happy St. David's Day!
So it's St. David's Day here in Wales, and for the first time in about ten years it's snowing. There's a red warning in place from the Met Office for most of Wales, and I can tell you that Frynwys is snowed under. My plan of action is to wait for it to pass, but judging by the forecast it appears I won't be going anywhere until Sunday at least. To pass the time, here's some updates on what will be occurring on this blog in the near future.
For those of you who've recently joined us, I release the first installment of Slam Poetry on the Spot yesterday, analysing a poem by Suli Breaks. It took me a while to get that article together after numerous delays, so it's a relief to have it finished. Next up in the frame is Grand Slam poetry champion Harry Baker, so look out for that (I can't put a specific date on when that will come out, but hopefully I won't do a George R. R. Martin and take six years to write it). In a similar vein, I'm working on the next installment of Frynwys Features, and judging by the whiteout going on at the moment I suspect there will be more than a few new developments.
Poetry wise, I've got a couple of new poems close to being finished, one of which was meant to be for today but didn't make it in time. With a few adjustments it should be posted in the next couple of days. On that note, the animal poems (especially the tiger themed ones) have not gone anywhere, so expect a few more of those as we head into March. Otherwise, it's pretty much business as usual here. I'm going to try and keep things fairly consistent and post more often, because it's been a long wait between posts at times. Hopefully I can shorten the waiting times and all will be well in the world of verse.
Anyways, those are the updates as they stand. So wrap up warm if you're going out, enjoy those Welsh cakes if you're not and look out for slumbering dragons if you're doing both!
For those of you who've recently joined us, I release the first installment of Slam Poetry on the Spot yesterday, analysing a poem by Suli Breaks. It took me a while to get that article together after numerous delays, so it's a relief to have it finished. Next up in the frame is Grand Slam poetry champion Harry Baker, so look out for that (I can't put a specific date on when that will come out, but hopefully I won't do a George R. R. Martin and take six years to write it). In a similar vein, I'm working on the next installment of Frynwys Features, and judging by the whiteout going on at the moment I suspect there will be more than a few new developments.
Poetry wise, I've got a couple of new poems close to being finished, one of which was meant to be for today but didn't make it in time. With a few adjustments it should be posted in the next couple of days. On that note, the animal poems (especially the tiger themed ones) have not gone anywhere, so expect a few more of those as we head into March. Otherwise, it's pretty much business as usual here. I'm going to try and keep things fairly consistent and post more often, because it's been a long wait between posts at times. Hopefully I can shorten the waiting times and all will be well in the world of verse.
Anyways, those are the updates as they stand. So wrap up warm if you're going out, enjoy those Welsh cakes if you're not and look out for slumbering dragons if you're doing both!
Tuesday, 23 January 2018
Belated Happy New Year!
Happy New Year everybody! Sorry I haven't been posting anything since last autumn; it's been a busy few months. I managed to get myself a Christmas temporary job over the festive period in the grand old town of Cardiff, so I've had to push back most of my poetry projects until now.
Thankfully, now that my real world job has eased up a bit, I can let you guys know what's going to be happening on this blog in the foreseeable future. In the immediate future I have a couple of poems which have been completed and are almost ready to be posted, along with an article about Hollie McNish and her recent troubles with a certain literary magazine. Aside to that, I'm also still working hard on my analysis of Suli Breaks' poem 'I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate', and I hope to have that posted as soon as possible.
As for Frynwys, the village is as quiet as ever, although like those of you living in the UK, we've experienced a bit of snowfall during January, and at times the areas on my usual walk looked like something out of The Polar Express. Not that we have a railway line here, but if you added one in then you have the idea of how much snow was on the ground.
Anyways, here's to another great year of poetry and everyday adventures, and I'll see you all again soon.
Thankfully, now that my real world job has eased up a bit, I can let you guys know what's going to be happening on this blog in the foreseeable future. In the immediate future I have a couple of poems which have been completed and are almost ready to be posted, along with an article about Hollie McNish and her recent troubles with a certain literary magazine. Aside to that, I'm also still working hard on my analysis of Suli Breaks' poem 'I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate', and I hope to have that posted as soon as possible.
As for Frynwys, the village is as quiet as ever, although like those of you living in the UK, we've experienced a bit of snowfall during January, and at times the areas on my usual walk looked like something out of The Polar Express. Not that we have a railway line here, but if you added one in then you have the idea of how much snow was on the ground.
Anyways, here's to another great year of poetry and everyday adventures, and I'll see you all again soon.
Sunday, 1 October 2017
Frynwys Features #3: Return of the Goldfish
It's that time again. A lot has happened in Frynwys since the last installment, although in Frynwys terms "a lot" is often what other towns and cities would call "nothing much". This time around there is more news from across the village; at the ponds, on the roads, in the fields and not too far beyond.
The first thing of note is the sudden increase in the number of people repairing fences in the area. This in itself isn't uncommon; homes need maintenance all the time and so to hear someone repairing a bit of woodwork in their garden isn't a strange occurrence. However it's become such a regular occurrence that I'm beginning to wonder if there's a club somewhere encouraging it. Is there a local group which organises Sunday afternoon meetings in someone's front room, filled with china-laden cupboards and linen-clothed tables? This isn't so much a news item as it a personal grievance, but if I hear another hammer hitting the back of a fence or a shed, I might have to start investigating this phenomenon further.
In other news of the slightly less infuriating variety, it appears that someone did not take the nature warden's warning about releasing fish into the pond seriously. Somebody in the village recently noticed up to thirty enormous goldfish swimming around in it, big enough to qualify as small koi carp. The last time this happened the local wildlife which inhabit the pond took a major blow, especially the frogs which use the pond to nurture their frogspawn. That was just a few small fish. After about a week it seems that these fish are not only thriving in the pond, but multiplying. I don't know if the wardens have spotted them yet, but I've spoken to a few people who live near the pond and they certainly have. What sort of measures the wardens will put in place this time remains to be seen, but if they put up another sign I suspect they might need to rethink their deterrence strategy.
With regards to the local animal population, a few new dogs have been spotted in the area. Not strays but dogs with owners attached, and in particular a black pug has caught my attention. He appears to be less than a year old, and is quite hyperactive from what I've seen of him. He runs around the fields to the south of the village in search of other friendly dogs. Most of the other dogs take little notice of him, but if he meets another puppy then an impromptu greyhound race will certainly take place. He's only run up to me once, and I haven't seen much of him since, but hopefully I'll catch sight of him again in the near future.
And last but by no means least, it appears that a few ravens are making their home in the nearby forests. It's not often that you see a raven (at least as I've found), and they're fairly distinctive compared to jackdaws and crows, not by any subtle difference in their plumage, but in their size. They are as big as seagulls, and seeing them foraging in the fields next to smaller birds really highlights this. Also the characteristic rattling call they make is now becoming a semi-regular feature in the skies above Frynwys. Why I never noticed them before is slightly baffling, but alongside the resident jays, crows, jackdaws, magpies and other birds, they make a nice addition to the local ecosystem.
That's all for this installment of Frynwys Features, with my home village more than living up to its reputation. Hopefully by next time something more interesting will have happened, but until then the wait continues.
The first thing of note is the sudden increase in the number of people repairing fences in the area. This in itself isn't uncommon; homes need maintenance all the time and so to hear someone repairing a bit of woodwork in their garden isn't a strange occurrence. However it's become such a regular occurrence that I'm beginning to wonder if there's a club somewhere encouraging it. Is there a local group which organises Sunday afternoon meetings in someone's front room, filled with china-laden cupboards and linen-clothed tables? This isn't so much a news item as it a personal grievance, but if I hear another hammer hitting the back of a fence or a shed, I might have to start investigating this phenomenon further.
In other news of the slightly less infuriating variety, it appears that someone did not take the nature warden's warning about releasing fish into the pond seriously. Somebody in the village recently noticed up to thirty enormous goldfish swimming around in it, big enough to qualify as small koi carp. The last time this happened the local wildlife which inhabit the pond took a major blow, especially the frogs which use the pond to nurture their frogspawn. That was just a few small fish. After about a week it seems that these fish are not only thriving in the pond, but multiplying. I don't know if the wardens have spotted them yet, but I've spoken to a few people who live near the pond and they certainly have. What sort of measures the wardens will put in place this time remains to be seen, but if they put up another sign I suspect they might need to rethink their deterrence strategy.
With regards to the local animal population, a few new dogs have been spotted in the area. Not strays but dogs with owners attached, and in particular a black pug has caught my attention. He appears to be less than a year old, and is quite hyperactive from what I've seen of him. He runs around the fields to the south of the village in search of other friendly dogs. Most of the other dogs take little notice of him, but if he meets another puppy then an impromptu greyhound race will certainly take place. He's only run up to me once, and I haven't seen much of him since, but hopefully I'll catch sight of him again in the near future.
And last but by no means least, it appears that a few ravens are making their home in the nearby forests. It's not often that you see a raven (at least as I've found), and they're fairly distinctive compared to jackdaws and crows, not by any subtle difference in their plumage, but in their size. They are as big as seagulls, and seeing them foraging in the fields next to smaller birds really highlights this. Also the characteristic rattling call they make is now becoming a semi-regular feature in the skies above Frynwys. Why I never noticed them before is slightly baffling, but alongside the resident jays, crows, jackdaws, magpies and other birds, they make a nice addition to the local ecosystem.
That's all for this installment of Frynwys Features, with my home village more than living up to its reputation. Hopefully by next time something more interesting will have happened, but until then the wait continues.
Wednesday, 17 May 2017
Frynwys Features #2: Labradors and Lamborghinis
I feel I've said it enough times on this blog to make it redundant, but Frynwys, as a centre of activity, is often as silent as a church. Still, as I demonstrated in the first installment of this recurring feature, things do happen in the village from time to time, and since my last bulletin a few more interesting things have occurred. Mind you, when I say a few, I mean it in the literal sense because it was hard to find enough to fill this segment.
So what's the most striking thing that's happened in Frynwys of late? Well, I suppose there's been an improvement of sorts to the infrastructure, though not in the way you might think. It seems that local volunteers working with the wildlife wardens have dug up a new gravel path on the field near the pond. The path is usually been in mud which takes ages to dry once it gets soaked by a rainstorm. Now with the new gravel in, traversing it is a bit easier. I've noticed in recent weeks that local schools are sending kids down there with their teachers, armed with spades, shovels and the like; presumably to help the wardens with maintaining it. It is quite strange to see entire classes of school kids trapesing through the fields, but at least the community is getting involved with something in the village.
In other news, there's been a rare car sighted on the village hall road; rare in the sense that the car in question is of the expensive kind you don't see in Frynwys at all. As I was walking past the road leading to the village hall and the shop, I caught sight of an orange Lamborghini turn to the right and roar off with a loud blast of the exhaust. I'm guessing it was a Gallardo judging by the shape of the taillights. I know for a fact that no one in Frynwys owns a supercar; the closest is probably the old Lotus on Taliesin Close. Whoever owned the Lamborghini probably came from one of the outlying towns, maybe Pontypool or Caerleon, and stopped by the shop to pick up some milk. I am of course speculating; any self-respecting Lamborghini owner probably has a fridge stacked with milk. Still, it was quite nice to see a car painted in orange for a change.
Speaking of bright orange, we move up one space in the colour spectrum to red, as the local Labour councillor campaigned in the village ahead of the council elections. They arrived on my street with a couple of campaigners to try and spread their message, but when they arrived at my house my mother answered the door. She has been less than impressed with the local council's record, especially on education, and she let the councillor know it. The councillor responded with the same question-dodging tactics most (if not all) politicians use, pointing out that improvements had taken place without providing concrete examples. Needless to say, my mother was less than impressed, and I think you can guess who she didn't vote for at the election.
For the final bit of news, I've also noticed an increase in the number of dogs in the area (pets, not wild ones, obviously). Like many villages and towns in South Wales, Frynwys already has a lot of dog owners amongst its population, but it seems that more people than ever now own a dog judging by the number of them I've seen walking around. The most notable additions have been Labradors and spaniels of varying shades, but there are several other breeds, most often terriers. Due to the fact that Frynwys is quite rural, it's a great environment for dogs, as they have plenty of fields and small wooded areas to run around in, although the recent outbreak of Alabama rot is a real cause for concern. Although rare, there have been an increasing number of cases across the UK, and the most recent case in Wales happened in Magor, Monmouthshire. The cause is as yet unknown, but hopefully vets can find a way to treat it soon and bring a halt to the casualties this terrible disease has already inflicted.
That's it for this installment of Frynwys Features. As I speak the village has returned to being its usual quiet self, but if anything out of the ordinary happens I will cover it in a future installment. Keep an eye out for incoming poems in the next few days. Hope you're all doing well and I'll see you again.
So what's the most striking thing that's happened in Frynwys of late? Well, I suppose there's been an improvement of sorts to the infrastructure, though not in the way you might think. It seems that local volunteers working with the wildlife wardens have dug up a new gravel path on the field near the pond. The path is usually been in mud which takes ages to dry once it gets soaked by a rainstorm. Now with the new gravel in, traversing it is a bit easier. I've noticed in recent weeks that local schools are sending kids down there with their teachers, armed with spades, shovels and the like; presumably to help the wardens with maintaining it. It is quite strange to see entire classes of school kids trapesing through the fields, but at least the community is getting involved with something in the village.
In other news, there's been a rare car sighted on the village hall road; rare in the sense that the car in question is of the expensive kind you don't see in Frynwys at all. As I was walking past the road leading to the village hall and the shop, I caught sight of an orange Lamborghini turn to the right and roar off with a loud blast of the exhaust. I'm guessing it was a Gallardo judging by the shape of the taillights. I know for a fact that no one in Frynwys owns a supercar; the closest is probably the old Lotus on Taliesin Close. Whoever owned the Lamborghini probably came from one of the outlying towns, maybe Pontypool or Caerleon, and stopped by the shop to pick up some milk. I am of course speculating; any self-respecting Lamborghini owner probably has a fridge stacked with milk. Still, it was quite nice to see a car painted in orange for a change.
Speaking of bright orange, we move up one space in the colour spectrum to red, as the local Labour councillor campaigned in the village ahead of the council elections. They arrived on my street with a couple of campaigners to try and spread their message, but when they arrived at my house my mother answered the door. She has been less than impressed with the local council's record, especially on education, and she let the councillor know it. The councillor responded with the same question-dodging tactics most (if not all) politicians use, pointing out that improvements had taken place without providing concrete examples. Needless to say, my mother was less than impressed, and I think you can guess who she didn't vote for at the election.
For the final bit of news, I've also noticed an increase in the number of dogs in the area (pets, not wild ones, obviously). Like many villages and towns in South Wales, Frynwys already has a lot of dog owners amongst its population, but it seems that more people than ever now own a dog judging by the number of them I've seen walking around. The most notable additions have been Labradors and spaniels of varying shades, but there are several other breeds, most often terriers. Due to the fact that Frynwys is quite rural, it's a great environment for dogs, as they have plenty of fields and small wooded areas to run around in, although the recent outbreak of Alabama rot is a real cause for concern. Although rare, there have been an increasing number of cases across the UK, and the most recent case in Wales happened in Magor, Monmouthshire. The cause is as yet unknown, but hopefully vets can find a way to treat it soon and bring a halt to the casualties this terrible disease has already inflicted.
That's it for this installment of Frynwys Features. As I speak the village has returned to being its usual quiet self, but if anything out of the ordinary happens I will cover it in a future installment. Keep an eye out for incoming poems in the next few days. Hope you're all doing well and I'll see you again.
Monday, 1 May 2017
NaPoWriMo 2017 Completed
So that's it. After thirty days' ceaseless formulating and writing poems, I've finally completed NaPoWriMo 2017. It's been a long challenge indeed, but looking back on what I've written this last month, I can safely say it was an unqualified success (unqualified due to my inexperience at this kind of challenge).
What strikes me looking through my NaPoWriMo catalogue is how the challenge forces you to think on your feet while writing and searching for ideas. While I had my usual tropes to fall back on - tiger poems, animal poems, poems about Wales - I've branched out into new territory with some of the other poems I've done. We've had poems about catfish, we've had poems about chimpanzees, we've had poems about worms, we've had poems about Bugatti, we've had sonnets, and we've had poems written in trochaic octameter. All in all NaPoWriMo has forced me to go outside my comfort zone a bit, which is a great stage of development for any writer.
Due to the fact that NaPoWriMo isn't so much about quality as about quantity, the constant demand to produce a poem a day for a month has been a bit tiring. Still, I think it has strengthened my writing abilities, as it has with many others whose work I've been seeing. For my first completed NaPoWriMo, it's been quite a good ride and I look forward to taking the challenge on again when it comes around next year.
In the meantime, I've got a few things approaching fast on this blog. There will be more poems as usual in the next week or two, another instalment of my newest feature, Frynwys Features, and more updates on the long-gestating Mametz Wood project.
To all of you who participated in NaPoWriMo 2017, well done and good luck for the future!
What strikes me looking through my NaPoWriMo catalogue is how the challenge forces you to think on your feet while writing and searching for ideas. While I had my usual tropes to fall back on - tiger poems, animal poems, poems about Wales - I've branched out into new territory with some of the other poems I've done. We've had poems about catfish, we've had poems about chimpanzees, we've had poems about worms, we've had poems about Bugatti, we've had sonnets, and we've had poems written in trochaic octameter. All in all NaPoWriMo has forced me to go outside my comfort zone a bit, which is a great stage of development for any writer.
Due to the fact that NaPoWriMo isn't so much about quality as about quantity, the constant demand to produce a poem a day for a month has been a bit tiring. Still, I think it has strengthened my writing abilities, as it has with many others whose work I've been seeing. For my first completed NaPoWriMo, it's been quite a good ride and I look forward to taking the challenge on again when it comes around next year.
In the meantime, I've got a few things approaching fast on this blog. There will be more poems as usual in the next week or two, another instalment of my newest feature, Frynwys Features, and more updates on the long-gestating Mametz Wood project.
To all of you who participated in NaPoWriMo 2017, well done and good luck for the future!
Friday, 21 April 2017
NaPoWriMo #21: Village Grapevine
It's been a while since I've taken up any of NaPoWriMo's daily prompts, but here we go. For my twenty first poem, I've followed NaPoWriMo's prompt to incorporate overhead speech, in this case overheard throughout my home village of Frynwys.
Village Grapevine
There's a lot of knotweed
down by the stream.
Is there really?
Better sort that out at some point.
Just moved up here from London,
getting my bearings you know?
Nice to meet you, don't worry,
this place is really quite small.
It's gone chilly all of a sudden,
it was sunny this morning.
You know what that is?
That's the cold front that is.
A blackbird chirps to a goldfinch.
I wish I knew what they were saying.
Oi, finch! Will you shut up?
You're doin' me head in and all!
Village Grapevine
There's a lot of knotweed
down by the stream.
Is there really?
Better sort that out at some point.
Just moved up here from London,
getting my bearings you know?
Nice to meet you, don't worry,
this place is really quite small.
It's gone chilly all of a sudden,
it was sunny this morning.
You know what that is?
That's the cold front that is.
A blackbird chirps to a goldfinch.
I wish I knew what they were saying.
Oi, finch! Will you shut up?
You're doin' me head in and all!
Tuesday, 4 April 2017
Frynwys Features #1: A Fishy Engagement
If you're one of the extremely few people who've been following this blog for some time, you'll be aware that I live in a very small village called Frynwys in South Wales. It has few places of note; a village hall, a shop, some wild land on its southern edge, a pub and a couple of small parks. Because of this, Frynwys is pretty much dead in terms of excitement or adventure. In fact the most activity we've had recently has been the restoration of a path which took shorter than expected.
That's not to say nothing of note ever happens here. I've previously mentioned the incident in which a terrapin was released into the local pond, and before that a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey flew over my house during the NATO summit in Newport back in 2014. With this in mind, I think it's time I covered all the interesting and positively riveting goings on of Frynwys in this new feature.
So what's been happening in Frynwys recently? Let's start things off with a familiar theme. It seems the pond has become a hive of activity over these last few weeks, especially since the frogs have spawned and their eggs are frothing in clusters on the banks. Then, as I was walking past the pond the other day, I noticed some large orange shapes moving close to the surface. It took me a second to realise that they were carp of some kind, and that yet again someone had released fish into the pond. The last time this happened the fish were removed by the warden in charge of looking after the village's wild land, and a sign was put up explaining the effect of the fish on the pond's ecology and asking for the perpetrator to come forward. I wonder if they'll do the same when they discover several large carp in the pond. The frogspawn will certainly provide them with an easy food source, which will lead to an angry warden indeed.
Elsewhere in Frynwys, I encountered a strange situation by the park at the bottom of the village. I was walking past there headed to another street, and saw a woman and her two children (who I estimate were about four or five years old). The children were swinging on the swings as children that age do, but as I walked past them they suddenly started screeching the chorus to the song 'Heathens' by Twenty One Pilots. The opening lyric of said chorus startled me, but I didn't expect them to launch into the rest of the song, which they proceeded to do. I take it most people by now are familiar with the film Suicide Squad, and that 'Heathens' is a song written for and closely associated with said film. Thus the lyrics are to do with psychopaths, murderers, and is general a gloomy song which nonetheless I think is quite a good one if a bit overplayed during 2016. As I left the kids were still singing it, and their mother seemed completely oblivious. Not that I have anything against children singing 'Heathens', but I couldn't help but be surprised that the parent didn't seem to notice the song's content.
Closer to home, my street to be exact, some of our neighbours have moved out. They were the longest resident homeowners on our street, with my family not far behind in second place. Now, since one of them has retired, they decided to move with their two cocker spaniels to a house in Cornwall. It makes perfect sense; I've often thought about retiring to the coast in the future, although that is an incredibly long-term plan since I'm nowhere near retirement age. Still, their departure now leaves my family the longest-serving residents on our street, which is a bit of an odd feeling.
And finally, in the only other noteworthy bit of news I've managed to accumulate, a friend of mine is getting engaged. This is particularly noteworthy to me at least, because this is a friend I went to primary school with in the nearby school. We parted ways after I was sent to a school in Newport and he was sent to the local comprehensive, but we've kept in touch over the years. Now that he's engaged, the passage of time has suddenly become clearly evident to me. I can remember most of my school days with precise clarity, and it only feels like we were there just the other day. Funny how everyone grows up.
That concludes this first installment of Frynwys Features. I suspect there will be more to come from this segment, but given the slow and quiet nature of life in this little backwater, it might take a while.
That's not to say nothing of note ever happens here. I've previously mentioned the incident in which a terrapin was released into the local pond, and before that a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey flew over my house during the NATO summit in Newport back in 2014. With this in mind, I think it's time I covered all the interesting and positively riveting goings on of Frynwys in this new feature.
So what's been happening in Frynwys recently? Let's start things off with a familiar theme. It seems the pond has become a hive of activity over these last few weeks, especially since the frogs have spawned and their eggs are frothing in clusters on the banks. Then, as I was walking past the pond the other day, I noticed some large orange shapes moving close to the surface. It took me a second to realise that they were carp of some kind, and that yet again someone had released fish into the pond. The last time this happened the fish were removed by the warden in charge of looking after the village's wild land, and a sign was put up explaining the effect of the fish on the pond's ecology and asking for the perpetrator to come forward. I wonder if they'll do the same when they discover several large carp in the pond. The frogspawn will certainly provide them with an easy food source, which will lead to an angry warden indeed.
Elsewhere in Frynwys, I encountered a strange situation by the park at the bottom of the village. I was walking past there headed to another street, and saw a woman and her two children (who I estimate were about four or five years old). The children were swinging on the swings as children that age do, but as I walked past them they suddenly started screeching the chorus to the song 'Heathens' by Twenty One Pilots. The opening lyric of said chorus startled me, but I didn't expect them to launch into the rest of the song, which they proceeded to do. I take it most people by now are familiar with the film Suicide Squad, and that 'Heathens' is a song written for and closely associated with said film. Thus the lyrics are to do with psychopaths, murderers, and is general a gloomy song which nonetheless I think is quite a good one if a bit overplayed during 2016. As I left the kids were still singing it, and their mother seemed completely oblivious. Not that I have anything against children singing 'Heathens', but I couldn't help but be surprised that the parent didn't seem to notice the song's content.
Closer to home, my street to be exact, some of our neighbours have moved out. They were the longest resident homeowners on our street, with my family not far behind in second place. Now, since one of them has retired, they decided to move with their two cocker spaniels to a house in Cornwall. It makes perfect sense; I've often thought about retiring to the coast in the future, although that is an incredibly long-term plan since I'm nowhere near retirement age. Still, their departure now leaves my family the longest-serving residents on our street, which is a bit of an odd feeling.
And finally, in the only other noteworthy bit of news I've managed to accumulate, a friend of mine is getting engaged. This is particularly noteworthy to me at least, because this is a friend I went to primary school with in the nearby school. We parted ways after I was sent to a school in Newport and he was sent to the local comprehensive, but we've kept in touch over the years. Now that he's engaged, the passage of time has suddenly become clearly evident to me. I can remember most of my school days with precise clarity, and it only feels like we were there just the other day. Funny how everyone grows up.
That concludes this first installment of Frynwys Features. I suspect there will be more to come from this segment, but given the slow and quiet nature of life in this little backwater, it might take a while.
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
Happy World Poetry Day!
Indeed, I almost forgot that it was World Poetry Day today, but hope all is going well with all my fellow poets out there. I suspect some of you will be taking part in NaPoWriMo this year, so I wish you all good luck with that too. It seems to me, having watched performance poetry, spoken word and having read new poetry, that poetry is more vibrant than ever in modern times. With such an array of variation it looks as if poetry is undergoing a new stage in its evolution which will be interesting to watch over the next few years.
In other news, you can expect more poems on this blog in the next few days, including some more poems related to India's wildlife. Also I'll be posting a new feature regarding my home village of Frynwys next week.
Anyways, Happy World Poetry Day everyone!
In other news, you can expect more poems on this blog in the next few days, including some more poems related to India's wildlife. Also I'll be posting a new feature regarding my home village of Frynwys next week.
Anyways, Happy World Poetry Day everyone!
Saturday, 25 February 2017
The Tiger Poet vs. a Terrapin
So Frnywys has been livelier than usual. Last weekend I got involved in a strange incident, which is saying something as strange incidents in Frynwys often equate to really trivial things. However this time it was truly strange, as it involved a terrapin.
Frynwys has a small area of wild land at the bottom of the village. It's not enough to warrant reserve status, but it's home to some wildlife including a pair of buzzards which nest in the nearby trees, fish, frogs and the occasional heron. Given this is fairly typical fauna to find in an area like this, you can imagine my confusion when I spotted a terrapin in the pond.
It was swimming in amongst reeds and pondweed, and when I saw frogspawn near the bank I wondered momentarily if the terrapin had been attracted to the pond by the prospect of a feast. Whatever frogs were in the pond at the time disappeared when I approached but the terrapin stayed. In fact it swam up to me and poked its tiny head out of the water to stare at me. I asked it (which seems a self-defeating exercise) what it was doing in the pond, and then it dived and its brown shell blended in with the muddy water.
After a few minutes of deliberation, I came to the obvious conclusion that someone had released the terrapin into the pond. It wouldn't be the first time; there was a previous incident where someone had released fish into the pond which proceeded to consume the tadpoles, but this was something else. The fact that the reptile had approached me indicated that it was familiar with people, but there wasn't a lot I could do. I thought about trying to capture it so that I could take it home and look after it until someone came to collect it, but I had nothing on me useful to catching terrapins.
So I left. When I got home I told my father about it, and we realised that if we left the terrapin in the pond it could potentially freeze. We're not quite out of winter yet, and I was not confident about the cold-blooded animal's chances when the temperature dropped. With this in mind, we grabbed a bucket and a long pole and headed back to the pond. Just as we were about to reach it, we spotted three teenagers, equipped with small fishing nets and a box, coming the other way. When they saw us they attempted to move out of sight, but we approached and asked if they had caught a terrapin. They told us that they had, albeit it somewhat tentatively, and then we explained the situation. It turned out they had the terrapin in the box and were taking it back to its home; one of the houses in the street behind the forest. Satisfied that the matter was resolved we left.
Is there a moral to this story? Not from a poet's point of view maybe. We deduced afterwards that the terrapin had been released into the pond during the day, if not by the teenagers than by one of their relatives, and they had set out to retrieve it when they returned home after school. I suspect that the teenagers had tried to hide from us because they thought we might have been nature reserve officials. The people in charge of looking after the wild land had acted when fish were released into the pond, putting up a sign explaining the damage and asking for the perpetrator to contact them. Maybe the teenagers were worried about reprisals from wildlife officials and decided to remove the terrapin before any lasting damage was done.
All this resulted in was just an unusual break from the daily pattern of life here in Frynwys. From a purely practical standpoint, the lesson to take away from this strange incident is obvious. Don't release pets into the wild. Not just terrapins, but any domestic animal really. Fortunately, the frogs didn't appear to notice, and the pond can go on being undisturbed. At least until a heron shows up looking for a free lunch.
Frynwys has a small area of wild land at the bottom of the village. It's not enough to warrant reserve status, but it's home to some wildlife including a pair of buzzards which nest in the nearby trees, fish, frogs and the occasional heron. Given this is fairly typical fauna to find in an area like this, you can imagine my confusion when I spotted a terrapin in the pond.
It was swimming in amongst reeds and pondweed, and when I saw frogspawn near the bank I wondered momentarily if the terrapin had been attracted to the pond by the prospect of a feast. Whatever frogs were in the pond at the time disappeared when I approached but the terrapin stayed. In fact it swam up to me and poked its tiny head out of the water to stare at me. I asked it (which seems a self-defeating exercise) what it was doing in the pond, and then it dived and its brown shell blended in with the muddy water.
After a few minutes of deliberation, I came to the obvious conclusion that someone had released the terrapin into the pond. It wouldn't be the first time; there was a previous incident where someone had released fish into the pond which proceeded to consume the tadpoles, but this was something else. The fact that the reptile had approached me indicated that it was familiar with people, but there wasn't a lot I could do. I thought about trying to capture it so that I could take it home and look after it until someone came to collect it, but I had nothing on me useful to catching terrapins.
So I left. When I got home I told my father about it, and we realised that if we left the terrapin in the pond it could potentially freeze. We're not quite out of winter yet, and I was not confident about the cold-blooded animal's chances when the temperature dropped. With this in mind, we grabbed a bucket and a long pole and headed back to the pond. Just as we were about to reach it, we spotted three teenagers, equipped with small fishing nets and a box, coming the other way. When they saw us they attempted to move out of sight, but we approached and asked if they had caught a terrapin. They told us that they had, albeit it somewhat tentatively, and then we explained the situation. It turned out they had the terrapin in the box and were taking it back to its home; one of the houses in the street behind the forest. Satisfied that the matter was resolved we left.
Is there a moral to this story? Not from a poet's point of view maybe. We deduced afterwards that the terrapin had been released into the pond during the day, if not by the teenagers than by one of their relatives, and they had set out to retrieve it when they returned home after school. I suspect that the teenagers had tried to hide from us because they thought we might have been nature reserve officials. The people in charge of looking after the wild land had acted when fish were released into the pond, putting up a sign explaining the damage and asking for the perpetrator to contact them. Maybe the teenagers were worried about reprisals from wildlife officials and decided to remove the terrapin before any lasting damage was done.
All this resulted in was just an unusual break from the daily pattern of life here in Frynwys. From a purely practical standpoint, the lesson to take away from this strange incident is obvious. Don't release pets into the wild. Not just terrapins, but any domestic animal really. Fortunately, the frogs didn't appear to notice, and the pond can go on being undisturbed. At least until a heron shows up looking for a free lunch.
Thursday, 9 February 2017
The Tiger Poet vs. Guitars
So recently I started trying to learn the guitar. Seems an odd choice of hobby for a poet who specialises in poetry about tigers. Still, having acquired a guitar from a relative last year, I'm giving it a go.
It didn't take me long to work out how to play single notes and how to pick said notes, but at the moment my repertoire is a bit limited. I'm having difficulty learning basic chords as my fingers aren't sticking together to form them, and somehow I'm failing at strumming as well. Still, I have learned a few select tunes, such as the opening riff from 'Pretty Woman', the Force theme from Star Wars, a couple of tunes from The Lion King, the main riffs played by the Doof Warrior in Mad Max Fury Road and the theme from the film Rango. They're not perfect by any means; the Doof Warrior's riffs in particular sound a bit weird when played on an acoustic, but it's a start.
Playing the guitar is an ideal hobby to have in a village as quiet as Frynwys. At the moment we're being constantly battered by wind and rain and there is a perpetual dimness in the day due to the thick cloud cover. At least I have plenty to distract myself from the dreary weather. If I somehow manage to play chords without string buzz (I'm assuming that's what it's called) I might be able to do something with it.
The guitar I'm learning on is an acoustic-electric (Tanglewood to be precise), and it's already broken one string (in fairness, it was my fault). It's not a bad guitar to learn on; after I finally managed to tune it to standard tuning I was able to play recognisable tunes. The top E string is the worst string for buzzing. If I play it particularly fast it buzzes like a wasp's nest, but it's alright when played slowly.
My early forays into playing the guitar have been quite improvised so far, hence the shortness of this post. However I received a guitar magazine for Christmas last year, and I'm using that to help me progress. Hopefully this time next month I'll be a bit better than a beginner.
It didn't take me long to work out how to play single notes and how to pick said notes, but at the moment my repertoire is a bit limited. I'm having difficulty learning basic chords as my fingers aren't sticking together to form them, and somehow I'm failing at strumming as well. Still, I have learned a few select tunes, such as the opening riff from 'Pretty Woman', the Force theme from Star Wars, a couple of tunes from The Lion King, the main riffs played by the Doof Warrior in Mad Max Fury Road and the theme from the film Rango. They're not perfect by any means; the Doof Warrior's riffs in particular sound a bit weird when played on an acoustic, but it's a start.
Playing the guitar is an ideal hobby to have in a village as quiet as Frynwys. At the moment we're being constantly battered by wind and rain and there is a perpetual dimness in the day due to the thick cloud cover. At least I have plenty to distract myself from the dreary weather. If I somehow manage to play chords without string buzz (I'm assuming that's what it's called) I might be able to do something with it.
The guitar I'm learning on is an acoustic-electric (Tanglewood to be precise), and it's already broken one string (in fairness, it was my fault). It's not a bad guitar to learn on; after I finally managed to tune it to standard tuning I was able to play recognisable tunes. The top E string is the worst string for buzzing. If I play it particularly fast it buzzes like a wasp's nest, but it's alright when played slowly.
My early forays into playing the guitar have been quite improvised so far, hence the shortness of this post. However I received a guitar magazine for Christmas last year, and I'm using that to help me progress. Hopefully this time next month I'll be a bit better than a beginner.
Thursday, 5 January 2017
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year everyone!
Hope you're all doing well and had a nice Christmas. So far 2017 has had an uneventful start here in Frynwys, but things are definitely looking up for the new year. As for myself, I am currently searching for a job while I make the transition from postgraduate education to the world of work. I tried getting a part-time job at Frynwys's only shop, but they were looking for people with checkout experience. Not the best omen, but I will persevere in my search.
Poetry-wise, there is a lot to look forward to. Some of the poetry I wrote for my master's course is due to be published in my university's pamphlet, though who knows if anything will come of that. As for this blog, you can expect many new poems starting from the end of this week. I have had a bit of a writing spree of late, which is odd because Christmas was very quiet here.
Anyway, that's just a taster of what's to come. Thank you for stopping by, and I'll see you soon.
Hope you're all doing well and had a nice Christmas. So far 2017 has had an uneventful start here in Frynwys, but things are definitely looking up for the new year. As for myself, I am currently searching for a job while I make the transition from postgraduate education to the world of work. I tried getting a part-time job at Frynwys's only shop, but they were looking for people with checkout experience. Not the best omen, but I will persevere in my search.
Poetry-wise, there is a lot to look forward to. Some of the poetry I wrote for my master's course is due to be published in my university's pamphlet, though who knows if anything will come of that. As for this blog, you can expect many new poems starting from the end of this week. I have had a bit of a writing spree of late, which is odd because Christmas was very quiet here.
Anyway, that's just a taster of what's to come. Thank you for stopping by, and I'll see you soon.
Tuesday, 31 March 2015
The Tiger Poet vs. National Poetry Writing Month 2015
There's always a first for an aspiring poet. As all of you amateur poets out there know, tomorrow is the beginning of National Poetry Writing Month, otherwise known as NaPoWriMo. The way it works is pretty much explained in the name. Basically you write (or attempt to write) a poem a day for the entire month of April. It has been said that one must be foolhardy to attempt such a mammoth task, and with this in mind I consider myself more than prepared for it.
I am currently in the process of returning to Frynwys, but once I'm there this will be the focus of my writing and of this blog. If all goes well, poems should start appearing here daily starting from tomorrow. It'll continue through to 30th April, and if I stick to it, this blog should be filled with thirty new poems. Some of these poems will inevitably be terrible, but hopefully out of the squalid mountain of rock a few gems should shine through. That there was an attempt at poetic metaphor, and if I end up putting metaphors like that into my poems, I'm not holding out much hope for the rest of the month.
Still, the whole point of NaPoWriMo isn't to prepare. You can't afford to think too much about how to structure or edit a poem when you need to write one every day. What matters is meeting the deadline with thirty poems to show for it. I've already got a fair idea of what I'll be writing about. There will be a few tiger poems thrown in for good measure, but there will be some poems about other subjects as well.
In case you've been inspired by this post to get involved in NaPoWrMo, I'll post the link to the site at the bottom. I'm already looking forward to beginning the challenge tomorrow, and I'm sure all the other poets out there are preparing their pens and keyboards in earnest. Who knows, even if we don't reach the goal, it's bound to be fun.
Hope you're all having a good week. See you at the first post.
Link to the NaPoWriMo site: NaPoWriMo
I am currently in the process of returning to Frynwys, but once I'm there this will be the focus of my writing and of this blog. If all goes well, poems should start appearing here daily starting from tomorrow. It'll continue through to 30th April, and if I stick to it, this blog should be filled with thirty new poems. Some of these poems will inevitably be terrible, but hopefully out of the squalid mountain of rock a few gems should shine through. That there was an attempt at poetic metaphor, and if I end up putting metaphors like that into my poems, I'm not holding out much hope for the rest of the month.
Still, the whole point of NaPoWriMo isn't to prepare. You can't afford to think too much about how to structure or edit a poem when you need to write one every day. What matters is meeting the deadline with thirty poems to show for it. I've already got a fair idea of what I'll be writing about. There will be a few tiger poems thrown in for good measure, but there will be some poems about other subjects as well.
In case you've been inspired by this post to get involved in NaPoWrMo, I'll post the link to the site at the bottom. I'm already looking forward to beginning the challenge tomorrow, and I'm sure all the other poets out there are preparing their pens and keyboards in earnest. Who knows, even if we don't reach the goal, it's bound to be fun.
Hope you're all having a good week. See you at the first post.
Link to the NaPoWriMo site: NaPoWriMo
Wednesday, 31 December 2014
The Tiger Poet vs. 2014
And so we've come to the end of another year. It seems like only last week that I started writing this blog, but considering that I started in June this isn't such a dramatic opening to a post. With New Year's Eve upon us and the inevitable revelries about to start, I've decided to take some time out and reflect upon the year just gone. To try and sum it up in full is a task for someone better qualified than me, so I'll give my own perspective on what has made 2014 a truly eventful year.
The first big event this year was this blog being created. Anyone who's read my first post will know that I decided to start a blog due to being on a creative writing course at university, and that it seemed quite appropriate. You may also know that I was originally called something else, but that I had to change my name when I discovered that somebody else had taken it. I chose my current name due to a lot of my poetry having a recurring theme involving tigers. I know I haven't discussed this theme in detail this year, so expect more tiger poetry in the New Year, as well as more stuff to start arriving on the YouTube channel.
Two other big events I saw this year as the Tiger Poet were the centenary of Dylan Thomas and my trip to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Seeing a poet as famous as Dylan Thomas being celebrated for his poetry gave me an extra boost to get my own work out there. Despite the fact that the only thing I have in common with Thomas is being Welsh, the discussion of his poetry inspired me to increase my own output and to further my understanding of poetry.
Then there was the Edinburgh Fringe, where I was astounded by the sheer volume of creativity on display, and where I first saw performance poetry somewhere other than university. Aside from the music and theatre I also saw, it was Kevin P. Gilday is the Man Who Loved Beer which gave me first-hand experience of how spoken word is performed in a live setting. I have always noted how performance poets always seem to perform their work at the same pitch and with the same tone. In Gilday's case however, his delivery was entirely suitable to the subject matter, and now I realise that this point can be modified if the poet has a strong individual voice. Gilday certainly had that and I look forward to seeing some more spoken word in the future.
The big event in Wales this year was of course the NATO summit held at the Celtic Manor in Newport. It was perhaps the single biggest event to be held in Newport in living memory, and the arrival of Barack Obama caused more than a stir in South Wales. The first US president to visit Wales left the Welsh people somewhat star-struck, and he brought a three thousand strong entourage with him. The most important outcome of the summit was the ceasefire in Ukraine, which was announced by President Poroshenko on the Celtic Manor's lawn. However my main memory of the summit will be the Osprey V22 which flew over my house. Never before had Frynwys seen anything like it, and I doubt we'll be seeing much like it again.
For me personally, starting my third and final year at university has been a defining event of 2014. Soon my studies will be at an end, and I face the daunting prospect of graduating and going off into the big wide world of work. Quite what I intend to do beyond that is a mystery to me at the moment, but I intend to carry on with this blog and to bring you content on a regular basis. This year my output has been on and off at the best of times, but going forward I will make it my New Year's resolution to bring you new posts at least every week. In the last few months I've tried to keep a consistent schedule, but with the new year will come more new and exciting things.
So, that's it. The year is done and dusted. All I can say now is goodbye to 2014. It's been a fun year, but all eyes are now turning towards the clock for the countdown to the New Year. Hope you all enjoy the fireworks and I'll see you all in 2015.
Happy New Year everyone!
The first big event this year was this blog being created. Anyone who's read my first post will know that I decided to start a blog due to being on a creative writing course at university, and that it seemed quite appropriate. You may also know that I was originally called something else, but that I had to change my name when I discovered that somebody else had taken it. I chose my current name due to a lot of my poetry having a recurring theme involving tigers. I know I haven't discussed this theme in detail this year, so expect more tiger poetry in the New Year, as well as more stuff to start arriving on the YouTube channel.
Two other big events I saw this year as the Tiger Poet were the centenary of Dylan Thomas and my trip to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Seeing a poet as famous as Dylan Thomas being celebrated for his poetry gave me an extra boost to get my own work out there. Despite the fact that the only thing I have in common with Thomas is being Welsh, the discussion of his poetry inspired me to increase my own output and to further my understanding of poetry.
Then there was the Edinburgh Fringe, where I was astounded by the sheer volume of creativity on display, and where I first saw performance poetry somewhere other than university. Aside from the music and theatre I also saw, it was Kevin P. Gilday is the Man Who Loved Beer which gave me first-hand experience of how spoken word is performed in a live setting. I have always noted how performance poets always seem to perform their work at the same pitch and with the same tone. In Gilday's case however, his delivery was entirely suitable to the subject matter, and now I realise that this point can be modified if the poet has a strong individual voice. Gilday certainly had that and I look forward to seeing some more spoken word in the future.
The big event in Wales this year was of course the NATO summit held at the Celtic Manor in Newport. It was perhaps the single biggest event to be held in Newport in living memory, and the arrival of Barack Obama caused more than a stir in South Wales. The first US president to visit Wales left the Welsh people somewhat star-struck, and he brought a three thousand strong entourage with him. The most important outcome of the summit was the ceasefire in Ukraine, which was announced by President Poroshenko on the Celtic Manor's lawn. However my main memory of the summit will be the Osprey V22 which flew over my house. Never before had Frynwys seen anything like it, and I doubt we'll be seeing much like it again.
For me personally, starting my third and final year at university has been a defining event of 2014. Soon my studies will be at an end, and I face the daunting prospect of graduating and going off into the big wide world of work. Quite what I intend to do beyond that is a mystery to me at the moment, but I intend to carry on with this blog and to bring you content on a regular basis. This year my output has been on and off at the best of times, but going forward I will make it my New Year's resolution to bring you new posts at least every week. In the last few months I've tried to keep a consistent schedule, but with the new year will come more new and exciting things.
So, that's it. The year is done and dusted. All I can say now is goodbye to 2014. It's been a fun year, but all eyes are now turning towards the clock for the countdown to the New Year. Hope you all enjoy the fireworks and I'll see you all in 2015.
Happy New Year everyone!
Thursday, 25 December 2014
The Tiger Poet vs. Christmas
It’s that time of year again. In many ways it’s arrived sooner that I thought, but it’s always great when it does. Out of all the times to be at home, Christmas is perhaps the best. Having just returned home from university, I’m relishing not having to worry about conserving money, and the festivities are currently at the forefront of my schedule. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t take time out to write this post, as even poets have something to say about Christmas. The best I can do is to share a little bit of what Christmas is like in my home village.
I know some readers have been wondering where exactly I live in South Wales, and I’m pleased to finally provide the answer. I live in Frynwys, a small village to the south of the Valleys. It has a few central features; the village hall, a pub and a small shop all within a few hundred yards of each other. As a result everyone goes to the same place for their milk. The streets in Frynwys are quite close together, meaning that you can’t walk a short distance without encountering give different sets of Christmas lights. People who live here tend to be somewhat competitive with their lights, with some houses trying to outdo each other with the elaborate decorations. It makes for a Christmas that’s brightly illuminated if nothing else.
My house has now been decked with bells of holly and such. Actually it’s been decked with tinsel and baubles; there aren’t any bells of holly. But there are quite a lot of lights and a few Christmas trees about the place. Tinsel which didn’t end up on the trees is now decorating the bannisters, the kitchen and the living room. The presents started arriving last week and there’s a fair few of them already. How many there’ll be on Christmas Day is still down to guesses (when is it not?), but I suspect there’ll be at least twice or three times as many as there are now.
The last time Frynwys saw a white Christmas was ten years ago in 2004. I learned this week that for it to truly be a white Christmas, snowflakes must be falling on the day, as well as snow being on the ground. From what the weather forecast has been saying recently, the chances of this happening are slim to put it mildly. Instead we’re getting rain, and lots of it. It’s mostly light drizzle at the moment, but when it’s like this for days on end it feels like you’re trapped in a particularly gloomy painting. The most recent forecast is claiming that it will be a lot dryer on Christmas Eve, but the last time I trusted the weather forecast my hopes were dashed and I had to go to school that day.
Aside from the weather and the decorations, the things that most people look forward to on Christmas Day are the presents. When I was asked what I wanted this year, it took me a while to provide an answer. I don’t know why, but the same innate excitement at the prospect of dozens of presents under the tree has slowly evaporated. Maybe that’s what happens when you’re an adult, but it’s not great, and this year I’m going to great lengths not to see any presents being placed under the tree. It’s proven slightly harder this year because new presents are appearing all the time, but I think I’ve marginally succeeded in steering clear of the tree this year.
Speaking of presents, I’ve bought a few for my family while I was away at university. They took a while to find, but I’m just hoping they’ll like them. One thing I’ve discovered since being a student is that time management is of the utmost importance. Because I’m the most unpunctual student there’s ever been, I ended up buying my presents at the last minute. Then again, I suppose since many people are doing this when Christmas comes around, maybe I’m not as monumentally late as I think.
I hope this has given you some idea of how Christmas is going for me at the moment. As this post is going out on the day itself, I hope everyone is well and that you all have a brilliant time.
Merry Christmas Everybody!
I know some readers have been wondering where exactly I live in South Wales, and I’m pleased to finally provide the answer. I live in Frynwys, a small village to the south of the Valleys. It has a few central features; the village hall, a pub and a small shop all within a few hundred yards of each other. As a result everyone goes to the same place for their milk. The streets in Frynwys are quite close together, meaning that you can’t walk a short distance without encountering give different sets of Christmas lights. People who live here tend to be somewhat competitive with their lights, with some houses trying to outdo each other with the elaborate decorations. It makes for a Christmas that’s brightly illuminated if nothing else.
My house has now been decked with bells of holly and such. Actually it’s been decked with tinsel and baubles; there aren’t any bells of holly. But there are quite a lot of lights and a few Christmas trees about the place. Tinsel which didn’t end up on the trees is now decorating the bannisters, the kitchen and the living room. The presents started arriving last week and there’s a fair few of them already. How many there’ll be on Christmas Day is still down to guesses (when is it not?), but I suspect there’ll be at least twice or three times as many as there are now.
The last time Frynwys saw a white Christmas was ten years ago in 2004. I learned this week that for it to truly be a white Christmas, snowflakes must be falling on the day, as well as snow being on the ground. From what the weather forecast has been saying recently, the chances of this happening are slim to put it mildly. Instead we’re getting rain, and lots of it. It’s mostly light drizzle at the moment, but when it’s like this for days on end it feels like you’re trapped in a particularly gloomy painting. The most recent forecast is claiming that it will be a lot dryer on Christmas Eve, but the last time I trusted the weather forecast my hopes were dashed and I had to go to school that day.
Aside from the weather and the decorations, the things that most people look forward to on Christmas Day are the presents. When I was asked what I wanted this year, it took me a while to provide an answer. I don’t know why, but the same innate excitement at the prospect of dozens of presents under the tree has slowly evaporated. Maybe that’s what happens when you’re an adult, but it’s not great, and this year I’m going to great lengths not to see any presents being placed under the tree. It’s proven slightly harder this year because new presents are appearing all the time, but I think I’ve marginally succeeded in steering clear of the tree this year.
Speaking of presents, I’ve bought a few for my family while I was away at university. They took a while to find, but I’m just hoping they’ll like them. One thing I’ve discovered since being a student is that time management is of the utmost importance. Because I’m the most unpunctual student there’s ever been, I ended up buying my presents at the last minute. Then again, I suppose since many people are doing this when Christmas comes around, maybe I’m not as monumentally late as I think.
I hope this has given you some idea of how Christmas is going for me at the moment. As this post is going out on the day itself, I hope everyone is well and that you all have a brilliant time.
Merry Christmas Everybody!
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