I'm very excited to bring my mini-series of Brazilian bird poems to the wider world. I have written a little more about them in this post... Brazilian bird poem no. 5 Below is the audio version of the poem which will play straight from my YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/M5EJhnfAdh0 Brazilian bird poem no. 5 - English … Continue reading Brazilian bird poem mini-series 5-6
Category: Rural life
Brazilian bird poems mini-series 3-4
I'm very excited to bring my mini-series of Brazilian bird poems to the wider world. I have written a little more about them in this post... Brazilian bird poem no. 3 Below is the audio version of the poem which will play straight from my YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/sogYBXjyXVQ Brazilian bird poem no. 3 - English … Continue reading Brazilian bird poems mini-series 3-4
Brazilian bird poems mini-series 1-2
I'm very excited to bring my mini-series of Brazilian bird poems to the wider world. Writing these has brought me much joy. I wanted the experience to be as accessible as possible so I've recorded an audio version of each poem so that non-Portuguese speakers will be able to follow along (this will be the … Continue reading Brazilian bird poems mini-series 1-2
The very hungry caterpillars
27th March - In the course of our morning foray into my mother-in-law's back garden for chicken inspection purposes, we happened upon a brightly coloured tiger butterfly resting on a leaf. We approached to get a better look, expecting her to fly away as soon as she saw us coming, but she remained resolutely where … Continue reading The very hungry caterpillars
The wait
Rain is both threatened and promisedrespite from this relentlessly heavy heat The air itself is thick and closemixed with smoke rising from still-smouldering wildfiresthe plumes suspended flatly in the valleysThe mountains behind seem to have been painted inunfinished, a soft dove-grey wash, to be inked in later Only the trees in the foreground sharpthe palms … Continue reading The wait
Rain, rain, go away?
I don't know how many times in my life I've heard people say 'Don't you just love a cold/rainy/wintry day when you're tucked up inside all nice and warm/dry/cosy and listening to the weather outside?' (delete as applicable). Actually, I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone say that, I think I've only ever read that … Continue reading Rain, rain, go away?
Outside my window #2
This evening as I am sat on our sofa with my daughter fast asleep across my lap it is quiet enough to hear the relentless traffic on the motorway nearby and the snapping of the pods on a tree just down the road. I've never really associated trees with noise before but this one is … Continue reading Outside my window #2
Swapping swallows for scorpions
When we hit the lockdown four month mark, I realised that I was only aware that so much time had passed because my shampoo had run out. I'd bought a 1 litre bottle in my last supermarket trip before full restrictions were announced and my shampoo bottle morphed gradually into a slightly lo-tech calendar. I … Continue reading Swapping swallows for scorpions
Close encounters with the Creator
Today I was witness to an aerial display that left me dumbfounded. A pair of Brazilian hawk-eagles (Spizaetus melanoleucus) were gliding, banking and wheeling around twenty feet from us as we watched rapt at the window. They flew with such precision and poise, with total ease and perfect power, chests snowy white and beaks flashing … Continue reading Close encounters with the Creator
Brazil from the outside in 