IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?

There's something unnerving about Anthony Gormley's men strung out along Crosby beach.
When the tide's out they're comfortable companions that people thread in and out among in a kind of animate/inanimate interaction. They photograph each other beside the figures, look out to sea to discover what it is the figures are facing, cuddle them, even drape them with sweaters and jackets.

But when the tide comes sneaking in, creeping slowly up the figures' bodies until only their metal heads are visible it makes you begin to ask questions -

What do they mean? What are they looking at/for? Are they sad or sinister?

And what do we mean? What are we looking for/at?

CHEERING THINGS

The snow has gone.

It's warmer.

There are snowdrop tips showing in my garden.

The forsythia is full of buds.

At half past five it was still just a little bit light outside.

There is a beautiful thin moon rising.

The great tits have been singing their spring song.

In my book of poems by Finnish poet Lauri Viita there is a poem that uses the letter K repeatedly: its first stanza is

Kaki kukkoja kukutti
kakatti kotikanoja.
Kukin kukkea kupunen
kukoi kuin kyky kekotti.
Kaikkokenkkaala kajasti.


Imagine trying to do that in English!

LAPAGERIA

Seven years ago I bought a plant of this climber from an Alpine specialist in Slack Top near Heptonstall in Yorkshire. It is not an Alpine, of course; in fact it's the national flower of Chile and an extremely vigorous climber given the right conditions. But the nursery owners had a wonderful specimen then in their cold greenhouse along the side of their house and it was in wondrous and prolific bloom. They had managed to raise a few plants from seed and these were for sale. They were tiny and cost £6 each. I wanted one badly as I had tried to grow it myself from seed years ago, seed I bought from Chiltern Seeds in Cumbria. Only three of the seeds germinated but when I potted them on they withered and died. I know they need very special care, and don't like any kind of disturbance, in short they're difficult creatures, and I looked at these tiny plants and thought yes, no, yes, no, YES!!

I did my very best for it and it grew and is now in a very heavy, very large pot. It goes outside every summer and I struggle to bring it in every winter, then fall over it at regular intervals - there isn't really room here for such a big thing, and it has to have a big pot as it likes a good, deep root run (as well as a precise amount of moisture, peaty compost, good drainage, tolerable warmth, and no draughts).

So the third thing in my list of Great Wonders from 2009 is that it finally flowered! It had 6 fabulous, long, waxy bells of the clearest, deepest rose pink and oh my God I couldn't believe my luck. It was utterly, utterly gorgeous.

NEW YEAR

And a very cheerful and eventful year to everyone out there!


Of all the things I did or witnessed in 2009 the two that contend for top position are: the afternoon when I sat watching flying ants, and the air above me suddenly filled with swifts, swallows and martins catching the ants as fast as they emerged - an incident I recorded on this blog in summer 2009.
The other amazing phenomenon that contends for top place among the wonderful is pictured on the right here:
in late October 2009, I noticed these on a tod of ivy - ladybirds transforming from larvae to fully grown insects. When I looked closer there were very many ladybirds on the ivy, some in more obvious ladybird form. I was thrilled to have seen this as in all my years of looking at wildlife I had never observed this before. This was the only image I managed to get as there was a wind blowing and each time I took a shot the leaves shook; all I got was blur. But this picture is clear and I'm pleased with it.

This is a year when I only made one resolution, which was to try to do less as I get very tired. Already it has been broken: I have a book coming out at the end of July, (The Plucking Shed, published by Cinnamon Press) and clearly I will have to do some readings after that date to promote it. But even before that I have readings booked in Manchester, York, Ludlow, and London. Plus on Sat April 10th I will be running a workshop in Much Wenlock as part of Wenlock Books' first ever Poetry Festival. I am a small but nonetheless important section of it: there will be readings from Gillian Clarke, Carol Ann Duffy and Roger McGough among many other events. I am also to contribute the poetry input to a weekend of songwriting at The Oak Barn in Shropshire in May, along with singers/ musicians Polly Bolton, Sue Harris and Gitika Partington.

What else will the year bring? I very much hope that for the world it will bring increased international co-operation in trying to solve the climate warming issue (Copenhagen was a huge disappointment but maybe the seeds are sown and greater things may yet come from it), and that peace will be restored to Afghanistan.

And for you, whoever you may be who read this insignificant little blog, I wish you an abundance of joy and delight in living. May all your surprises be happy ones!