Sabbatical musings from Keele and beyond

The following poem and images/video come from an afternoon walk stumbling through the local area... Abandoned As the dusty track drifts by, there confronts a site for the eye, A rainbow of colour of shape and form, a teddy bear perched alone, forlorn. Disregarded, dumped amassed in heaped abandonment. What story, what stories could be told, of streets skated and parties paraded, Maybe well-meaning donation to cause or call? What story of the one who tipped it, leaving it… surrendering to nature’s call. A little distance and a further sight, A historic tombstone, a shed of shit, a towering wheel now but a bird’s lonely perch. remnants of mining and industry long lost. Tired tyres adorn the fence line finishing the boundary with a blackened mar, ‘Fire started deliberately – call for information’ ,  police - BEWARE! Fun or frolics, malicious madness? Youthful experiment or adult indulgence. Yes what grows there, what sh...

One of the ways I find of stilling myself and engaging more deeply with the 'now' is through the lens of my camera, for my first sabbatical a large chunk of my grant was to buy a decent DSLR. This camera continues to accompany me at various points, family holidays, times of retreat or on special occasions.  Whilst staying at Reflections Hermitage last week I again used it to slow down and to see things more clearly.  As someone who finds reading hard work I also invested in a memory stick with all the talks from last years Greenbelt Festival on. I've not managed to listen to that many (yet) but have been particularly encouraged and inspired by offerings by Paula Gooder on imagination and scripture and Rob Hilton and the story of building Hilda his shepherds prayer hut.   Paula as always spoke powerfully and enthusiastically about engaging with scripture. She shares of one of the key, yet often neglected tools for engaging with scripture common sense! (I...